Towing?

Toyota says not to tow anything with a Prius.

The Prius is not designed for towing. The owner's manual says not to tow, and the warranty documents tend to say that warranty is void if you do not follow the owner's manual...

However, there is a Toyota-approved fitted tow bar available from Toyota in the Netherlands.

Some people have installed a receiver hitch, though. Some examples:

Even still, a few people do use their Prius for some very light towing of small trailers (like those for a motorcycle), so it is not impossible, but you'd have to be careful of the weight limits of the vehicle and drive gently...

Oh, sorry, yes Michelle, I knew that. I was wondering if everyone subscribed to this view (warrantee invalidation aside!)

I don't know whether everyone does, but I certainly do. The Prius simply is not built to tow anything.

I have an NHW11 Prius with a 2" receiver hitch. I put together a light-weight, folding trailer from Harbor freight to handle oversized loads. I've also towed a flat-bottom fishing boat. The only problem with the boat was blowing the tail light fuse. However, I have extra instrumentation.

I have a Graham scanner so I can monitor temperatures and a thermistor in the transaxle oil pan. However, I don't plan to do any high-speed, cross country towing. I typically tow at city speeds and fairly flat areas.

Bob Wilson