Which Prius Can Actually Tow?

In all honesty pretty much any Prius can tow a small trailer, and if your warranty is already expired that’s not much of a threat

 

Mitsubishi outlander comes to mind.

 

The European one. Sold and operated in Europe, of course. Bringing to the U.S. will likely void its warranty, if you can even register it here before the warranty expires.

PS. I did install a tow hitch, but have used it only for a hitch-mount bike rack. Might use it to pull a kayak trailer, but subsequent failure and replacement of another family vehicle led to a different kayak solution.

 

pacifica

 

All Prius and even Tesla come with mounting bolts for a hitch on the back... These mounting bolts hold brackets so when they put new vehicles on a ship they can tie them down with these brackets. Also if you crash off the road a tow truck can pull you out with these brackets.

What's more, if you're handicapped and need to mount a mobility scooter or wheel chair on your Tesla or Prius you're basically installing a tow hitch bar to do that. I saw a handicapped Tesla owner hauling around their mobility scooter on a hitch last Fall... And just today I saw a Prius with a bike rack that was mounted the same way as trailer hitch is mounted. I've hauled all kinds of stuff with my trailer hitch for fiver years without any issue as well. I always try to keep it under 1000 pounds,just to be safe.

Uhaul, Curt and all the major trailer hitch manufactures sell hitches for all Prius models and I asked my car insurance company if it's ok to have a trailer on a Prius and they say no problem and does not change my premium. So essentially Toyota says this because 1) Prius was not designed for towing, and 2) As long as they always say this they avoid a lot of liability from alot of dumbass people that suck at towing.

 

Personally I would not add a tow hitch and tow something until the warranty expired. Don’t know that much about a prime but the regular models would have no problem.

 

Yes, if you are a safe driver and don't like to drive fast...

But do you really want to have to pull your trailer hitch off every time you want to get some free warranty work on your car?

 

Prius and later other hybrid platforms advised against towing via their leverage; warranty coverage. Since (even before) PriusChat, folks have towed with them. I am not aware of any warranty conflicts arising from towing, but a better historical authority could speak.

Towing is simply adding additional, varying forces to back end of vehicle frame, supposing those will be handled, and then supposing added acceleration and deceleration don't damage motive bits. Or at least, not before one detects a problem and responds to it.

First Prius (NHW10) might have 'smoked' under towing or cabin overloading. Its batteries were sucky. Ever since, this sequence of designs has had increasingly better margins. Those who tow now will not be first to have done so.

Friend'o'mine has Subaru Crosstrek hybrid and wants to tow ~400 kilograms. I'd do this happily but cannot support the idea because that person is not tech oriented and I am far away.

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Every vehicle has a performance envelope and driver may or may not know where they are within that. If you skid off a wet or icy road, you have gone outside envelope. Towing or 'other overloading' may not put you outside. From far away, we cannot say.

 

No. Perhaps a 4 by 7 trailer and light cargo.

Carry-On Trailer 4 ft. x 7 ft. Open Mesh-Floor Utility Trailer at Tractor Supply Co.
Ultra-Tow 40in. x 48in. Aluminum Utility Trailer Kit — 1060-Lb. Load Capacity | Northern Tool + Equipment
ATC Open Utility Trailer - ATC Trailers

If you do decide to risk a trailer, I can recommend Tork Lift Central, in Kent WA. They do not appear to have a model for your year, but would be a trusted installer of this:

Draw-Tite Sportframe Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4" Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch 24966

 

wait a second, 6'x10' enclosed and it's only 1100lbs with cargo?

I guess I can see a modern high tech trailer, and maybe you're moving your antique styrofoam insulation collection.... but that sounds freakishly light to me. I've pulled a (rented, admittedly overbuilt) 5x10 enclosed trailer and it was about 950lbs empty.

The best general advice I can give for towing with a car (vs truck) is to pay attention to the frontal area of the trailer. If the trailer is much taller or wider than the car, you likely to have mechanical strain concerns and handling concerns- especially in windy weather.

Additionally 1000lbs is a common threshold for state-level regulation of trailer equipment. Check to see if they have requirements for trailer brakes, minimum tire size etc. for everywhere you plan to haul.

 

937 lb rated load capacity

Do what you will with that info.

I've hauled a thousand pounds of flagstone, twice, with zero issues.

 

Just tossing it out there- are you planning to pull this thing every day? Every weekend?

If this is just for occasional duty, I'd strongly consider getting the car that suits all the other needs and renting something appropriate when it is time to tow.

Looking for a one-size-fits all solution that encompasses extreme MPG for commuting plus towing is going to leave you with few choices and deep compromises. Not impossible, just make sure you really want those problems.

Also just a reminder, the Teslas can tow. They are rated and they're heavy enough that they do it comfortably.