Looking for a new vehicle to pull your RV? There are many factors to consider while making the choice, but to help you get started, here is our short list of affordable 2018 model-year cars and trucks. These eight vehicles, which cost under $20,000, have flat-towing manufacturer approval.
The manufacturer only approves models with manual transmissions for recreational towing. Never go faster than 70 mph when towing.
The manufacturer only approves models with manual transmissions for recreational towing.
In our list of the Top 10 Most Popular Dinghy Vehicles, the FIT came in at number eight and is inexpensive. Flat towing is permitted by the manufacturer for models with manual transmissions.
Remember: Before making a purchase, always confirm with the manufacturer that the vehicle you’re contemplating is authorized for dinghy towing.
See our Best 2018 Models for Dinghy Towing for a more in-depth look at flat-towable cars.
In This Article...
Any Nissans able to be flat towed?
Your Nissan can probably be flat towed if it doesn’t have front-wheel drive or a continuously variable transmission. You shouldn’t flat-tow your vehicle if it has a CVT. Because you might cause the transmission to fail before it should.
You can still pull your car behind a dolly if it has FWD and a CVT. so long as none of the four wheels touch the earth.
Can you flat tow a 2009 Nissan Versa?
This was copied from a different RV article. Even with the manual transmission, the vehicle warranty is applicable.
Even the Manual Trans Versa is not a Nissan car that Nissan recommends for flat towing. Though technically possible, flat towing voids a portion of the transmission warranty.
What car can be flat-towed at its lightest weight?
First, let’s remember that the topic at hand is flat towing. Avoiding including a dolly or trailer in the mix makes more sense than ever when focusing on weight considerations. Any vehicle that needs one must also add that weight to the vehicle’s overall mass. And in comparison to a dolly or trailer, the flat towing accessories (base plate, tow bar, and wiring kit) barely add anything.
Here, we’re mostly interested in brand-new automobiles that are flat-towable and on the market as of this writing.
However, the Smart ForTwo, which hasn’t been sold in North America since 2015, deserves special recognition for being the lightest flat-towable vehicle in recent memory. A used Smart automobile is a good choice if you’re searching for a used toad and the lightest weight is your top priority. Naturally, you should keep in mind that the Smart is VERY compact, with only 2 seats available, and very little storage for luggage.
We’ll be concentrating on additional lightweight vehicles today, with the Chevy Spark serving as our main vehicle of interest, that can hold more passengers and equipment. Let’s examine the reasons behind this.
The Chevy Spark with a manual transmission is the lightest vehicle currently on the market in North America that has received manufacturer approval for flat-towing behind a motorhome. That’s the big question we posed at the beginning, and the answer is YES.
What automobiles may be towed behind an RV on a dolly?
Almost any vehicle can be hauled behind an RV using two-wheeled dollies and four-wheel trailers, as long as the combined weight of the car, truck, and anything else being utilized to facilitate the tow doesn’t exceed the motorhome’s recommended towing capacity.
Best car to tow behind a motorhome
The best automobiles for flat towing are tiny and subcompact models. Examples include specific models of the Ford Focus, Chevy Sonic, and Ford Fiesta. To flat tow, an automobile needs features like a steering lockout override and a transmission disconnect.
Before determining whether your car is secure to tow behind a motorhome, consult the owner’s manual.
Best 4×4 for flat towing
The Jeep Wrangler is the greatest 4×4 for flat towing. It is among the most widely used cars for dinghy towing in general. A 4×4 is popular because of its offroad capability, which makes it quite practical for RVers driving through difficult terrain in the nation.
Best pickup truck for flat towing
The Ford F-150 is one of the most well-known pickup trucks that can be flat-towed. Being one of the most widely used pickup trucks overall, it is a clear choice for flat towing.
The Ford F-150 has enormous cargo area with its truck bed, and it can be taken offroad or simply used for short excursions around a place.
Best SUV for flat towing
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the top SUVs for flat towing. It has a roomy, comfortable interior and can still travel off-road if needed. The Grand Cherokee is a popular choice for short trips, running errands, and sightseeing because it tows readily.
The ability to haul an automated
Modern automated manual gearboxes can typically be flat-towed while conventional automatic transmissions typically have speed and distance restrictions that would prevent towing of this kind. However, you should check the car manual to be sure.
Having said that, you should be aware that both in the UK and throughout Europe, the law governing the use of towing dollies (two-wheel lift) or A-frames (flat tow) is convoluted and unclear.
Our best recommendation is to tow utilizing a flat-bed trailer to ensure compliance with the law and prevent the potential that you could be unable to proceed with your trip unless both cars are driven.
A CVT transmission can it tow?
As long as you don’t go over the vehicle’s maximum towing capacity or maximum permitted weight when passengers and cargo are taken into account, towing a trailer with a vehicle with a CVT transmission is completely hassle-free.
However, there is a significant distinction between “Is a CVT capable of towing? and “Can a CVT handle towing? You only need to ask yourself one question before I discuss the advantages and disadvantages of towing with a CVT: How many pickup trucks on the market in America are available with a CVT transmission?
We only need to look at a car like the 2021 Toyota Highlander to see the difference a CVT can make in a vehicle’s capacity to tow. The Highlander is capable of towing 5,000 pounds when outfitted with the standard 3.5-liter V-6 gas engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. The Highlander Hybrid can only tow a maximum of 3,500 pounds when fitted with a CVT.
Now, you might make the case that this is because the Highlander Hybrid features a hybrid gas/electric powertrain based on an inline-four with a 52-horsepower output that is lower than the V-6 version, and there is some merit to that claim. However, this forces you to consider why hybrid and plugin-hybrid vehicles utilize CVTs so frequently and nearly exclusively.
Is it harmful to pull a car behind an RV?
Does towing a car damage it? is one of the main queries that tourists have. We are unable to provide a categorical “yes” or “no” since, in essence:
- a little bit of luck
- doing things properly
- Preparation
Towing a vehicle behind an RV should not significantly harm the vehicle if done correctly. Each year, tens of thousands of tourists tow their vehicles, yet very few of them sustain any form of serious harm.
Towing does, however, carry the inherent risk of causing your car minor or major damage. The several sorts of damage that can happen while towing a vehicle are listed below.
Can an automated vehicle be towed behind a motorhome?
Having a towed vehicle, commonly referred to as a “toad,” allows you to travel without constantly packing up your belongings and making sure the RV is correctly stowed. According to Edmunds, there are two ways to tow a vehicle. A tow dolly with two or four wheels is the first choice. With this method of towing, you can tow practically any car. But it’s not really that well-liked. Since all four wheels are on the ground when flat-towing, you don’t require a dolly.
Although the second technique is favored, it’s crucial to remember that not all vehicles can be flat-towed. Any manual-transmission vehicle can be flat-towed. You must know whether flat-towing is an option if a car has an automatic transmission, which is becoming more common. The owner’s manual for a car should provide this information, according to Roaming Times. Additionally, it advises choosing the kind of car you want to tow so you may focus your search and save time by not having to go through a plethora of owner’s manuals.
A vehicle can most likely be flat-towed if it has either rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission or four-wheel drive with a manual transfer case with the ability to shift into neutral. A car with an automatic transmission can be flat-towed in some situations. However, maintaining this can be expensive and challenging. The majority of RV dealers are capable of installing the required hardware to prepare your car for flat-towing. This may consist of:
- drive-shaft disconnectors
- pumps for lubricant
The best option is always to get a tow truck that is factory prepared. Remember, RVshare cautions, that just because a vehicle can be flat-towed during one model year, doesn’t guarantee that the most recent model will definitely be able to do so as well. The Ford Escape, which had previously been popular for flat-towing, underwent a facelift in 2013 and could no longer be used for this. Of course, some vehicles—cars, trucks, and SUVs—are better suited to towing. Some of them consist of:
- Ford F-150
- Volkswagen Spark
- Volkswagen Colorado
- Canyon GM
- Wrangler Jeep
- Ram 1500