How your vehicle should be towed

By drivetrain

• Front-wheel drive: the front wheels are the drive wheels and must come off the ground. A wheel-lift from the front, or a flatbed, is correct.
• Rear-wheel drive: the rear wheels are the drive wheels and must come off the ground.
• All-wheel drive: flatbed only under most manufacturers. Towing with two wheels down spins one axle against another that is stationary or turning at a different rate, which overheats and shears transfer case or center differential clutches. Damage can happen within a few miles and may not surface for days.
• Four-wheel drive: some permit two wheels down only with the transfer case in Neutral or the driveshaft removed. This is model-specific and must never be generalized — check the manual for your exact vehicle and year.

Electric vehicles

An electric vehicle goes on a flatbed. When the wheels are forced to turn, the drive motor acts as a generator and pushes uncontrolled current back into the pack and power electronics.

Tesla's Model 3 manual is explicit: "NEVER TRANSPORT YOUR VEHICLE WITH THE TIRES IN A POSITION WHERE THEY CAN SPIN." Approved methods are a flatbed in either direction, or the front wheels lifted with the rear on a dolly for a maximum of 35 miles. Tow Mode releases the parking brake so the car can be winched.

Rivian is equally direct: "Only transport the vehicle on a flatbed tow truck… towing with any wheels on the ground can lead to significant damage and overheating. Extreme overheating can cause a fire." A rear-wheel lift is permitted only while loading. Transports over 50 miles use Shipping Mode.

Weights and capacity

GVWR and GCWR are defined at 49 CFR § 571.3. Towing capacity is GCWR minus the fully loaded tow vehicle — not a standalone number off a brochure. Passengers, fuel, cargo and the hitch itself all come off before anything is attached.

Tongue weight runs 10–15% of loaded trailer weight for a conventional bumper-pull, and 15–25% for a fifth-wheel or gooseneck. Tongue weight counts against payload, not only against the tow rating.

Modern published tow ratings come from SAE J2807, which specifies a Davis Dam grade test and defined acceleration and braking criteria. The full standard is paywalled: we cite the standard and a manufacturer's J2807 explainer, and we never invent figures from it.