Not every tow ends a few kilometres away. Long distance towing covers vehicles that need to travel between towns or across the country — from Colombo out to Kandy, Galle, Matara, Kurunegala, Jaffna or anywhere else, and back again. Because these jobs are planned rather than urgent, they are quoted precisely and scheduled to suit you.
When people need it
- A vehicle broke down away from home and needs to come back
- A car bought in another town needs collecting
- A non-running or project vehicle is being relocated
- A vehicle is being moved to a specialist workshop elsewhere
- A fleet vehicle needs repositioning
- An imported or auction vehicle needs delivery from the port or yard
Flatbed for distance
For anything beyond a short trip we strongly prefer a flatbed. Towing a vehicle on its own wheels for a hundred kilometres puts sustained wear on a gearbox, bearings and tyres that were never intended to roll unpowered that far, and on a non-running vehicle there is no way to monitor it. On a flatbed the vehicle simply travels as cargo.
Getting an accurate quote
Long distance jobs are priced on route, vehicle and whether the vehicle rolls. Tell us the pickup point, the destination, the make and model, and whether it can be steered and put in neutral. With those four things we can give you a firm figure rather than a range, and it will not change when the truck arrives.
Scheduling
Because these trips take a full day or more, booking ahead gets you a better slot and often a better price than calling on the morning you need it. If the vehicle is already immobile and safe where it stands, there is usually no rush to move it in the next hour.
Routes we run most
From the Colombo south-east corridor, the routes that come up most often are Kandy and the hill country, Galle and the southern coast, Kurunegala and the north-western towns, and the run out to Batticaloa and the east. We also do a steady amount of work in the other direction — collecting a vehicle that has broken down or been bought upcountry and bringing it back to Colombo. Either direction is quoted the same way, on the actual route rather than a flat per-kilometre figure that ignores terrain.
What happens to the vehicle in transit
On a long run the vehicle is strapped down at four points and checked at intervals, because straps settle over distance and a bike or a light car can shift on a rough section. If the vehicle is valuable or unusual, tell us before we load — some vehicles need soft straps over the wheels rather than tie-downs on the chassis, and it is easier to bring the right equipment than to improvise at the roadside.
Booking a long-distance tow
Give us the pickup point, the destination, the vehicle, and whether it rolls and steers. We will come back with a firm price and a time. For anything outside the Western Province it is worth booking at least a day ahead where the vehicle is safe where it stands.
What decides the price
Towing is never one flat number. Here is exactly what we ask about, so you know what the quote is based on.
- Distance — How far we travel to reach you, and how far the vehicle then has to go.
- Vehicle type — A hatchback, an SUV, a van and a motorcycle are four different jobs with different equipment.
- Condition — Rolling on all four wheels is simple. Seized wheels, no gearbox or accident damage need a flatbed or a winch.
- Access and time — A clear main road at noon is not the same as a narrow lane, a basement car park or a ditch at 3am.
Tell us the vehicle, where it is and what happened. You get a clear price on the phone before a truck rolls, and you approve it before we start.
Where we provide Long Distance Towing
We cover the south-east Colombo corridor around the clock from our base in Pannipitiya. Tap your area below for local detail on long distance towing, or just send your location and we will dispatch.