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Can a Toyota Rav4 Be Flat Towed? (Read This First!)

Who doesn’t love driving the Toyota rav4 SUV, right? This SUV manufactured by the Japanese automobile company Toyota offers a comfortable driving experience along with an exquisite look.

This SUV is great for traveling in various places, even in the hills. So, while traveling or in case of a puncture, you might need to tow the vehicle. So, you might be wondering if you can flat tow the Toyota rav4 SUV. Let’s find out if you can flat tow a Toyota rav4.

Toyota rav4 flat towed

There are very few Toyota rav4 SUVs’ that can be flat towed. This SUV with the right type of transmission and model can be flat towed. The rav4 with automatic transmissions and four wheel drive feature can be flat towed without any damage. Otherwise, it has to be towed with a trailer or a tow dolly.

Not every model of the Toyota rav4 can be flat towed. Whether a vehicle can be flat towed or not, mainly depends on the type of the transmission and the drive setting of the car. It also depends on the type of engine and the brake pads.

If the transmission of the Toyota rav4 is manual, you can definitely be flat towed. This is due to the fact that when the car has a manual transmission, the engine will not get lubricated while towing.

If the engine gets lubricated even when the engine is not running, it will damage the engine. As a result, a Toyota rav4 with manual transmission can be flat towed without causing any damage to the vehicle.

A Toyota rav4 SUV with a front wheel drive feature can’t be flat towed without any issues. The vehicle with front wheel drive will not hold on to the flatbed or trailer perfectly while towing. So, it can cause major accidents and damage the car severely.

A Toyota rav4 with a rear wheel drive can be flat towed. However, this model of the car needs to have manual transmission. Otherwise, you won’t be able to flat tow your rav4.

That being said, if your Toyota rav4 offers four wheel drive, you can also flat tow it as long as the transfer case is manual. While flat towing a four wheel drive vehicle you should be extra careful while setting up the car so that it remains in place even in road bumps.

Toyota Rav4 ModelCan be flat towed
2013 Toyota Rav4Yes
2014 Toyota Rav4Yes
2015 Toyota Rav4No
2016 Toyota Rav4Yes
2017 Toyota Rav4Yes
2018 Toyota Rav4No
2019 Toyota Rav4No
2020 Toyota Rav4Yes
2021 Toyota Rav4Yes
2022 Toyota Rav4Yes

Can a toyota rav4 hybrid be flat towed?

A Toyota rav4 hybrid SUV can’t be flat towed, that is you can not flat tow the vehicle behind a motorhome. This is due to the fact that when you flat tow the Toyota rav4 hybrid, it will start to recharge and eventually overcharge, causing permanent damage to the hybrid battery.

The battery of the Toyota rav4 is recharged by the internal combustion engine and through regenerative braking. If you flat tow your hybrid Toyota rav4, its battery will start recharging.

The battery of the hybrid vehicle can’t withstand more charge than necessary. The charge holding capacity of the battery and its lifespan will reduce if the battery overcharges. As a result, you should not flat tow your hybrid rav4 if you want to maintain good battery health.

Can a toyota rav4 be flat towed behind a motorhome?

Not every model or type of Toyota rav4 can be flat towed behind a motorhome. It varies depending on the type and model of the vehicle. Whether a car can be flat towed behind a motorhome also depends on the type of transmission.

If your rav4 made by Toyota has a manual transmission, then you can most definitely tow it behind a motorhome while traveling from one place to another. This is due to the fact that the manual transmission in a vehicle will not lubricate the engine unless it’s running, preventing any damage.

That being said, if the Toyota rav4 offers a front wheel drive, you won’t be able to tow it behind a motorhome. However, the rear wheel drive and four wheel drive Toyota rav4 SUVs’ can be flat towed behind a motorhome without any issues.

Is all RAV4 flat towable?

No, not all RAV4 manufactured by Toyota is flat towable. This is due to the fact that all RAV4 don’t have the same type of engine, driving feature, and transmission. In addition, there are a few RAV4 that are hybrid, and hybrid vehicles can’t be flat towed as their batteries will start to recharge while being towed.

The RAV4’s with four wheel drive and rear wheel drive can be flat towed. The toyota rav4’s that feature manual transmission can also be flat towed without any issue whatsoever. However, all RAV4’s can be towed using a flatbed, or a trailer with minimum effort.

3 reasons why toyota rav4 can be flat towed

There are numerous reasons why you can flat tow a toyota rav4. The reasons are basically the features of the vehicle which makes it capable of being flat towed. Among them some of the most crucial reasons are manual transmission, four wheel drive, and rear wheel drive.

Let’s take a look at why Toyota rav4 can be flat towed without any issues.

Manual transmission:

One of the major features for which your toyota rav4 can be flat towed is manual transmission. If your vehicle is equipped with manual transmission, you can flat tow it without causing any damage to the vehicle or the engine.

A vehicle featuring manual transmission is one of the main reasons for it being flat towed. This is due to the fact that when a Toyota Rav4 with automatic transmission is flat towed, the engine gets lubricated during it being towed. As a result, when the Toyota Rav4 with manual transmission is flat towed, the engine will remain intact.

Four wheel drive:

A Toyota rav4 with four wheel drive can be flat towed as the brake pads and transmission will not get damaged. You can use a flatbed to flat tow a four wheel drive Toyota rav4 without any issues.

Rear wheel drive:

Apart from the four wheel drive, you can also flat tow a toyota rav4 that offers rear wheel drive. You can use a trailer, flatbed, or a tow dolly to tow the rav4 with rear wheel drive.

How to flat tow a toyota rav4?

Flat towing a Toyota rav4 that can be flat towed is not as complicated as it may seem to you at first. You can flat tow it with minimum effort and time. You will just have to do it in the right way to prevent damaging the vehicle.

Let’s find out how you can flat tow a toyota rav4.

Set up the car:

Before flat towing the car, you should shift it to neutral. You should also make sure that you set the ignition to ACC and release the parking brake. You should also turn off the audio system and other devices to prevent draining the battery.

Load the car on a flatbed:

After setting up the car, you should load the car on a flatbed. You should make sure that the car is properly set on the flatbed so that the vehicle remains in place while being towed. By using a flatbed, you won’t have to worry about damaging the transmission of the car.

Final Thoughts

You can flat tow a toyota rav4 if it comes with a manual transmission, rear wheel drive, and a four wheel drive. So, not every model of the Toyota rav4 SUV can be flat towed. However, you can tow every model of the Toyota rav4 using a flatbed, tow dolly, or a trailer.