Flat Tow vs Tow Dolly vs Car Trailer: Which Fits Your RV?

By Jeff McDonough, Founder of TowPro Academy, 10+ years and 250,000+ miles.

Short answer: Start with your owner’s manual. It decides which methods your car allows. Flat towing (all four wheels down) is usually the quickest to hook up and the easiest to store, but only vehicles the maker approves can do it. A tow dolly lifts the front wheels and works for many front-wheel-drive cars when the manual allows it. A car trailer carries the whole car and works for most vehicles, but it’s the heaviest option and needs the most storage. Do the weight math for each option against your motorhome’s ratings, then pick the one that fits how you travel.

The three ways to bring a car behind a motorhome

• Flat towing (dinghy or four-down): a baseplate on the car connects to a tow bar on the motorhome, with safety cables, wiring and a supplemental braking system.
• Tow dolly: a small two-wheel trailer. The car’s front wheels drive up and get strapped down, and the rear wheels roll on the road. Some dollies have their own brakes and some don’t.
• Car trailer: open or enclosed. The whole car rides on the deck, so its drivetrain isn’t turning. Car trailers usually have their own brakes.

If you’re only choosing between a dolly and a trailer, our in-depth Tow Dolly vs Car Trailer guide covers that matchup. This post is about where flat towing fits in.

First question: what does your owner’s manual allow?

• Flat towing needs the manual to allow towing with all four wheels down, for your exact year, drivetrain and transmission.
• A dolly needs the manual to allow towing with the front wheels up. Rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles need extra care: with the rear wheels on the road, the drivetrain may still turn. Some manuals forbid dolly towing outright.
• A trailer works for most vehicles, as long as the weight and size fit the trailer.

Manuals can be very direct about this. Jeep’s 2026 Wrangler owner’s manual allows four-wheel-drive models to be towed four wheels down with the transfer case in neutral, and it says not to dolly tow any 4WD vehicle (2026 Jeep Wrangler owner’s manual, Recreational Towing). Ford’s owner’s-manual pages for some models say front-wheel-drive versions can’t be flat towed and must go on a two-wheel dolly, while the four-wheel-drive versions of those models should ride on a car-hauling trailer (Ford owner’s manual, Towing the Vehicle on Four Wheels). Two makers, three different answers. Check yours.

Side by side

Weight: do the math for each option

Everything you tow counts against your motorhome’s tow rating, its gross combination weight rating and your hitch rating. That includes the dolly or trailer itself. A car that fits easily as a flat tow can push you over a limit once a trailer’s weight is added. Use the weakest-link rule: the lowest rating in the chain sets your limit. Our GCWR guide shows how to run the numbers.

Cost: get real quotes

A flat tow setup means a baseplate made for your car, a tow bar, wiring, cables and a braking system, plus installation. A dolly often costs less up front and can be used with more than one car. A trailer can cost more, plus registration and upkeep in many places. Prices vary a lot by vehicle and installer, so get quotes for your own car before you decide.

Storage, backing up and hookup time

Storage matters more than people expect. A folded tow bar stays on the motorhome. A dolly needs a spot at the campground, and some parks have rules about where it can go. A trailer needs the most room, at camp and at home. None of the three is easy in reverse. Most flat-tow setups can’t back up, a dolly generally shouldn’t be backed up, and a long motorhome with a trailer behind it is a lot to maneuver. For full-timers, hookup time is often the deciding factor: you never load or strap anything on a flat tow.

Rules can change with the method

A dolly or trailer may need its own registration, plates, lights and brakes, depending on where you live and travel. Brake requirements for towed loads vary by state and province and change over time, so check the current rules from official sources for every place on your route.

So which one is for you?

• Flat tow if your car’s manual allows it, you move often, and you want the fastest hookup and nothing extra to park.
• Tow dolly if you want a lower start-up cost or tow different cars, and each car’s manual allows front-wheels-up towing.
• Car trailer if your car can’t be towed any other way, or you also haul other things. See How to Tow a Car on a Flatbed Trailer.

Shopping for a new towed car? Choose one that’s flat-towable from the start. Ask the dealer to show you the towing section of the manual for the exact year, drivetrain and transmission before you buy.

Here’s how to check whether your car can be flat towed, including what to ask the dealer when you give them your VIN.

FAQ

Is flat towing better than a tow dolly?

For a car the manual approves for four-down towing, flat towing is usually quicker to hook up and easier to store. A dolly makes sense when the car isn’t flat-towable but its manual allows front-wheels-up towing, or when you switch between cars.

Can I dolly tow an all-wheel-drive or 4WD vehicle?

Only if its manual says so. Many manuals forbid it, because the drivetrain may still turn with the rear wheels on the road. When the manual doesn’t clearly allow it, ask the maker or use a trailer.

Which is easiest to back up?

A trailer is the only one of the three you can really back up, and even that takes practice behind a motorhome. With a flat tow or a dolly, plan pull-through stops and unhook to turn around.

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