Urgent.ly Blog

We’re Urgent.ly, America's new and trusted roadside assistance provider, and we’re changing the way people get roadside help. No subscriptions, no hidden fees. And say goodbye to lost membership cards and endless phone waits. Just smart apps combined with a trusted service network that gets you (or a family member) back on the road.

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Hot Weather Car Tips

Summer is still a long way off, but much of the western U.S. is seeing record warmth, with temperatures soaring into the 80s and 90s. Here’s how extreme heat can take a toll on your car—and what you can do to minimize the damage.

Battery. Car batteries are prone to problems in winter temperatures, but extreme heat can do some serious damage too. While the cold slows down the chemical reaction that gets your car started, the heat accelerates your battery’s chemical operation and evaporates battery fluid, causing a faster burnout. And as your battery fluid evaporates, it can cause corrosion on terminals and connections. Make sure to regularly get your battery tested, and clean any corrosive material with a solvent of water and baking soda.

Fluids. You should keep an eye on your car’s fluids all throughout the year, but it’s especially important in extreme heat, as fluids carry heat away from critical components. Be sure to monitor your coolant, motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and power steering fluid when temperatures rise.

Tires. Normally, the heat generated by your tires—caused by rolling resistance and friction—doesn’t endanger the performance of your vehicle. On blistering summer days, however, the pavement can be 10-15 degrees hotter than the air, putting extra stress on tires that are already damaged. To avoid a blowout, keep an eye out for cracks, uneven wear, bulges, and other signs of damage, and have a professional inspect your tires each time you get your oil changed.

In addition, make sure to check your tire pressure regularly, and fill up according to the guidelines on the label inside the driver’s side door. Under-inflated tires generate even more heat, increasing the risk of a blowout.

Belts and hoses. Exposure to sky-high temperatures can create cracks in belts and hoses, which can cause your radiator to fail or your engine to overheat. The damage can be difficult to spot, so make sure to get your belts and hoses inspected by a professional on a regular basis.

--brought to you by Urgent.ly, America's Leading On-Demand Roadside Assistance Service.

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Cold Weather Car Tips

An Arctic blast pummeled the Northeast this past Valentine’s Day weekend, bringing bitter cold to much of the Midwest and Southeast. Here’s a look at how dangerously low temperatures affect your car.  

Battery. In freezing temperatures, your battery requires twice as much electrical current to get your car started. A half-dead battery can work fine in the summer, but it might leave you stranded once the weather gets cold.

Experts estimate that you should replace your battery every three to five years. When it’s freezing outside, you really don’t want to turn your key in the ignition and hear the telltale “click” — so make sure to get your battery tested regularly, along with your starting and charging systems.

Fluids. The cold thickens fluids, including your oil, coolant, power steering, brake and transmission fluids. If your oil is due for a change, consider buying a lower-viscosity type of oil meant for colder weather, and top off or refill the rest of your car’s fluids as needed.

Cold weather can also freeze windshield wiper fluid, which can be a problem when salt from the roads interferes with your visibility. You can buy a “winter blend” windshield wiper fluid to avoid this problem—these blends feature less water and more alcohol so they’re less likely to freeze.

Tires. According to Pep Boys, your tires can lose 1-2 PSI for every 10°F drop in temperature. Make sure to check your tire pressure regularly, and fill up according to the guidelines on the label inside the driver’s side door. In addition, if you live in a place that sees a lot of snow, it might be worth investing in winter tires, which provide better traction in icy conditions.

Idling. It might be tempting to let your car warm up before your morning commute, but if you leave it idling for more than a couple of minutes, you could be doing damage. Idling for too long causes buildup on your spark plugs, making your car less fuel-efficient. Prolonged idling also dilutes your oil with unburned fuel, which is harmful to your engine.

Drive safe, and stay warm!

--brought to you by Urgent.ly, America's Leading On-Demand Roadside Assistance Service.

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Why You Should Consider A Used Hybrid Car Now

Now that gas prices are so cheap, SUVs and luxury cars are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and fuel-efficient hybrids, plug-ins, and EVs have fallen out of favor among consumers. Here’s why now is the time to cash in on this market trend.

Back in 2008, owning a large, gas-guzzling SUV was a commuter’s curse. The national average for gas prices had skyrocketed to over $4 a gallon, and Eco-friendly hybrids like the Toyota Prius were enjoying robust sales.

Times have changed. Right now gas is cheap, and consumers are adjusting their financial priorities accordingly. As oil prices plummet to historic lows, drivers have little incentive to invest in fuel-efficient vehicles, and SUVs and luxury cars are experiencing a global boom.

That’s bad news for the automakers that banked on the continued success of hybrids, plug-ins, and EVs, but it’s good news for thrifty consumers who want to drive home in a fuel-efficient, affordably priced vehicle.  

Thanks to this consumer shift, a generation of used hybrids is hitting the market at astonishingly low prices. Kelley Blue Book prices a standard 2009 Prius (in good condition, with no major mechanical problems, with around 89,000 miles) at as low as $6,000, if you’re buying from a private party. For cash-strapped students and low-income workers previously put off by the car’s relatively steep price tag, this massive reduction could make all the difference.

And similarly priced, similarly fuel-efficient cars will be widely available. NADA Used Car Guide has predicted that 521,000 off-lease compact cars will saturate the market in 2016, up from about 380,000 cars that were re-listed last year, Automotive News reports.

To compensate for poor sales related to low gas prices, new hybrid and electric cars are getting cheaper, too. In 2014, Ford slashed the price of its battery-powered plug-in Focus Electric by a cool $6,000. Who knows? If the trend continues, the alternative-fuel car might just cast off its old associations of political correctness and snobbery.

But with gas prices so cheap, would buying a fuel-efficient vehicle have that much of an effect on your bottom line? According to fueleconomy.gov, the official U.S. source for fuel economy information, you’d still save a substantial amount by switching to a more economical car. Let’s say you drive an average of 15,000 miles a year and you’re deciding between a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe and a 2009 Toyota Prius. Opting for the Prius would save you about $1,000 a year, if gas prices remain at their current average of $1.82 a gallon. That $1,000 could make a nice addition to your nest egg—or, for that matter, fund a pretty nice road trip in your new hybrid.

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Urgent.ly Wins AUTO Connected Car News’ Tech CARS Award for Best Car Support App

We’re honored and humbled to win the AUTO Connected Car News’ Tech CARS Award for Best Car Support App.  Congrats to Apple and Waze as well for their wins.  Thank you to all our fans for your loyal support!  Check out the article here.  And don’t forget to download Urgent.ly!

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Snow Driving Tips

If you can’t avoid driving in a winter storm, here are some pointers to help you be prepared. You should always listen to weather reports and take them seriously, and you should make sure that your vehicle is ready. The gas tank should be full and the tires should be the correct kind to drive in the snow.

Going slowly in a snow storm can decrease the chances of losing control of the vehicle. Accelerating and decelerating at a slow pace is the best way to get traction and not slide all over the place. You should give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go and take your time driving on the roads.

When other people are on the road too, staying as far back as possible is a good idea. You have no way of knowing what the person in front of you is going to do. It is best to give yourself plenty of time to react to the driver in front of you. You should also try to look ahead as far as possible.

Hills and snowstorms are not a good combination. When approaching a hill, you need to let the vehicle get enough inertia before the hill to go up without using the gas too much and spinning the tires out. Don’t stop in the middle of going up a hill. This can lead to sliding backward or even flipping if the hill is steep enough.

Exit ramps do not normally get the same anti-freeze agents put on them as the main highways and interstates do. They might be icier than the main roads and it is a good idea to slow the vehicle down before reaching these ramps to keep as much control as possible.

Four-Wheel drive does not mean anything on the ice. Those vehicles are good for the snow and give some extra control in snow storms, but if they hit the ice, they can lose control just like any other vehicle. Do not get too much of an ego and over comfortable because a vehicle is a four-wheel drive snow machine. You need to be careful, no matter what kind of vehicle you are in.

Eighteen wheelers don’t stop because someone cut in front of them in a snowstorm. They will slide faster and longer than lighter weight vehicles. You should avoid swerving in and out of in front of them or cutting them off. That could mean getting your vehicle smashed by these larger trucks.

There are a few simple things that you can do to improve your safety and to be prepared in case of an emergency. Nobody ever plans on being stuck in a ditch, in a snowstorm, with their car covered in snow, and a dead cell phone. However, it happens and you can be prepared to survive these situations. The first aspect of driving in a winter storm is safety. Preparing the vehicle before winter is the best way to be safe. Winterizing vehicles or checking the whole system over is a good idea.

Things that should be checked on a vehicle before winter: • Tires/Snow Tires - if they are available should be put on in areas where people are going to be driving in snow all winter. • Fuel and Ignition systems • Belts, Brakes, Oil, Anti-freeze, and Exhaust Systems • Battery, Defroster, and Lights

Being prepared can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. Simple items can do the job and truly be lifesavers. You should get a few emergency items in their vehicles before the winter storms hit. If you still have items in your vehicle from the previous winter, inventory should be taken to make sure the essentials are still there and ready to go.

Things that should be in people’s vehicles before the winter storms • Flashlights (two of them in case one does not work or dies). They can be used not only for light but to signal other drivers that someone is in a ditch. Cars get covered in snow quickly and become invisible to other drivers in deep snow. • Blankets or Extra Jackets • Cell Phone Charger. Several stores are now selling chargers for cell phones that don’t have to be hooked up to a power source. • Snow Boots. These are needed in case someone has to walk to get help. • Food or Nutritional Drinks. Anything that does not take up a lot of space but is a high-calorie food in case the person is stranded. • Flares. These are needed in case the driver needs to get the attention of oncoming traffic or people far away. Pieces of bright colored material can also be used to flag people down in the snow. • Waterproof Matches • First Aid Kit. This should not just be a few band aids. Most home improvement stores sell the real first aid kits that someone could use in an accident. • Cups. Cups can be used to melt snow in and drink it to avoid dehydration from setting in.

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Urgent.ly Hires Top Connected Car Dealmaker

New Hire Tom Sexton Joins Team to Help Grow Urgent.ly into the Dominant Roadside Assistance Platform

We’re incredibly excited about the latest member of the Urgent.ly team! Take a look at the media announcement we’re releasing today for all the details. Welcome Tom!

Urgent.ly, the company reinventing roadside assistance, announced today the appointment of Tom Sexton as Vice President of Strategic Sales.  Sexton previously helped grow a small start-up into the dominant B2B and B2C connected car and device powerhouse through sales and partnerships with some of the best-known transportation and mobile brands in the U.S. and overseas.

Urgent.ly, the leading and most innovative on-demand roadside assistance platform in America, recently announced a $7 million Series A funding round.

“Tom has an outstanding track-record of creating innovative and strong partnerships with some of the world’s leading companies and brands,” said Urgent.ly CEO and co-founder Chris Spanos. “He’s a seasoned leader with deep relationships with key industry players along with extensive knowledge and experience that will help Urgent.ly rapidly scale our growth.”

Sexton was an early hire at INRIX, Inc., one of the first global connected car services companies.  He helped create partnerships and solutions for a host of automotive, mobile and media companies including BMW, Volkswagen Group, Ford, Toyota, Clear Channel, The Weather Company, BBC, AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, Garmin, O2, and Vodafone. Sexton also built solutions for TomTom, Google, and Apple mapping platforms.  INRIX is now the dominant company in its vertical.

Sexton was also part of the team at deCarta, an independent mapping, routing and geocoding platform, prior to its acquisition by Uber.  At deCarta, Sexton closed major deals with customers including OnStar, Ford, INRIX, Verizon Telematics, Blackberry, and eBay.  

“The connected car market is moving fast and there’s a tremendous opportunity for companies with innovative technology, a smart team and proven service,” said Sexton.  “Urgent.ly is the only roadside assistance company with all three – and I believe it’s the only one able to scale to meet the growing demand.”

Urgent.ly is the new and better alternative to traditional subscription-based auto clubs.  More than five million drivers have direct access to Urgent.ly through its native and mobile web platforms and partnerships with a broad range of mapping and connected car platforms including AT&T Drive, Cost2Drive, Dash, DriversEd.com, MapQuest, Mojio, ParkWhiz, TollSmart, Zendrive, Zubie, and others.

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Guest Post: How Urgent.ly Rescued One Customer from a Case of the Mondays

By Lexie de los Santos

As if the drive into work on Monday morning after a great weekend weren’t hard enough, I heard the dreaded popping sound of my front tire as I watched the right side of my car slowly sink.  Great.  I made it to my parking garage, but the realization that I had to begin my week with this inconvenience sunk in.  Having bought my SUV only a year ago and never needing to access my spare tire, I was unsure where to begin.   

My car insurance plan doesn’t cover roadside assistance, and AAA wasn’t an option.  Staring at my deflated tire in the cold garage, I quickly ran out of solutions.  Suddenly, I remembered hearing about an app called Urgent.ly. I pulled out my smartphone and went straight to the app store.  It was very easy to navigate through the app, entering in my basic information and the make and model of my car.  I chose my service and, to my relief, a tow truck reported it was just 15 minutes away. 

The process felt very familiar – not unlike Uber – as I tracked the truck’s approach through the Urgent.ly app.  The driver arrived and got right to work, even giving me some pointers along the way.  In 15 minutes, my tire was replaced, the Urgent.ly driver was paid electronically and the tow truck was on its way to the next driver in need. 

I can’t emphasize enough how much Urgent.ly helped ease my anxiety, and in just a little over 30 minutes.  And I felt safe driving home that day knowing my tire had been professionally replaced.  I would most definitely recommend Urgent.ly Roadside Assistance to anyone in need, as it can turn an otherwise major incident into only a minor set-back. 

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Best Bundles: Get Your Travel On

Planning a trip for the upcoming holidays? There are things you might want to leave behind - that extra suitcase - and things you cannot leave the driveway without, such as these apps collected by Aceable.

Whether it’s music, traffic avoidance, cheap gas or learning defensive driving, this bundle will make your trip quicker, more enjoyable and possibly safer. 

Thanks to Aceable for collecting this Travel App Pack which includes, naturally,  Urgent.ly.

Oh, don’t have Urgent.ly yet? Short cut over here and get downloading.

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It’s nice to be selected by Road & Track as one of the seven essential apps to “improve your driving experience,” but even nicer when we’re lined up next to terrific services like Dash, Zirx, and Here! 

Congrats to the Essential 7 (OK, those are our words not R&T’s ... but still).

And wait... you’ve not yet grabbed Urgent.ly On-Demand Roadside Assistance for iOS and Android? Get on over here and pick up our free apps now.

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Urgent.ly (Division of) Labor Day Bundle

The sun has just about set on summer but that’s no reason to put away the beach chairs and camping equipment just yet. We’ve still got Labor Day!

At Urgent.ly we know you’re a pretty active bunch, traveling great distances for pleasure and logging many miles around town, hitting the malls for back-to-school deals, etc. And while we endeavor to provide peace of mind behind the wheel we also realize teaming up with great partners can help us offer even more.

So to make sure your final Summer Hurrah! goes off without a hitch we pulled together services from companies we’ve partnered with to sort of divide and conquer (you can find the Urgent.ly features embedded in their products), providing the best collection of on-the-road services for the holiday.

Check out the Division of Labor Day bundle here.

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Recently our SVP of Product and Urgent.ly co-founder Rick Robinson sat down with Startup Roadshow founder Will Crowley to talk about a range of topics around the founding of Urgent.ly, early challenges and where things are going next (and why DC matters in tech). Be sure and listen to the interviews with Fundrise and 1776 as well, tho Rick starts at 10:18.

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Tough Commute? Here’s the List of the Worst Commutes by City

Everyone is certain their commute is the worst. It’s almost an American pastime to spar with friends and colleagues over who has it the worst each day at 8 am and 6 pm. 

Two hours... three hours... four hours a day in the car? 

Well now the debates can be settled. Researchers at Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute, and INRIX, a data technology company, have released their 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard... And it’s not pretty.

DC tops the list (again) as daily car commuters faced 82 hours of delays in 2014, compared to 80 in LA, 78 for those in San Francisco and 74 for New York City commuters.

Adding insult to their wallets, “In 2014, the average commuter in Washington, D.C. wasted 35 gallons of gas while stuck in congestion,” said Bill Eisele, senior research engineer and co-author of the report. Ugh.

And not surprisingly theses congested regions match up with areas especially busy for Urgent.ly. You’d expect that when you’re sitting in hot traffic for hours cars will overheat, run out of gas or even get ditched in the median from driver frustration. Fortunately Urgent.ly drivers are running those same painful routes and therefore always nearby when something goes wrong. Be prepared: grab the apps here.

So what about the other cites? Is yours in the top 10? See the blended scores below or check out the report here.

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Partnership with DriversEd.com Offers Peace of Mind to Parents

A primary focus for Urgent.ly has long been driver safety. We offer overall peace of mind from your driveway to the highway, and we’ve done this by delivering trackable roadside help, on-demand, in as little as eight minutes. Add to that our FamilyView feature, where parents can monitor requests for help by their driving age kids, and we think it’s becoming a complete package.

Today it becomes a little completer (:-) as we’re extending that peace of mind to our newest partner: DriversEd.com. 

DriversEd.com, which is the nation’s largest provider of online novice driver training (and the first to go online in 1998), beginning today is offering a 50 percent discount on the first service call to all new California DriversEd.com students.

This gives parents one less thing to worry about as their kids learn to drive.

So if you’ve know someone who’s ready to get behind the wheel, point them over here so they can take one thing off the worry list on their way to becoming a driver.

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Urgent.ly Launches Accident Detection, Accident Alerts; First in Roadside

Today we’re excited to announce a giant step forward in driver safety and on-demand auto services for anyone using the latest version of the Urgent.ly iOS application. Our latest rev of the app is now packaged with free Accident Detection and Accident Alerts.

“Through our partnership with Zendrive, the driver-centric analytics company, Urgent.ly consumers will have the security of knowing that if they are in an accident we’re there for them, asking if they need assistance and alerting loved ones,” said Chris Spanos, Urgent.ly CEO and co-founder. “We’re eager to extend this added peace of mind to the thousands of existing Urgent.ly on-demand roadside service customers, and those to come."

In the event of an accident (detected by the Zendrive technology above 30 mph), sensors in the Urgent.ly app will be able to pinpoint the location of the incident and allow the customer to request roadside help and auto-alert – via text  message – a predefined contact.

“We are thrilled to work with Urgent.ly to offer the first ever product of its kind,” said Jonathan Matus, Zendrive’s CEO. “We’ve done extensive testing and are pleased to finally offer the services for free to Urgent.ly consumers."

The combination of the visibility of seeing and tracking trucks on a map, plus our unmatched FamilyView feature (family members automatically notified in the event someone requests assistance), and now Zendrive’s accident detection technology, gives Urgent.ly the most advanced roadside assistance service in the market and continues to lead the industry in innovation.  

Setup is simple, from Setting (above) or part of the sign-up process.

To get the free Urgent.ly application with Accident Detection and Alerts, head over here now and get downloading! It's iOS only for now but coming to Android soon!

As usual, get details on all our apps here: http://urgent.ly

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Urgent.ly Product Lead Talks Local, Innovation, More with LSA

Our head of product, Rick Robinson, sat down with Joe Mosello of the Local Search Association to discuss how Urgent.ly is innovating in the local space, and where he thinks “Local” is going next (Hint: everything on demand).

Read here.

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Urgent.ly Expands Into Mojio’s Gauge App

At Urgent.ly we’re actively on a path to integrate our services within the flow of great partner products. We’ve done it with MapQuest, AT&T and ParkWhiz, to name a few. And today we’re announcing Mojio as the latest company to embed our on-demand roadside assistance.

Mojio, and its platform for connecting cars, today announced the launch of Mojio Drive, an expanding marketplace of apps and services for nearly every car on the road. One of the apps called Gauge (iOS, Android, Apple Watch) works like a personal mechanic, with everything from basic maintenance reminders to diagnosing car trouble. And now: on-demand roadside assistance.

Gauge customers, using the app in tandem with the Mojio 3G+GPS “dongle” device (available for nearly any car manufactured since 1996), will be able to tap for help and watch as an Urgent.ly tow truck comes to the rescue.

So get over to Mojio here to start unlocking your car’s data ... and be ready with Gauge when the data tells you things aren’t going to well.