For the 2 decades that we owned a large Class A motorhome, we flat-towed our Honda CR-V behind it. Yes, the SAME Honda CR-V! We bought it brand new in 2003… specifically to tow behind us when we became full-time RVers. It was a fantastic vehicle for us and never left us stranded, not even once. We even used its all-wheel-drive capability to travel off-road in places that might bring our sanity into question! Our little CR-V handled all of our adventures with ease.
We loved our midsize SUV because it was practical, comfortable, offered plenty of room for up to 5 passengers & cargo, got good gas mileage (we averaged about 25mpg, or 9.4 liters/100km), and drove as easily along challenging terrain as it did on city streets. It was fantastic for day trips and errands, including loading it up with tons of food and other necessities in preparation for a long boondocking trip.
In fact, because of all of these factors (comfort, practicality, reliability, and durability), lots of RVers choose to flat tow a Honda CR-V behind their motorhomes. But how did we tow our Honda CR-V? Are there options? Could we pull it with all four wheels on the ground? Are there restrictions when you flat tow a Honda CR-V? In this post, we ask and answer all of these questions and more!
Can a Honda CR-V Be Flat Towed?
The answer to this question is an emphatic YES… with one important caveat. It depends on the model and model year. Our 2003 CR-V could be flat towed, and that’s exactly how we chose to tow it for many years. Unfortunately, due to drivetrain changes, only Honda CR-Vs before the 2015 model year are flat-towable (as in 2014 and older). So, if you can buy a Honda CR-V that is a pre-2015 model, you will be able to flat tow it. Newer models cannot be flat-towed.
We flat towed the same 2003 Honda CR-V for two decades, and it was the perfect toad for us.
Will Flat Towing Hurt Your CR-V?
As long as you use the proper procedure for flat towing, no harm will come to your Honda CR-V from the process of flat towing.
You can flat tow a Honda CR-V safely at speeds up to 65 mph. With all four wheels on the ground, you’ll avoid damage to the 4WD system. And, of course, you’ll want to use a quality tow bar.
On that topic, check out our video about how to connect and disconnect a tow bar:
Does Honda Approve of Flat Towing a CR-V?
The pre-2015 Honda CR-V is approved by Honda for flat towing as long as you follow the proper procedure as laid out by Honda. Following are the steps Honda specifies to prepare to tow an automatic transmission CR-V.
NOTE: be sure to check your owner’s manual, as there may be slight differences between model years.
- Connect the CR-V to your RV’s tow bar, making sure all connections are tight and secure
- To prepare for towing, you’ll need to start the engine and depress the brake, then shift the transmission through all the gears one at a time (P/R/N/D/2/1).
- Next, shift it into drive, and finally into neutral. Let the engine run for about three minutes, then shut it off.
- Make sure the parking brake is released.
- Turn the ignition key to the accessory position (ACC 1) so the steering wheel is unlocked.
- The next step is, in our experience, where the owner’s manual is incorrect. They say to leave the key in the accessory position (ACC 1) to keep the steering wheel unlocked, and turn off the radio and any other accessories to avoid draining the battery. But... after turning the key to the accessory position, the steering wheel remains unlocked, even when the key is turned back to the OFF position. As long as you don’t remove the key, the wheel stays unlocked. So our procedure for nearly two decades has been the same on this one: turn the key to the accessory position, then back to off, and leave the key in the ignition, but turned off. It’s then our (good) habit to turn the wheel a little to the left & right to confirm it’s still unlocked. In all these years, we’ve never accidentally started to drive away with the wheels still locked…. which would of course be an unfortunate self-inflicted wound. Don’t do that!
- If you tow more than 8 hours in one day, repeat steps 1 & 2 above before continuing to tow to lubricate the automatic transmission.
Our CR-V was a stick shift model. That wasn’t by accident, as we prefer those (Peter has never actually owned a single automatic transmission car in his entire life). The benefit to the manual transmission CR-V when it comes to flat-towing is that there’s even less to do to prepare to tow, other than a couple of pretty obvious ones: transmission in neutral; parking brake off; steering wheel unlocked. That’s it. There’s surely not a car on the market that’s any quicker and easier to prepare to flat tow!
What Speed Should You Drive While Flat Towing?
It’s worth repeating that in order to safely flat tow a Honda CR-V or any other vehicle, you should travel at speeds no higher than specified by the manufacturer. In our case, that was 65 MPH. Again, check the owner’s manual for your specific model year of CR-V to ensure that didn’t change.
Tips for Flat Towing Your Honda CR-V
Following are a few tips to keep in mind when flat towing your Honda CR-V:
- Use a good quality RV tow bar system.
- Pay attention to your Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) if you’re carrying cargo in your tow vehicle.
- Connect and disconnect on a level surface when possible.
- When you pull up to the rear of the RV, align the vehicle as straight as possible with the tow bar
- Be sure to attach the safety cables and the breakaway cable!
Safety cables are a critical component of any tow bar system.
Conclusion
Having flat towed our 2003 for 20 years since it was new, we can certainly vouch for the fact that the Honda CR-V is a fantastic tow vehicle from a number of perspectives. It carries 5 passengers and a generous amount of cargo; it’s practically bullet-proof; it gets a pretty solid 25 MPG under most conditions; it was incredibly reliable and required very minimal maintenance over the years; and it maneuvered easily through city streets and took us over some pretty insane terrain when we were in adventure mode, especially since ours was an all-wheel-drive model.
The CR-V has long been a popular tow vehicle for many good reasons, even with it only being an option on the used market now. With the right combination of a pre-2015 Honda CR-V as your tow vehicle and a good tow bar system, you’ll enjoy bringing your toad along as safely and seamlessly as we do.
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mike taylor
Thursday 13th of February 2025
I have been told that at the end of the procedure when you leave the CR-V running in neutral for three minutes and then turn the engine off, that if before turning the engine off, you accidentally shifted the automatic transmission into drive, reverse, or park, that might change some of the valves in the tranny and even if you quickly shifted back to neutral, it might violate and cause a problem ⁉️ I certainly never tried to verify.
Les
Thursday 13th of February 2025
Two things you left out of your article:
1) All fifty states require the towed vehicle to have an auxilary brake system. I did not know about this law for a few years. I got a Break Buddy for the our Tracker. It sits on the floor in front of the driver's seat and pushes the break peddle. It is a pain to set up and in the way when disconnecting. When we upgraded to a Jeep Wrangler, I bought a Roadmaster Invisabreak system. It is perminatly mounted under the driver seat and uses a cable to pull on the break peddle. During connecting the Jeep the the moptorhome and disconnecting, there is NOTHING to do with the break system, it just works.
2) Backing the motorhome with a towed vehicle is difficult, as the front wheels will turn the wrong way. That is because of the caster in the steering system. I once got into a bad parking lot where I needed to back up. I had my wife sit in the towed vehicle and hold the steering wheel straight, while I backed up.
We have been flat towing vehicles since the mid 90's. We started with a two door Geo Tracker, replaced it with a Suzuki Vitara, and then a Chevy Tracker. These were very popular to tow, but alas they are no more. We replaces the last Tracker wiht a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (that is the 4 door). I was surprized when the Jeep, weighing 1,000 pounds more than the Tracker, made NO difference to my 7.5 MPG in the morothome. We initially planned to get the 2 door model to save weight, but they have ZERO storage behind the back seat even when it is folded up. The Unlimited model is way better for storage of extra gear and the dog.
Even with the issues of flat towing a vehicle, it is so nice to leav the motorhome parked at camp and use a vehicle that not only gets way better gas mileage, but also go where ever you need. I know I would never be able to take my motorhome into most parking lots in Yellowstone. Also having an SPARE vehicle came in handy when my old motorhome split the heater core and stranded us 30 mile out in the desert. The Tracker got me to Barstow to get what I needed to isolate the heater core from the cooling system. I love having a towed vehicle along.
Jim
Tuesday 29th of October 2024
Not sure if you'll see this, but here goes. I have the 2013 CR-V automagic transmission. Just got it set up to flat tow. The manual says to pull the entertainment fuse (I have a switch under the dash instead) to prevent running the battery down, but that's a pain to re-pair the phone, etc. after each trip. I do have a charge line from the mh to keep the CR-V battery topped off, so, in your opinion, is it necessary to "pull" that fuse? I'm thinking not, but maybe there's some weird mojo going on that I don't know about. Thanks for all you guys do for the RV community and safe travels in your new rig.
JimB
TheRVgeeks
Wednesday 30th of October 2024
Hi Jim. Pulling that fuse is designed to help prevent the parasitic drain that can kill the battery when the car's being flat-towed. So, since you've got a charge line (hopefully with a diode so that charging can only go from the RV to the towed car's battery), we'd bet you'll be just fine WITHOUT pulling the fuse. If you've got a multimeter or voltmeter you could do a test: check the CR-V's battery voltage before towing it at all... and then stop after towing the car for a couple hours and check the voltage again while the RV's engine is shut down. That way you could see if the voltage has dropped at all. If it has, then the charging line isn't supplying enough amperage to keep up with the drain and you could kill the battery. But then you'd know! 😉
Jacquelen Bluejacket
Wednesday 24th of July 2024
This is not about flat toeing the CR-V.
Do you have good recs on financing your used motorhome?
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 25th of July 2024
Hi Jacquelen! Good question. Unfortunately, we don't have any experience financing the purchase of a used motorhome. We know that it can be a bit more challenging to find a lender willing to loan as large a sum for a used RV as a new one... but it's not impossible. We'd recommend starting with your own local bank and/or credit union. If you're buying the used RV from a dealer, check to see what financing options they offer, too. Lastly, if you own your home and are keeping it (i.e. not going full time), you can consider getting a home equity loan to cover the RV purchase, as they may have a lower interest rate than a vehicle loan.
Wanda Tubbs
Wednesday 10th of July 2024
Our CRV is a 2 wheel drive, and everything I have seen re the 65 mph top pulling speed is related to a 4 wheel drive, is it the same for a 2 w,d.