Flatbed vs Wheel-Lift Towing: Which Does Your Vehicle Need?

What is a flatbed tow truck?

A flatbed, also called a rollback, has a deck that tilts and slides back to the ground. The vehicle is driven or winched up onto it, strapped down, and carried with all four wheels off the road. AAA describes it as the right choice for exotic and low-riding cars, AWD and 4WD vehicles, and crash-damaged vehicles.

What is a wheel-lift tow truck?

A wheel-lift uses a hydraulic arm with a yoke that cradles two tires and lifts one end of the vehicle. The other two wheels roll on the road. AAA says wheel-lifts work best for short tows and tight spots, and are a poor fit for exotic or classic cars, low-riders and motorcycles.

Which end gets lifted matters. AAA’s rule is to lift the drive wheels: the front of a front-wheel-drive car, the rear of a rear-wheel-drive car.

Older sling-type trucks lift a vehicle by a strap or chain. Some manuals rule them out by name, including Toyota’s 2025 Tacoma manual and a 2025 Hyundai manual.

How do flatbed and wheel-lift towing compare?

	Flatbed	Wheel-lift
Wheels on the road	None	Two
AWD and 4WD	Yes	Only with dollies
Electric vehicles	Usually recommended	Only with dollies, if the manual allows
Front- or rear-wheel-drive car, short trip	Works	Works, with the drive wheels lifted
Motorcycles	Yes, strapped down	No
Low, lowered or classic cars	Yes, loaded with care	Poor fit
Crash damage, locked or missing wheel	Yes	Only with dollies
Tight spots and parking structures	Needs room to tilt the deck	Fits where a flatbed may not
Long trips	Nothing rolls on the road	Better for short trips

Which one does your vehicle need?

Ask for a flatbed if any of these is true:

• It is all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. See towing AWD vehicles.
• It is electric, or a hybrid whose manual calls for all four wheels off the ground.
• It is a motorcycle.
• It sits low: lowered suspension, a body kit, air suspension, or a sports car that scrapes on driveways.
• It is a classic, exotic or high-value vehicle.
• It has crash damage, a locked or missing wheel, or won’t roll.
• It is going a long way, such as out of the Antelope Valley. See long-distance towing.
• Its owner’s manual says all four wheels must be off the ground.

A wheel-lift is usually fine when the vehicle is a front- or rear-wheel-drive car or light truck at normal ride height, the trip is short (across Lancaster, or to a shop in Palmdale), and the manual allows towing with the drive wheels lifted. It is also the practical choice when a flatbed can’t reach the vehicle. For short trips like these, see local towing.

When do dollies come in?

Dollies, also called wheel skates, are small wheeled frames placed under the wheels that would otherwise roll. They turn a wheel-lift tow into an all-four-wheels-up tow. Toyota, Hyundai and Tesla accept a wheel-lift with dollies for vehicles that must not roll, and Hyundai’s manual calls for dollies when a wheel or suspension part on the end left on the ground is damaged.

They have limits. Tesla’s Model X manual caps dolly transport at 35 miles and at the dollies’ speed rating. Ask whether dollies cost extra. After a crash or a stolen-vehicle recovery, California presumes separate dolly fees unreasonable unless they are set in a law-enforcement agreement (VC 22524.5).

How should a motorcycle be towed?

On a flatbed or a motorcycle trailer, never on a wheel-lift. Honda’s Gold Wing owner’s manual says to carry the bike on a motorcycle trailer, or on a flatbed with a ramp or lift, secured with tie-down straps. It says never to tow a motorcycle with a wheel on the ground, because that can seriously damage the transmission, and not to strap the handlebars or grips. Tell the dispatcher it is a motorcycle so the right truck and straps come.

What about electric cars and hybrids?

Many EV makers recommend a flatbed. According to its owner’s manuals, Tesla does, and Subaru recommends one for its Solterra. On an EV, the drive motors are connected to the wheels, so wheels rolling on the road turn the motors. Modes such as Tesla’s Tow Mode are for winching the car onto a deck or moving it a short distance, not for towing it down the road. Hybrids vary, so check the towing section of the manual. The AWD towing guide covers the details by brand.

What about low cars, tight spaces and parking structures?

• Low or lowered cars. A flatbed keeps the front bumper off the road, but the car still has to climb the tilted deck. Tell the dispatcher it is lowered so the operator can plan the loading.
• Tight spaces. AAA notes wheel-lifts are best for tight spots. A flatbed needs room behind the vehicle to slide its deck down.
• Parking structures. Give the posted clearance height when you call. If the vehicle needs a flatbed but is parked where only a wheel-lift can reach, ask the dispatcher how they will handle it before the truck is sent.
• Freeway shoulders and dirt lots. A flatbed needs room on the shoulder to tilt its deck. A car sunk in sand on a desert lot or a dirt road near Lake Los Angeles may need a winch-out to firm ground before either truck can load it.

Which method is more likely to damage a vehicle?

The wrong one. A wheel-lift used on an AWD car without dollies, or on the wrong end of a two-wheel-drive car, rolls wheels that should not turn. A wheel-lift can also scrape a low front bumper. A flatbed can scrape a very low car on the way up the deck if it is loaded carelessly.

The best protection is matching the method to the owner’s manual and telling the dispatcher about anything unusual. California also requires the itemized invoice to show the method of towing (VC 22651.07), so you have a record of how the vehicle was moved. After a collision, see accident recovery, and for a flatbed request, flatbed towing.