Can You Flat-Tow An Electric Vehicle Behind Your Motorhome?

You may have seen our post on electric vehicle towing capacity in which we discussed whether or not it’s possible to tow your RV with an electric vehicle (EV). But this post looks at EVs and RVs from a different perspective: “Can electric vehicles be flat towed?” We begin with a quick primer on flat-towing any vehicle, and then we see where we stand with using EVs as flat-towed toads!

What is Flat Towing?

Flat towing is towing with four wheels down. All four wheels of the toad are on the ground when flat towing. This is the way we towed our Honda CR-V behind our Class A motorhomes when we were full-timing for more than 20 years.

Flat towing is considered the gold standard of towing and with many years of experience behind us, we can even show you how to hook up your car to your RV tow bar by yourself with relative ease. Bear in mind, however, that not every car can be flat towed. (More on that later.)

Fortunately for those who can’t flat tow, there are other towing methods available. In our opinion, they’re less convenient, but for those without the option to flat tow, there are other means of towing a car behind an RV.

Camping with a dolly or a trailer that must be stored somewhere on the campsite isn’t everyone’s favorite cup of tea. But, let’s take a look at why it may be necessary to use dolly towing or trailer towing (flatbed or enclosed) instead of flat towing.

Can Most Cars Be Flat Towed Behind an RV?

The short answer here is no. Not all cars (not even most cars) can be flat towed. As we noted above, we flat towed a 2003 Honda CR-V for more than two decades.

But, if we were to buy a brand new Honda CR-V today, we wouldn’t be able to flat tow it. Only the pre-2015 models of the Honda CR-V are approved for flat towing by Honda (as long as you follow the proper procedure as laid out in the owner’s manual).

So, if you were to ask the question, “Can you flat tow a Honda CR-V”, the answer would be “maybe”, because we’d need more information about the car.

The main reason why many cars can’t be flat towed is that their transmission is only lubricated when the engine is running. Without that lubrication, the transmission can overheat and may even burn up while dinghy towing, causing expensive damage.

With that said, we could make the cautious generalization that a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with a manual transmission, or a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a manual transfer case that can be put in neutral, PROBABLY can be flat towed.

The bottom line for those interested in flat towing ANY vehicle is knowing what cars can be flat towed behind an RV.

Do You Need a Special Tow Bar for Flat Towing?

Yes. And there are a number of important things to know when considering what’s the best tow bar for flat towing.

You’ll need to consider the weight of the vehicle you’ll be towing, and you’ll need a system that includes the wiring necessary to connect your RV lights to the lights of your toad (which may include buying & installing a separate wiring kit). You’ll also need quality safety cables, and of course, a hitch receiver on your RV if you don’t already have one.

But you’ll also want to look at other features of your tow bar setup including ease of use and durability over time. And for goodness’ sake (and for YOUR sake) you’ll want a non-binding latch on your towing setup. Don’t believe us? See our towbar unbound post and have a look at our towbar unbound YouTube video:

People used to ask us all the time what our favorite tow bar was for flat towing our Honda CR-V behind our motorhome, and without hesitation, we would gush with good reason about the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar.

It was by far our favorite, hands down. Here’s more detailed information about why this was our tow bar of choice:

Does Flat Towing Require a Special Braking Mechanism?

When flat towing any vehicle, an auxiliary braking system is required by law in most of North America (rules & requirements vary by state/province). The purpose of an auxiliary braking system is to reduce the addition of the towed car’s weight to the RV’s braking system and to bring the towed car to a stop should a breakaway occur.

When we were carrying a toad behind our motorhome, our RV towed car braking system was the Roadmaster InvisiBrake which we had installed by Roadmaster, and WOW what a difference from the system we’d had previously.

We invite you to watch our video if you’re interested in more information about this upgrade we made to our auxiliary braking system:

Can Electric Vehicles Be Flat Towed?

And here we are (finally!) at the original question posed by this post: “Can electric vehicles be flat towed?” Now that we’ve given an overview of why not all cars can be flat towed, it may be easier to understand that, in general, today’s electric vehicles are NOT to be towed four wheels down behind a motorhome (and most rear-wheel drive EVs can’t even be towed on a dolly).

The primary reason is that the wear & tear on their electric motors would be substantial while towing. An EV’s electric motor is often directly connected to the wheel(s) it’s powering. So when you shift the vehicle into neutral, unlike in a traditional drivetrain, the motor isn’t disconnected from the wheels. Instead, power just stops flowing to it.

That’s because EVs don’t have the same type of transmission as fossil fuel-powered vehicles, which is typically required for flat towing. You can’t simply shift an electric vehicle into neutral and start towing. A true transmission disconnect, or a transmission that isn’t damaged by spinning without the engine running, ensures that the vehicle’s transmission and engine won’t be damaged or worse.

So, IN GENERAL, the answer to the question, “Can electric vehicles be flat towed with an RV?” is NO. However, we’re hearing some whispers about changes that could lead to a whole different answer in time.

And with that in mind…

Are There ANY Electric Vehicles That Can Be Flat Towed Behind an RV?

Initially, we heard from Rivian directly that their all-electric Rivian R1T (their pickup truck) and the Rivian R1S (their SUV) COULD be flat towed behind an RV. These two electric vehicles from Rivian are built on the same platform.

At the time, deliveries were very slow and there weren’t many Rivians on the road, so we weren’t able to corroborate first-hand that this was accurate. Then, in April of 2022, based on a comment from Bill (below) and a direct reply from Rivian Customer Service, we learned that Rivian was no longer claiming that their electric vehicles could be flat-towed behind a motorhome.

At that time, they indicated that Rivian EVs would need to be put on a flat-bed trailer to be towed behind another vehicle. This, of course, was a big disappointment, and we hope it will be corrected soon. But as of now, there do not appear to be ANY all-electric vehicles that are capable of being flat-towed, four wheels down. There ARE some HYBRID vehicles that are able to be flat-towed, but be sure to check with the manufacturer before assuming.

One more thing…

A reader suggested in the comments section of one of our recent posts that the Ford F-150 Lightning can be flat towed, but as of the writing on this post, we haven’t found any information to confirm this. The Lightning has permanent magnet motors that always rotate when the wheels are in motion. In a flat-towing situation, this would damage the motors by dragging them behind an RV. As we write this, we find no information suggesting that the Lightning can be flat-towed. If you’d like to search whether a particular Ford vehicle can be flat towed behind an RV, check this page on Ford’s website for instructions on how to do so.

With all of that said, Ford did file a patent that could change things. Ford has reportedly patented a way to charge electric vehicles by flat-towing them. The patent refers to how an EV can be charged while being towed behind another vehicle. The patent application was filed in December 2020 and published in July 2021. You can read more on that patent here. However, we haven’t found any updated information on Ford’s patent.

Meanwhile, if electric vehicle manufacturers DO allow their EVs to be towed behind an RV, wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a built-in auxiliary braking mechanism using the EV’s regenerative brakes… as well as the ability to recharge while being towed (either through an umbilical connection between the RV and the car OR through a regenerative electric generation mode)? Potentially exciting innovations for sure!

Electric vehicles bring a lot of change to the automotive world, and it would be great to see some new features/options that make towing an EV behind an RV easier.

Would You be Interested in Flat Towing an Electric Vehicle Behind Your RV?

So, what do you think about the possibilities on the horizon for RVers who are interested in flat towing an EV? Would you have any interest in flat towing an EV behind your RV? Drop us a comment below!

Free RVing Tips, Tricks, Reviews & Giveaways

As 20-year full-timers, we share everything we’ve learned about RVing over the years. Join our online community to receive a wealth of great RVing knowledge delivered daily to your inbox.

Whether you’re a new RVer or a seasoned full-timer, you’ll love the wide range of RVing topics we cover. Don’t miss a single article or any of our famous Giveaways. Subscribe to our newsletter today!

We'd Love It If You Shared This!