List of Cars that Can Be Towed Flat Behind a Motorhome
Towing your vehicle behind your RV is a very good idea. Having the extra vehicle along lets you travel to nearby spots without breaking camp or using a lot of fuel. Navigation is a lot better through those city streets as well. But you may not be able to tow your vehicle flat. It is a situation you need to know about.
Towing your vehicle flat may save you a lot of hassle but if you are not sure if your vehicle can be towed flat, then you should click this link to find out for sure. The biggest risk you have by towing flat is the transmission. It may get burned out if your vehicle is not designed to be towed flat.
To learn about which cars can be towed flat behind your RV, just continue to read our article. We make short lists to help you find out if your vehicle can be safely towed flat when you take your next RV vacation.
Towed Flat Behind a Motorhome 101
Best Cars to Tow With an RV
If you want to know which is the best car to tow behind your RV, you do not look to brand or model names. The best cars that can be towed behind an RV meet the following 3 requirements:
- Can be towed with all four wheels on the ground.
- Is somewhat lightweight.
- Doesn’t register miles while being towed.
Some of the top cars that meet these requirements are:
- 1. Saturns - just about any year and model.
- 2. Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
- 3. Chevrolet Spark.
- 4. Fiat 500.
- 5. Ford F150.
While some automatic transmission cars can be towed behind an RV it is best to check with your dealer in how to do it properly. Also, most vehicles made before 2016 are good for towing behind an RV.
Cars Suitable for Towing Behind Motorhome
The cars most suitable to tow behind your RV are manual transmission ones. The next best models would be 4 wheel drives with manual locking wheel hubs and a manual transmission.
Barring that, here is a list of 5 cars that are good to tow behind your RV:
- 1. Toyota Land cruiser.
- 2. Toyota FJ Cruiser.
- 3. Jeep Wrangler.
- 4. Toyota Corolla.
- 5. Nissan 370 Z.
Best Car to Tow Behind a Motorhome
One of the problems with towing more modern cars behind an RV is that they come with so many upgrades that it is very difficult to tow them 4 down or flat. Electronic transmissions, full and part-time 4 wheel drives and front-wheel drives have complicated the towing issue.
If you use a two-wheel tow dolly or a 4 wheel trailer, then you can tow just about any car but then you have to find one that holds the weight of your vehicle without surpassing the tow weight of your RV.
- 1. The Mazda MX-5.
- 2. The BMW M3.
- 3. The Toyota GT*^.
- 4. The Honda S2000.
Best Used Cars to Tow Behind Motorhome
Finding the right used car to tow behind your RV may be found in your own carport or garage. Your current vehicle if it is not to close to 2019 may be the perfect used car to tow behind your RV if it has a manual transmission.
If you want, you can go back to the muscle car era of the late 60s and early 70s and tow your car behind your RV. Muscle cars usually came with a great manual transmission.
If you don’t have one of those, you may find that the following 5 cars will be great used cars to tow behind your rig:
- 1. The Volkswagen Golf R.
- 2. The Subaru WRX STI.
- 3. The Porsche Cayman GT4.
- 4. The Dodge Viper.
- 5. The Porsche GT3.
These may be more modern versions of muscle cars but they can be towed behind an RV safely. Their manual transmissions make it safe and easy to do. You just need to be able to attach the correct tow bar assembly to get the job done.
Lightweight Cars for Towing Behind Motorhomes
Your RV may not be rated to tow heavyweights. That means you have to sacrifice your great luxury car and bring along a nice compact to make sure you meet your RV’s towing weight limit.
Lightweight cars that are good for towing are not hard to find and some on this list may be duplicates from other lists in this article. That is because they fit all categories with ease.
- 1. The FIAT 500 Abarth.
- 2. The Scion iM.
- 3. The Chevrolet Spark.
- 4. The Nissan 370Z.
Can You Tow a Minivan Behind an RV?
If the minivan is made for towing flat or 4 wheels down then yes, you can tow it behind your RV. The problem comes in where many minivan manufacturers have designed their more recent models to keep them from being towed flat.
One such example is the post-2005 Honda minivans. You really should talk to a dealer or read the owner’s manual thoroughly before trying to tow your minivan. Here is a list of about 5 minivans that can be towed easily behind your RV:
- 1. pre- 2005 Hondas.
- 2. Chrysler Town and Country (lube pump may be necessary here).
- 3. 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.
- 4. pre-2009 Taurus X.
- 5. Ford Flex.
Towing Minivan Behind RV
One of the problems with towing your minivan behind your RV is that you may have to do some modification to it if you want to flat tow it. One example of this is the Toyota Sienna.
This model of minivan comes with both a U and an A-shaped transmission that uses a pump to get the transmission fluid to all the parts of the transmission. Flat towing these minivans means that pump would not be lubricating the parts and you would ruin the transmission because of the lack of lubrication.
To get around this, you can add a pump but you are looking at around $1000 to $1,400 purchase price then about $300 to $500 labor costs to get in installed. If the following minivans come with a manual transmission, then you should have no problem towing them behind your RV. You will also avoid the expense of adding a transmission fluid pump:
- 1. The pre-2005 Honda Odyssey.
- 2. The Toyota van.
- 3. The Ford SHOStar.
- 4. The Mazda Mazda5.
Most Popular Flat Tow Vehicles
Everyone has their favorite car. Even RV owners have their top lists of cars they like to own. They also have a list of those cars they like to tow behind their RVs. While you can tow just about any car behind your rig with the right equipment, not all make the most popular list.
Some cars make the list because they are lightweight, others do because they can go off-road and so on. Here is a list of 5 cars that make the most popular list for a variety of reasons:
- Chevy Spark - weighs in at about 2,400 pounds and gets great fuel economy. Those features make it one of the popular vehicles to tow behind an RV.
- Jeep Wrangler - its 4 wheel drive and off-road capability provide its owners with a very good vacation option. This off-road ability makes this vehicle a popular car to tow.
- Ford Fusion - a very safe mid-size car that gets about 42 miles to the gallon. That makes it very appealing when you want to tour the area without breaking camp.
- Buick Regal GS - its sporting look doesn’t sacrifice comfort which makes this an attractive vehicle to have behind your RV. It is also designed to be towed behind your rig.
- Toyota Corolla - it has been a family favorite for over 50 years now. It is a very reliable car to have along when you go on your next RV vacation. That peace of mind makes your fun better.
What is The Best SUV to Tow Behind a Motorhome
When you want to stop driving for a few days it is always good to have a top SUV along. The reason for that thinking is that an SUV is easier to drive, handle and maneuver through tight places than an RV.
A night on the town is a lot better in an SUV than an RV. The looks you get will be one of envy and appreciation. Here are some top SUVs you can tow behind your RV and make sure you can tour the area in a bit of luxury and comfort:
- 1. The 1997 to 2018 jeep Wrangler - both automatic and manual transmission models can be towed behind your RV.
- 2. The 2011 to 2018 Jeep grand Cherokee - it has a comfortable ride and has room for every member of your family. Only the 4WD models can be flat towed.
- 3. The 2007 to 2014 Honda CR-V - You can’t go over 65 mph when towing it but once you stop, it is a nice SUV to have around and go get your supplies. The car is equipped with a tow mode function.
- 4. 2010 to 2017 Chevrolet Equinox/GMC Terrain - both Front wheel and all wheel drive models can be flat towed. Just run the engine for about 5 minutes at every stop and before you begin towing it. Also, do not go above 65 mph when towing.
- 5. The 2006 to 2011 Chevrolet HHR - its curb weight runs in the neighborhood of about 3,200 pounds making it fairly lightweight and easy to tow. Both manual and automatic transmission models can be flat towed and both versions have an easy set up process.
Does Towing a Car Behind an RV Put Miles on it?
There is some good news and some bad news. In most cases, the odometer on your vehicle is electronically operated. That means that if you tow your vehicle with the ignition off, you will not add miles to the balance already showing on the odometer.
If the odometer is not electronically controlled, then the bad news is yes, it will add mileage to your balance. So if you start out at 23,000 miles on the meter, and you tow your vehicle 7,000 miles you should have a reading of 30,000.
If you have an electronically controlled odometer, you may not get mileage on your total but your tires and other tire parts may get some wear and tear. You will be shortening the lifespan of your tires even though it has little to no weight in the vehicle.
The best thing to do is contact a trusted car repairman or dealership and ask them. They will have the most accurate information and the best ways to avoid piling up unwanted mileage.
Some Final Words
Towing your personal vehicle behind your RV is both a logical and very smart move to make. Having your personal vehicle with you can save you money because you can park your RV for long periods of time and use it to explore the area.
RVs are great for the open road but when you have to go into a city or small town, they may not be the best choice to drive through those streets. Knowing how you can tow your vehicle is very important. Flat towing is easy but only if your car is designed to be flat towed.
Almost any car with a manual transmission can be flat towed without worry. You can flat tow some automatic transmission vehicles but check your owner’s manual to make sure or call your dealer to find out how it can be done.
If your vehicle can’t be flat towed then there are tow dollies and 4 wheel car trailers that will come to your rescue.
