Hello, I have a 2012 Toyota prius and absolutely love my car ! Best decision I made. I was wondering if it can safely tow a 4x8 or 5x8 U-Haul trailer. from Miami, FL to NY - approx 1200 miles over a 3 day journey. If so, what specifications for the type of trailer/hitch I should buy? I have never done this before, hence would appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Thanks a lot !
Why not rent a U-Haul truck and tow your prius on a dolly behind the truck? Personally, I wouldn't tow anything with my prius.
welcome! a lot of people tow trailers here. you can find hitch specifications by searching the gen 3 threads. or better, just google, and priuschat hits will come up. toyota doesn't condone towing, so you have to get your advice from those who have done it. i think they do allow it in europe iirc, so it's not a mechanical issue if that's the case. i would keep the weight down as much as possible, and stay at 55 in the right lane. fortunately, there aren't any major elevation changes on that route. all the best!
I should have elaborated more in my first post... I was in a hurry. I'm not generally a naysayer when it comes to pulling a trailer on short trips with a Prius -- within reason. But you're not talking about a cross town jaunt with 800 lbs of mulch on a utility trailer. This is a major trip with a pretty big trailer. From the Uhaul web site, it appears the empty 5x8 trailer weighs 900 lbs., plus your payload. Add to that the very substantial aerodynamic drag from pulling that big box at highway speeds for the entire trip... and you are going to be working that engine and transmission like a rented mule. The Uhaul website also says to limit speed to 55mph. You can't safely do that between Miami and NY -- you'll be a nuisance to yourself and everyone around you. Also, depending on how much weight you intend to put in the trailer, you may be required to have trailer brakes. As I said before, I'd be very surprised if Uhaul will even rent one to you based solely on the fact that Toyota doesn't specify a trailer towing capacity, and explicitly advises against it. Of course... IMHO!
Even if the car would survive, tvpierce is giving you good advice. Especially between WDC and NY, a car with a trailer going 55 MPH is going to be a hazard due to the speed differential with the rest of the traffic. The speed limit signs indicating 65 MPH are pretty much meaningless as I would say that most traffic is moving at 80+ MPH. There is a high level of aggressiveness by drivers on that stretch and you will be cut off and have people stop short in front of you. I'd worry about braking distance with the additional load. While the drivers south of WDC are saner for the most part, the speed limit is often 70 MPH, again putting those who figure "speed limit plus 10 MPH" at 80 MPH. Finally, getting that load up to speed is going to be hard on the Prius and there a bunch of toll booths between WDC and NY. Also, add in the fact that you are bound to get into stop/go traffic at some point, so you will be repeatedly pulling the weight from a dead stop. It's one thing for the car to keep the load at a speed, thus only having to overcome drag. It's quite another to have to overcome inertia and get it up to speed in the first place. Could you do it? Probably. Is it a good idea? I'd say no.
Got it. Thanks a lot everyone ! Went to U Haul today. They said a 5x8 would be possible but considering the cost of installing a hitch and the risk involved with towing on a prius, am thinking its safer not to. I still love my prius.
I have towed both of those trailers over substantial mileage with a Subaru Outback. There is a considerable difference in the wind drag between them. I would not attempt the 5x8 with a Prius. I would pull the 4x8 with a Prius. You will want to end up with a 2" ball hitch and a standard 4-pin lighting connector to be compatible with the U-Haul fleet.
Wow. That really surprises me. From a civil standpoint, it would seem they're exposing themselves to a lot of risk/liability for a relatively small gain. Or maybe the clerk/representative you spoke with just didn't check. Either way... interesting.
FWIW, I rented a 5 x 8 back in the late 1990s. The trailer alone pretty much pushed the envelope of what my pickup was supposed to tow. Don’t ask what it weighed after I loaded it.
Hello, To answer your question. Yes you can tow with your Prius. Anyone who says otherwise will quote the manual as if they follow it themselves to the letter. The truth is, the manual reference and advises are put there for liability reasons (worst case scenario). Just like you don't need to put the exact oil (you can buy an off brand oil and your prius will be fine). Anyways, personally I would NOT tow any Uhaul trailer, not even their lightest trailer (the motorcycle trailer). Take it from a guy that just towed a harbor freight 4x8 trailer from Tri-Cities washington, to spokane, WA, to Montana and back to Tri-cities Washington in 1 day (This was yesterday 5/11/19). From what I know the above trailer is Uhaul's lightest trailer. If you look at their description of the trailer. You will see that this particular trailer (empty) weighs 800lbs! I drive a Prius C that weighs about 2,500 or so. I would not recommend and Uhaul trailer. What I would recommend is an aluminum trailer or any trailer that weighs less than 300lbs. Harbor frieght's trailer weighs 257.40 lbs and can hold up to 1720 lbs. but on a prius. I would use the 1/3 rule (any vehicle can at least tow 1/3 of it's weight) and acknowledge your vehicle's weight capacity. Based on what James says from this forum. Looks like the Prius C can carry 5 people that weigh a total of 846lbs combined. Based on this, I know that my car (2012 Prius C) can at the very minimum tow 845lbs in total (including trailer weight, item weight and driver/passenger weight). With that said. Tow with your prius I just wouldn't recommend using any UHaul trailer because their unnecessarily over weight. Also, something not a lot of people know. Harbor freight has discontinued their 4x8 trailer. The only stock left is the stock that stores have. What I did, is I wen't on craigslist / Facebook marketplace and was lucky enough to find one in great shape. If you look at your vehicles weight, empty trailer weight, and item weight. You should be fine. I can tow an empty trailer (without border 2x8's) and still get 47mpg. With items and 2x4's I get about 36mpg. Keep in mind that I drive at 65/70mph. Below is an image from my tow from Spokane, WA to Montana. I bought the hitch from Etrailer (don't expedite your shipment btw, it's overly expensive and shipping is slow) 2012 Toyota Prius c Trailer Hitch - Draw-Tite I also bought this 4" rise for the tow ball (because the prius c is low and I'd like to minimize the tongue weight) Also bought a lock ( so no one steals my shit) not that anyone would, but I drive around with it) Link to harbor freight trailer https://www.harborfreight.com/1720-lbs-capacity-48-in-x-96-in-super-duty-folding (Discontinued) Hope it helps!
You are wrong. I have rented from U-haul twice using my Prius. That is not speculation just made up to support my opinion, it is fact.
