The short answer is no, whether it is an RV or a car, you should never flat-tow a Prius hybrid. (Amusingly, Toyota refers to it as “dinghy-towing,” a term we weren’t familiar with.)
It turns out that the business recommends that you always keep the front wheels off the ground when towing a Toyota Prius in order to protect the transmission. They are the ones that utilize the eCVT technology, an electronic continuously variable gearbox, to combine the torque of the engine and the two motor-generators.
Therefore, if a Prius is being towed from the front, the front wheels must be raised using a wheel lift (Toyota advises against using tow trucks with dolly-style wheels).
In This Article...
Which models of Toyota can be flat-towed?
For instance, Toyota has a number of vehicles that appear to be perfect for flat towing. The Land Cruiser and the 4Runner are available for intrepid off-road travelers.
Can a hybrid vehicle be towed behind a motorhome?
However, the “Guide to Dinghy Towing” in MotorHome magazine states that only the hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants of the current fourth-generation model are capable of being towed.
What car can be towed behind a motorhome the most easily?
The Top 5 Cars for Towing Your RV
- CR-V by Honda. Towing behind our camper is easy and convenient with our Honda CR-V.
- Wrangler Jeep. One popular vehicle for towing behind an RV is the Jeep Wrangler.
- Ford F-150. The Ford F150 is a flexible choice.
What hybrid vehicles are flat-towable?
It sounds incredibly thrilling to think about plugging in an electric toad at the campsite and never having to refuel it. Will the brand-new Tesla 3 be able to be towed with all four wheels down?
We’re only now getting a look at the $35,000 Tesla 3, despite the fact that it has been in development for some time. It’s unlikely that it will be able to be towed with all four wheels down, popularly known as dinghy towing. Tesla does not allow its current production vehicles to be towed with the front wheels up; only on a flatbed. The warranty will be void if you tow with two or four wheels down.
You’re not completely out of luck, though. The Ford C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi come very close to being the first all-electric cars that have manufacturer approval to be pulled 4-down, but they are not quite there yet. Because they are plug-in hybrids, you can practically drive them just like an electric car. They include an electric-only mode, and you can charge them overnight by plugging them into a regular 15-amp outlet. Although the range in electric-only mode is only approximately 20 miles, you can still use them to go where you need to go and switch to the gas engine as necessary. The C-max is a tempting alternative at roughly $27,000, including a potential $4000 tax credit, whereas the Fusion costs about $4000 more.
The Fusion and C-Max are also offered in a non-plug-in form that is simply referred to as the “Hybrid variant.” These are truly the only electric or hybrid cars that may be hauled with 4 wheels down without voiding the manufacturer warranty, according to Motorhome Magazine’s 2017 Dinghy Towing Guide. Before towing, you must run them for a minute, and once every six hours while traveling.
Some campgrounds might not allow electric vehicle charging, especially as they become more popular. As they aren’t made to support full loads on both at once, make sure to plug into your RV rather than the auxiliary 15-amp outlet on the campground’s box.
Can I use a tow dolly to tow my Prius?
Q. Covid and I bought an old Class-C motorhome due to our concerns about traveling while on vacation. Although we absolutely enjoy it, a car would be useful as well. Can I use a dolly to haul a 2006 Toyota Prius? The layout I’m looking at is front wheels on the dolly and rear wheels on the ground.
A. You can do this for any purpose. The driving wheels of the Toyota Prius must be elevated because it has front-wheel drive. Even a short amount of flat towing a Prius will harm the transmission. A simple search of certain RV sites and the “knowyourtoyota” YouTube video demonstrates that a Prius can be towed with a tow-dolly. Of course, before towing any vehicle or trailer, you should check the local legislation.
Q. I need to replace the battery in my 2010 Nissan Frontier pickup, and there are a lot of options available with prices ranging from $80 to more than $250.
I was thinking about choosing the lowest price because I live in a region with moderate winters and don’t use it frequently (I only drive it 5,000 miles year, largely in the summer). Should I save money in this circumstance? What do you think about value/economy batteries generally? Do batteries with a three-month warranty and those with a three-year warranty differ significantly in terms of quality and estimated lifespan?
A. Although paying a premium doesn’t always ensure a premium product, I am a strong proponent of cost/quality correlations. Having said that, buying a car battery is one area where I won’t cut corners. In today’s cars, the battery is essential for the starter’s efficient operation as well as the general performance of the different computer systems. If your automobile requires a new battery and you intend to retain it for a while, invest in a reliable battery with a warranty that is as good as or better than the one that came with the car. The battery’s cranking and reserve capacities are typically higher the longer the warranty.
Which automobiles can flat-tow an RV?
Absolutely not! The biggest drawback of flat towing is that many ordinary vehicles cannot be used for it due to problems with various contemporary automobile transmissions. If you attempt to flat-tow a vehicle that isn’t made for it, your transmission could sustain significant damage.
Generally speaking, cars with a manual transfer case and rear-wheel drive, as well as those with four-wheel drive, can be flat towed without risk. Even so, these guidelines don’t always apply. The Motorhome Magazine Dinghy Towing Guide, which covers vehicles made during the previous 30+ years, is the greatest source for finding out which cars are permitted for flat towing.
The owner’s manual of a certain vehicle is the most crucial location to check to see if flat towing is permitted, even after consulting the dinghy towing instructions. Don’t flat tow if it indicates you can’t. or at least not without first altering it. Yes, certain vehicles that can’t be flat-towed can be modified to make them safe to tow. You can read more in this article’s later sections about that.
What kind of car is the simplest to flat tow?
Some of the most common flat tow vehicles are listed below:
- JL Jeep Wrangler.
- Jeep JK Wrangler.
- Equinox by Chevrolet.
- Grand Cherokee Jeep.
- Colorado by Chevrolet.
Is towing an automatic vehicle in neutral acceptable?
Your car could need to be towed for a variety of reasons. Your car may be traveling with you, travelling to a new place, or it may have broken down on the side of the road. Whatever the cause, it’s critical to tow a vehicle safely by according to the relevant requirements. People frequently decide to tow their own vehicle, but they may not know how to do so securely. Improper towing can cause a number of issues that seriously damage your car. It’s crucial to take extra measures whether you use a professional towing company or do it yourself, and here’s why.
If your vehicle is not hooked up properly, it could sustain visual damage such as exterior scratches, dents, dings, and damage to the wheel and tire. Even while these problems might not impair the vehicle’s performance, they might nevertheless be expensive to fix. Even when utilizing a towing service, you should always pay particular attention to make sure your automobile is hooked up to the towtruck correctly in order to prevent cosmetic harm to your car.
Incorrect towing techniques may cause more severe problems, like as mechanical and gearbox damage, in addition to cosmetic harm. A car with a manual transmission is typically not too difficult to tow, even over long distances. But when it comes to an automatic transmission, things get a little trickier. When towing an automatic transmission vehicle with all four wheels on the ground, you run the risk of doing a lot of damage. All-wheel-drive vehicles also need to take extra safety measures. To prevent transmission damage, it is typically advised to detach the rear driveshaft and tow the car with the back wheels on the ground. If manual gearboxes are being hauled while the car is in “park,” you run the additional danger of damage. These cars should only be pulled in neutral. On the other hand, automatic gearboxes might be forced to go in the incorrect direction by towing since they do not disengage while the car is in “neutral.” Your car could sustain major damage from improper towing techniques, which would be quite expensive to restore. Therefore, before attempting to tow your vehicle, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of its particular specifications. By adhering to the proper instructions and taking the required precautions, you can tow a vehicle safely. Make sure you have the right towing equipment and that the person towing the vehicle is paying close attention to the car’s specifications before attempting to tow a vehicle on your own or by hiring a towing business.