You’ve got the trip mapped out. The campground is booked. The coach is ready. Then the practical question shows up: how are you going to bring a vehicle you can use once you park?
That’s the point where most RV owners end up choosing between flat towing and trailer towing. On paper, both solve the same problem. In real use, they feel completely different. One is quick to hook up and easy to live with. The other is more flexible with vehicle choice and gives you full control when reversing, but it adds bulk, weight, and storage headaches.
A lot of towing guides stop at a shallow pro and con list. That doesn’t help much when you’re trying to decide whether to buy a baseplate and braking system, or commit to hauling a full trailer behind your coach. The details that matter are the ones you notice on travel day, in a tight campground, at a fuel stop, or when you cross into a state with stricter length laws.
The RVer's Dilemma How to Bring Your Car Along
A common scenario goes like this. You want the freedom of a motorhome on the highway, but you don’t want to drive that motorhome into every grocery store lot, trailhead, beach town, and downtown restaurant district. You need a smaller vehicle once camp is set.
That’s where the two main choices come in. Flat towing, also called dinghy or four-down towing, pulls the vehicle with all four wheels on the ground. Trailer towing puts the vehicle on a car hauler so the trailer carries it behind the RV.
At first glance, flat towing usually looks easier. In many situations, it is. Trailer towing usually looks safer for the car itself. In many situations, it is. But the right answer depends on more than convenience.
Practical rule: The wrong towing method isn’t the one that costs more on day one. It’s the one that creates friction every single travel day.
What trips people up is that trade-offs aren’t always obvious before purchase. A long motorhome and a car trailer can run into legal length problems in some states. A vehicle that seems perfect as a toad may not be approved for four-down towing. A trailer can simplify vehicle compatibility, but now you’ve got to store it every time you check into a tight RV park.
If you’re trying to make a confident decision, focus on four things:
- How you travel: Frequent moves favor quick hookup.
- What you drive: Not every vehicle can be flat towed safely.
- Where you camp: Trailer storage can become a recurring problem.
- Where you travel: State rules can make one setup far easier to live with.
Understanding Your Two Towing Options
These two setups solve the same problem in very different ways, and the key difference shows up after a few travel days, not in the brochure. One setup keeps the car on its own wheels and adds very little overall length and weight. The other puts the whole vehicle on a trailer, which broadens your vehicle choices but changes how the coach handles, where you can park, and in some states, whether your total length stays legal.
How flat towing works
Flat towing pulls the vehicle with all four tires on the road. The RV connects to the car through a tow bar and a vehicle-specific baseplate installed on the front of the towed vehicle.
A proper flat towing setup usually includes:
- Tow bar: The main connection between the motorhome and the car.
- Baseplate: Vehicle-specific mounting hardware attached to the toad.
- Safety cables: A backup connection if the primary coupling fails.
- Lighting connection: So the towed vehicle’s lights mirror the RV.
- Supplemental braking system: Required for legal compliance in most U.S. states and in Canada.
From a day-to-day use standpoint, flat towing is usually the faster system once it is set up correctly. There is no trailer to load, no ramps to deal with, and no separate trailer to store at the campground. That is why owners who move often tend to prefer it. If you are comparing hardware styles and capacities, this guide on the best tow bar for flat towing is a good place to start.
The catch is compatibility. The vehicle has to be approved by the manufacturer for four-down towing, and the setup has to be configured exactly right. Miss a transmission procedure, a fuse pull, or a steering-step requirement, and the repair bill gets expensive fast.
How trailer towing works
Trailer towing puts the vehicle on a full car hauler, so the trailer carries the load instead of the vehicle rolling behind the coach. For the car itself, that is simpler mechanically because its drivetrain and tires are not being used on the road.
The hardware list changes too:
- A car hauler trailer
- Tie-downs or wheel straps
- A hitch system on the RV that can handle the combined load
- Trailer lighting and braking hardware
Trailer towing works with far more vehicles. That matters if you want to bring an all-wheel-drive vehicle, a car that is not factory-approved for flat towing, or a vehicle you swap out every few years. In the shop, this is often the deciding factor. The owner likes the idea of flat towing, but their vehicle is not a good candidate for it.
The trade-off is that the trailer becomes part of every travel day. It adds weight, increases the overall footprint of the rig, and can create storage problems at older campgrounds or tighter parks. It can also push some motorhome-and-car combinations into length-rule territory that many buyers do not think about until after they have already bought the trailer.
A Realistic Cost Breakdown Upfront vs Long-Term
The cost question gets expensive when owners only look at the first invoice.
I see that mistake all the time. A flat tow setup can look pricey on day one, while a trailer can look flexible and straightforward. After a few seasons, the actual cost usually comes down to three things: how long you keep the towed vehicle, what it costs to keep the equipment roadworthy, and whether the extra weight hurts fuel mileage enough to matter on your travel pattern.
Flat towing costs
A properly equipped flat tow setup usually lands in the low-thousands once you include the major parts and installation. The exact total depends on the vehicle, the braking system, and how cleanly the wiring and baseplate install goes.
A realistic flat towing budget includes:
- Vehicle-specific baseplate
- Tow bar
- Safety cables
- Wiring for lights
- Supplemental braking system
- Installation labor if you’re not doing it yourself
The long-term cost profile is where flat towing often makes sense. There is no trailer registration, no trailer tires aging out in storage, no wheel bearings to repack, and no trailer brake service to schedule. The catch is the vehicle-specific hardware. If you trade the toad every two or three years, part of that investment does not move with you.
Fuel use matters here too. In practice, four-down towing is usually the lighter and more aerodynamic setup than pulling a full car hauler. That does not mean the MPG difference is dramatic on every coach, but it is real on long highway runs, especially with gas Class A and Class C motorhomes that are already working hard.
Trailer towing costs
Trailer towing has a wider price range because the trailer itself is the big variable. New car hauler trailers commonly run from a few thousand dollars for a basic steel open trailer to well into five figures for heavier-duty aluminum or enclosed models. A good reference point is the current market at Trailer Superstore’s car hauler inventory, which shows how wide that spread can be before you add tie-downs, spare tires, or any upgrades on the RV side.
That upfront number is only part of the bill.
A trailer adds its own ownership costs every year:
- Registration and tags
- Insurance in some cases
- Tire replacement based on age, not just tread
- Wheel bearing service
- Brake and light repairs
- Storage at home or in paid off-site parking
- Possible hitch, receiver, or suspension work on the motorhome
For some owners, storage is the line item that changes the math. If the trailer fits at home, trailer towing looks a lot more reasonable. If local rules force paid storage, the annual cost keeps running even when the RV is parked.
Estimated cost comparison
| Cost Component | Flat Towing (Estimated) | Trailer Towing (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| Complete setup | Low-thousands, depending on vehicle and brake system | Wide range, with trailer price as the biggest variable |
| Vehicle-specific hardware | Yes | No |
| Professional installation | Common for baseplate, wiring, and braking system | May be needed for hitch, wiring, or suspension corrections |
| Annual registration | Usually none for the towing hardware | Common in most states for the trailer |
| Routine maintenance | Tow bar inspection, wiring checks, brake system service | Tires, bearings, brakes, lights, straps, and trailer structure |
| Storage costs | Minimal equipment footprint | Can be minimal or ongoing, depending on where the trailer lives |
| Highway fuel impact | Usually lower than a full trailer setup | Usually higher because of added trailer weight and drag |
The long-term ownership angle
Flat towing usually pays off better when you keep the same vehicle for several years and put a lot of highway miles on the coach. The setup is cleaner, lighter, and cheaper to store. Trailer towing often pays off better for owners who change vehicles often, tow all-wheel-drive or non-flat-towable vehicles, or want the car completely off the road during travel.
There is also a wear trade-off. Flat towing puts miles on the towed vehicle’s tires and rolling components. Trailer towing avoids that on the vehicle itself, but shifts the maintenance load to the trailer. From a shop standpoint, neither method is automatically cheaper. One just hides more of its costs in extra equipment, registration, and ongoing service.
Daily Convenience and Campsite Logistics
Pull into a fuel stop after six hours on the interstate, then picture the next hour. One setup asks you to disconnect a car and head out. The other may ask where the trailer can sit, whether the site can handle the extra length, and how much room you have to load or unload without blocking the lane. That is where daily towing choices stop being theoretical.
Hookup and unhook time
Flat towing usually wins on daily routine once the hardware is installed correctly. The process is simple. Align the car, connect the tow bar arms, hook up the electrical cord, attach the safety cables, confirm the supplemental brake is ready, and do a light check. For owners who travel every few days, that shorter departure routine matters more than people expect.
Trailer towing adds steps and effort every time you move. You still need to load the vehicle straight, secure it properly, check strap or chain tension, verify trailer lights and brakes, and repeat the process in reverse at the next stop. None of that is hard if you do it often, but it is slower and more physical.
That difference shows up most on travel days with bad weather, tight fuel islands, or late arrivals.
Campground reality
At the campsite, the biggest question is rarely whether the trailer tows well. It is where that trailer goes after you park the coach.
Older parks often have narrow interior roads, short pads, and limited overflow storage. Some private campgrounds will let you keep a small trailer on the site if space allows. Others will send you to a separate storage row, and some charge for it. In state parks and older public campgrounds, the answer may be no room. Flat towing avoids that separate storage problem because the tow bar stays with the coach and folds out of the way.
Length rules matter here too. A rig that is legal on the highway can still be awkward inside the campground. Owners who want a broader refresher on handling longer tow combinations can review these travel trailer towing tips, especially before heading into older parks or tighter resort layouts.
A trailer also changes the arrival sequence. With four-down towing, you can usually disconnect the car quickly and finish parking the coach. With a trailer, you may need enough room to stage the car, unload it safely, then reposition the empty trailer. That is manageable in a pull-through. It gets old fast on a cramped back-in site after dark.
A trailer can be easy on the highway and still be the hardest part of the day once you reach camp.
A clean coach also matters more than some owners expect after a wet travel day. If you are rinsing road grime off tow gear or the lower rear cap, a compact tool like a short pressure washer wand is easier to control around hitches, safety cables, and trailer couplers than a full-length wand.
A good walkthrough helps if you’ve never watched the process in real time:
Which setup feels easier to live with
Flat towing fits owners who move often and want fewer chores at each stop. It is usually the easier setup for overnight stays, quick lunch breaks, and short campground arrivals where nobody wants extra equipment scattered around the site.
Trailer towing fits owners who accept more campsite work in exchange for flexibility. If the vehicle cannot be towed four-down, if you swap cars regularly, or if you want all four tires off the road during travel, the extra loading and storage hassle can still be the right trade. The practical question is not which method sounds simpler on paper. It is which one still feels reasonable on day five of a long trip.
On the Road Performance and Vehicle Wear
You feel the difference between these two setups long before you calculate total cost. It shows up at the first bad fuel stop, the first crosswind, and the first time traffic forces a quick lane change.
Backing up and handling
The biggest road difference is still the simplest one. A trailer can be backed. A flat-towed vehicle usually cannot.
With four-down towing, even a short reverse move can bind the tow bar and force the front wheels of the towed vehicle into a bad angle. In real use, that means a missed turn, a cramped pump island, or a blocked campground road can turn into a disconnect job on the shoulder. A trailer gives you more options when space gets tight, and that matters more than spec-sheet weight for many RV owners.
Handling is less black and white. A properly loaded trailer often tracks predictably, but it also adds its own axle behavior, more tongue-weight considerations, and more total mass for the coach brakes and suspension to manage. Flat towing removes the trailer itself from the equation, but you still need to pay attention to coach wheelbase, rear overhang, hitch rating, and brake setup on the towed vehicle.
Fuel economy is not as simple as weight
A lot of owners assume flat towing always saves fuel because there is less hardware behind the RV. Sometimes that is true. Sometimes it is not.
A formal highway test from Car and Driver found that aerodynamics can outweigh pure weight in steady-speed towing, especially once speeds climb. Their testing showed that trailer shape and frontal area had a major effect on fuel use, and a more aerodynamic load could outperform a lighter but draggier one at highway speed. That matches what many RV techs see in practice. A low, well-matched trailer behind a taller coach does not always punish fuel economy as badly as owners expect.
Weight still matters on grades, in stop-and-go traffic, and during repeated acceleration. That is where trailer towing usually gives up ground. The extra mass is real, and your engine, transmission, and service brakes all work harder because of it. If you spend most travel days on interstates at a steady pace, aerodynamics deserve more attention. If your trips include mountains, secondary roads, and frequent stops, the added trailer weight is harder to ignore.
Wear on the RV and the towed vehicle
Trailer towing puts more total load on the motorhome. You feel that in braking distance, suspension movement, and heat load on the drivetrain during long climbs. It also means more tires, more wheel bearings, more brake components, and another frame to inspect.
Flat towing shifts some of that wear to the vehicle being towed. Its tires are on the pavement the whole trip, and depending on the vehicle, drivetrain components may still need very specific preparation before towing. That is why factory procedure matters so much. If the manual does not approve four-down towing, do not test the idea with your own transmission.
There is also wear you see. A flat-towed vehicle takes the full hit from rain, road salt, and debris. A trailer keeps the car off the road surface, but the trailer itself adds more hubs, brakes, ramps, tie-downs, and deck surfaces that need inspection and cleaning. After a wet travel day, a short pressure washer wand is handy for rinsing around base plates, couplers, safety cable mounts, and hitch hardware without fighting a long wand in tight spaces.
If you want a refresher on weight distribution, braking feel, and basic towing behavior, these travel trailer towing tips cover the road manners that still matter when you step up to heavier RV towing setups.
Vehicle Compatibility and Navigating Legal Rules
Many expensive mistakes begin when owners buy hardware before confirming two things: can the vehicle be towed the way they want, and is the full combination legal where they’ll travel.
Start with the owner’s manual
For flat towing, the owner’s manual is the final word. Not internet lists. Not forum guesses. Not “my buddy tows one just like it.”
Some vehicles are factory-approved for four-down towing. Many are not. Transmission design, transfer case setup, and drivetrain layout decide that. If the manual doesn’t explicitly allow it, assume the vehicle should not be flat towed until proven otherwise.
Trailer towing is simpler from a compatibility standpoint. If the vehicle fits the trailer and the combined weight is within the RV’s limits, it’s usually the more universal solution.
If you’re shopping hardware, a product overview like this Blue Ox towing bar guide helps you understand how the main connection components differ, but it should come after confirming the vehicle is towable four-down.
The legal issue many owners miss
A critical but often overlooked factor is state-specific legal length limits for RV and trailer combinations. Some states, including California, cap total length at 65 feet, and that can make many motorhome-plus-trailer combinations illegal, according to this state length discussion from M. Lady Nissan.
That matters more than most buyers realize. A long motorhome plus a full car hauler can push you over legal length fast. Flat towing often avoids that problem because the overall combination stays more compact.
Check your total combined length before you buy the trailer, not after the first roadside conversation.
This is especially important for cross-country travelers. Even if your home state is lenient, your route may take you through states with stricter limits. Legal in one state doesn’t guarantee legal everywhere you plan to travel.
Braking and compliance
The verified data also notes that a supplemental braking system is essential for legal compliance in most U.S. states and Canada when flat towing, as stated in the earlier Lippert source. That’s not optional equipment. It’s part of a proper setup.
Use this checklist before spending money:
- Read the vehicle owner’s manual: Confirm whether four-down towing is approved.
- Verify RV ratings: Make sure the coach can handle the setup.
- Measure total combination length: Especially if you’re considering a full trailer.
- Confirm state rules on braking and towing: Don’t rely on assumptions from your home state.
- Match hardware to the vehicle: Baseplates, tow bars, braking systems, and wiring all need to fit the actual combination.
How to Make Your Final Decision
The right answer usually becomes obvious once you match the towing method to how you travel.
Choose flat towing if this sounds like you
Flat towing makes the most sense if you move often, want fast setup, and already own a vehicle that’s approved for four-down towing. It also fits RVers who stay in parks where trailer storage is a pain or who don’t want to deal with loading and unloading a car every stop.
This setup is a strong fit for:
- Frequent movers: Travel days are easier when hookup is quick.
- Campground hoppers: Less equipment to park and manage.
- Owners keeping one toad long-term: The vehicle-specific hardware pays off over time.
Choose trailer towing if this sounds like you
Trailer towing is the better match if vehicle compatibility is your top concern. It also makes sense if you regularly change towed vehicles, own something that can’t be flat towed, or want the ability to reverse without disconnecting.
It fits these users well:
- Owners of non-flat-towable vehicles
- People who switch vehicles often
- Drivers who value backing control
- Those willing to manage trailer storage and extra bulk
The shortest honest answer
If you want the easier setup and your vehicle allows it, flat towing is usually the more pleasant system to live with. If you need maximum flexibility and full vehicle compatibility, trailer towing solves more problems up front, but asks more from you every travel day.
Frequently Asked Towing Questions
Does flat towing add miles to the odometer
Usually no, but this is one of those details that varies by vehicle. Many newer vehicles do not record mileage while being towed because the odometer only counts when the vehicle is operating normally. Older vehicles, especially ones with mechanical setups, can be different. Check the owner’s manual before assuming either way.
What about a tow dolly as a middle option
A tow dolly can solve a specific problem, but it does not remove the usual towing trade-offs. It works best with some front-wheel-drive vehicles and can cost less than a full trailer. You still have ramps, straps, wheel clearance issues, and a piece of equipment that has to go somewhere once you reach camp.
It also creates a legal question that some RV owners miss. In some states, the extra length of a dolly setup can still put you close to the limit, so measure the full combination instead of guessing.
Do I need a special driver’s license to tow a car behind my RV
Sometimes. The answer depends on your home state, your rig’s weight ratings, and in a few cases the class of vehicle you are driving. A typical motorhome with a passenger car behind it often does not trigger a special license, but there are exceptions.
Do not stop at license rules. Check overall length rules too. State-by-state length limits can matter just as much practically, especially with a trailer behind a longer Class A coach.
Can I tow an EV behind my RV
Treat EVs with extra caution. Many cannot be flat towed because the drivetrain and motor systems are not designed to turn freely with the vehicle off. In real use, a trailer is often the safer choice unless the manufacturer clearly approves another method.
For EVs, owner manual guidance is especially important.
Which setup is easier for beginners
Flat towing is usually easier on travel day after the baseplate, tow bar, wiring, and braking system are set up correctly. Hookup is faster, and there is no trailer to store at the campsite. The catch is that the initial setup has to be right, and the towed vehicle has to be approved for four-down towing.
Trailer towing is easier to understand at a glance because the whole vehicle is off the ground. It is also more forgiving if you change vehicles later. Day to day, though, it asks more from the driver. More length, more weight, wider turns, and more fuss at tight fuel stops.
What’s the one mistake to avoid
Buying based on a generic pro and con chart instead of your actual numbers.
Check the coach’s ratings, the towed vehicle’s approved towing method, your combined length, and the kind of roads you drive. A setup that looks fine on paper can become a headache if it pushes length limits in certain states, adds enough drag to hurt fuel economy more than expected, or leaves you with a trailer you cannot place at half the campgrounds on your route.
If you're sorting through tow bars, baseplates, braking systems, hitch parts, or other RV towing components, RVupgrades.com is one place to compare vehicle-specific options and get practical guidance before you buy.
