Pros and Cons of Towing a Car Behind Your RV

You’ve seen the rigs on the highway, with a small car or truck in tow. Have you ever wondered if it was worth it for you to tow your own vehicle when you hit the road? If you’re considering bringing a vehicle along with you on your next vacation, there are a few advantages and disadvantages to consider:

Pros of having a tow vehicle:

• You can leave the campsite whenever you need to – Setting up camp only to break it down every time you need to make a grocery store run is a pain. With a tow car, you can run errands quickly and easily, without having to disturb your setup.
• You won’t have to navigate your rig through narrow roads or urban traffic – Without a tow car, your only vehicle might be your RV, which might be difficult to drive when in cities and other areas with congestion or tight, narrow, and/or winding roads. With a tow car, you’ll be able to drive in most places like you normally would.
• You won’t have to rent a car – Another option is to rent a car if you don’t bring your own. But renting a car for a week or more costs a significant chunk of change and comes out of your vacation budget. With a tow car, you could save some of that money and use it for other activities.
• You won’t have to rely on public transportation or shuttles – Taking advantage of public transportation or shuttles to and from your campground is a good idea whenever you have the opportunity, but you will have to follow their operation schedule. If you and the family are at an attraction park and the little ones are starting to act up, but the next shuttle isn’t coming for another half hour, that could pose a problem. Bringing your own car can help you avoid getting “stuck” in one place for too long.

Cons of having a tow vehicle:

• Your gas mileage will increase – RVs of most sizes can burn through a lot of gas on their own, but add a tow vehicle, and gas consumption can increase dramatically.
• You’ll have to learn how to drive while towing a car – This one seems obvious but towing a vehicle behind any other vehicle takes practice. Now, imagine towing a car with a 35-foot rig and relatively simple things like making turns and backing up can get even more complicated.
• You’ll have to spend money on a tow package or tow dolly – Just outfitting your RV with the proper equipment to tow a car can cost a couple thousand dollars.

Other things to consider before towing a car behind your rig include:

• The types of trips you take – If you typically take trips to well-developed areas, towing your car could be relatively easy. But if you tend to escape to the woods for boondocking and to enjoy outdoor activities, you may not even need your car.
• The kinds of campsites and locations you tend to park – If camping in rough or remote terrain is your thing, towing a vehicle may not be a good idea or even be possible. But if you like to camp near urban areas, having a car to zip around town could improve your experience.
• The type of tow set up you should use – Options include using a tow dolly, flat bed, or towing your car “flat,” with all four wheels on the ground. Each method presents its own unique challenges, so do some research to determine what method will work best for you and your budget.
• What vehicle you should tow – Keep in mind that your RV will have towing weight limits, just like any other vehicle. Ideally, you should select a car or truck to tow that’s lightweight and under the weight limits determined by the manufacturer of your RV.

As you can see, there’s a lot to think about before choosing whether to tow your vehicle behind your RV. Ultimately, you need to weigh your options and make the choice that best suits you and your style of travel. To learn more, contact us today!