Snowstorms Turn Skipped Winter Car Maintenance Into Costly Tows

Winter car maintenance feels optional until it turns into a rescue mission. You skip the boring stuff to save cash, then your car collects interest the mean way: dead battery, no heat, or a tow truck parked behind you with the flashers on. That’s not bad luck. It’s really the bill just showing up late. And bigger.

AAA says it handled over 27 million roadside calls in 2024, and the biggest reasons weren’t exotic failures. Most calls came down to towing (roughly 13 million) and battery trouble (about 7 million). That’s the winter “tow tax” in plain numbers: basic upkeep gets delayed, and the basics bite harder.

Rising Costs Are Turning Routine Service Into a Bad Bet

The modern trap is simple. Prices rise, schedules get tight, and routine service slides down your priority list. You tell yourself the car feels fine, and you keep rolling. That works right up until winter forces the issue.

CARFAX put a number on how common the delay has become. In a holiday-season maintenance update, CARFAX estimated nearly 20% of cars are behind on oil changes and nearly 30% are behind on tire rotations, with tens of millions behind on both. That’s a lot of vehicles heading into cold weather with less margin than their owners think they have.

Valvoline Inc’s latest winter-readiness survey adds a punchy human layer to the same problem. Valvoline Inc reported that more than 62% of drivers have experienced a cold-weather breakdown at least once, and 58% say they’ve lost control, slid, or spun out in winter conditions. If that sounds familiar, it should. Winter doesn’t need a dramatic blizzard to ruin your day. It only needs one weak point and a cold snap.

This is where winter car maintenance stops being “car guy advice” and turns into time protection. The real cost isn’t just the repair. It’s the missed flight, the wrecked weekend, the hour you spend freezing on the shoulder, and the stress hangover you carry into the next drive.

If you’re going to cut spending, cut the stuff that doesn’t strand you. Keep the stuff that does. A tired battery, worn tires, and neglected fluids don’t announce themselves with a warning light that feels polite. They fail like a slap.

My Verdict

Winter car maintenance is the cheapest way to stay in control of your time. If you delay everything, you’re gambling against the season, and AAA’s numbers show how that ends for millions of drivers. Handle the basics that prevent towing and no-start drama, and you’ll spend your money on the trip—not the rescue.

This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Dec 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Gear section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.