Motorhome owners who want to bring a car along have three fundamentally different options, and the most common mistake is picking based on cost or convenience alone without first checking whether your specific vehicle is even compatible with the cheapest, most popular method — flat towing.
Tow Bar (Flat Towing / Four-Down)
All four wheels of the towed vehicle stay on the ground, connected to the motorhome via a tow bar and baseplate. This is the most popular method among motorhome owners because it's the fastest to hook up and disconnect once installed, requires no separate trailer to store or store the towed vehicle on, and doesn't add meaningful extra length beyond the towed vehicle itself.
The catch: not every vehicle is rated by its manufacturer for flat towing. Automatic transmissions in particular are often not approved for towing with all four wheels rolling, since it can cause damage to components not designed to spin without the engine running. Always verify your specific vehicle's owner's manual before assuming flat towing is an option.
Tow Dolly
The towed vehicle's front wheels sit on a small two-wheeled trailer while the rear wheels roll on the ground — a middle-ground solution for front-wheel-drive vehicles not rated for full flat towing, since it removes the front axle (typically the driven axle on FWD cars) from rotating during transport.
Tow dollies are generally less expensive to buy or rent than a full car trailer, and take up less storage space when not in use. They're not suitable for rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicles, where the non-dollied axle would still be an issue, and require the towed vehicle to be loaded and secured onto the dolly at each use rather than the quick hookup of a tow bar system.
Car Trailer (Full Trailer)
The towed vehicle sits entirely on a trailer, all four wheels off the ground — the only method that works for genuinely any vehicle regardless of drivetrain, transmission type, or manufacturer flat-tow rating, since none of the towed vehicle's own components are in motion during transport.
The tradeoffs are real: a full car trailer is the most expensive of the three options, the heaviest to tow (adding meaningfully to your combined towing weight), the largest to store when not attached, and the most involved to load and secure properly at each use.
Comparing the Three Head-to-Head
| Factor | Tow Bar | Tow Dolly | Car Trailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle compatibility | Flat-tow rated vehicles only | FWD vehicles (typically) | Any vehicle |
| Setup time per use | Fastest | Moderate | Slowest |
| Storage when not in use | Folds against RV | Small footprint | Largest footprint |
| Added towing weight | Lowest (just the vehicle) | Moderate | Highest |
| Typical price tier | $$ | $$ | $$$ |
Why Most Motorhome Owners End Up With a Tow Bar
Beyond raw compatibility, the practical day-to-day experience strongly favors flat towing for anyone whose vehicle qualifies. Hooking up takes minutes rather than the loading and strapping process a dolly or trailer requires, and there's no separate piece of equipment to store, maintain, or maneuver when not actively towing. This is exactly why the flat tow market — tow bars, baseplates, and supplemental braking systems — has grown into such a well-developed product category with multiple established brands competing directly, while dolly and trailer options remain comparatively niche within the motorhome-specific towing world.
That popularity doesn't make flat towing objectively better in every case — it simply reflects how many motorhome owners happen to drive vehicles that qualify for it. Owners of vehicles that aren't flat-tow rated shouldn't feel like they're settling for an inferior method; a tow dolly or trailer, matched correctly to the vehicle, is every bit as safe and reliable as flat towing when it's genuinely the right fit.
A Note on Insurance and Liability
Whichever method you choose, confirm with both your motorhome and towed vehicle insurance providers exactly what's covered while towing — coverage details for flat towing, dolly towing, and trailered vehicles sometimes differ, and it's worth understanding those specifics before an incident forces you to find out the hard way. This is a quick call or policy review, not a complicated process, but it's an easy detail to overlook amid the more visible decisions about equipment and vehicle compatibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if my car can be flat towed?
Check your owner's manual for a section on towing behind another vehicle, sometimes called "dinghy towing" or "four-down towing." If it's not covered there, the manufacturer's customer service line or a dealership can typically confirm whether your specific model and transmission are rated for it.
Can an all-wheel-drive vehicle be flat towed?
It depends entirely on the specific model — some AWD vehicles are explicitly rated for flat towing by the manufacturer, while others aren't due to how their drivetrain and transfer case are engineered. Never assume based on drivetrain type alone; always check the specific vehicle's documentation.
Is a tow dolly safer than flat towing?
Neither method is inherently safer when used correctly and matched to a compatible vehicle — a tow dolly protects a non-flat-tow-rated vehicle's drivetrain, while flat towing a properly rated vehicle is equally safe. The real safety factor in both cases is proper setup, weight matching, and (for flat towing) supplemental braking.
Can I rent a tow dolly or car trailer instead of buying one?
Yes — many truck rental companies and some RV dealerships offer tow dolly and car trailer rentals, which can make sense for occasional towers who don't want to own and store equipment used only a few times a year. Frequent flat-towers generally find owning their own tow bar setup more cost-effective and convenient long term.