Can You Tow an AWD Vehicle With Two Wheels on the Ground?

Why can’t most AWD vehicles be towed with two wheels down?

A wheel-lift truck raises one end of a vehicle and lets the other end roll on the road. For a two-wheel-drive car, 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. On an all-wheel-drive vehicle, both ends can be driven, so there is no safe end to leave on the road.

In most AWD systems the front and rear wheels are linked through a center differential, a coupling or a transfer case. With one end lifted and the other rolling, those parts are forced to turn against each other for the whole trip. That is the kind of wear manufacturers’ towing warnings are written to prevent.

Electric vehicles add a second reason: the drive motors are connected to the wheels, so rolling wheels turn the motors. According to Tesla’s owner’s manuals, spinning the wheels can cause damage and overheating.

What do the manufacturers say?

The owner’s manual and the maker’s service bulletins are the authority. A few examples:

• Toyota. A Toyota service bulletin (revised 2014) for models with Active Torque Control 4WD, including the Highlander, RAV4, Sienna and Venza, says the only acceptable method is all four wheels off the ground: a flatbed, or a wheel-lift with dollies. It says never to tow with the front or rear wheels on the ground.
• Subaru. Subaru’s June 2023 TechTIPS recommends a flatbed and says to check the owner’s manual. Automatic and CVT models may be flat-towed only at 20 mph or less and for 31 miles or less; otherwise they go on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. Every BRZ and the 2019-and-later Crosstrek Hybrid must go on a flatbed.
• Hyundai. A 2025 Hyundai owner’s manual says AWD models need all wheels off the ground, using a wheel lift with dollies or a flatbed. It warns against sling-type equipment and against lifting the car by its tow hook or body.
• Tesla. According to Tesla’s manuals, a flatbed is recommended. Without one, the car goes on wheel lifts and dollies so all four wheels are off the ground, and the tires must not turn. Tow Mode is only for winching the car onto a flatbed or repositioning it: less than 3 mph and less than 30 feet.

Your vehicle’s manual may say something different from these examples. Look for the section called towing, emergency towing or instructions for transporters.

Is a flatbed the only option?

No, but it is the simplest. A wheel-lift truck can also move an AWD vehicle if it puts dollies (small wheeled carts, also called wheel skates) under the wheels that would otherwise roll, so all four wheels are off the road. Toyota, Hyundai and Tesla all accept that method.

Dollies have limits. Tesla’s Model X manual, for example, caps dolly transport at 35 miles and at the dollies’ own speed rating. Trips out of the Antelope Valley are often longer than that, so for a tow to Santa Clarita or the Los Angeles basin, ask for a flatbed. See flatbed towing and long-distance towing. The flatbed vs wheel-lift guide compares the two trucks in more detail.

Does this apply to 4x4 trucks and two-wheel-drive cars too?

Sometimes, and not always the way you would expect. Instructions vary by model:

• Toyota’s 2025 Tacoma manual asks for all four wheels raised for both the 2WD and 4WD versions, and rules out sling-type tow trucks.
• Subaru requires a flatbed for every BRZ, which is a rear-wheel-drive car.
• Subaru also says some of its manual-transmission models may be flat-towed.

So the rule is the same for every vehicle: follow the towing section of the owner’s manual. If you can’t find it, ask for a flatbed.

How do you know if your vehicle is AWD?

• Look for a badge on the back: AWD, 4WD or 4x4, or a brand name such as quattro (Audi), xDrive (BMW) or 4MATIC (Mercedes-Benz).
• Check the owner’s manual or the original window sticker.
• If you’re still not sure, give the dispatcher the year, make, model and trim, and say you don’t know. That is better than guessing.

What should you tell the dispatcher?

• The year, make, model and trim, and that it is AWD, 4WD, a hybrid or electric.
• That you need a flatbed, or a wheel-lift with dollies if the manual allows it.
• Whether it rolls, steers and shifts into neutral, and whether you have the key or key card.
• Any crash damage, a locked or damaged wheel, or a flat tire. Hyundai’s manual calls for dollies if a wheel or suspension part on the end left on the ground is damaged.
• Where it is going, with the full address.

The dispatcher checklist has the rest.

What if the truck that arrives isn’t right?

Speak up before the vehicle is hooked up. Ask the operator how they plan to tow it, and show them the towing page of your manual if you have it. If a wheel-lift arrives without dollies, ask for dollies or a flatbed rather than letting an AWD car leave with two wheels rolling.

California law gives you a record of how the car was moved: the itemized invoice for a tow must show the method of towing (VC 22651.07). After a crash or a stolen-vehicle recovery, separate dolly fees are presumed unreasonable unless they are set in a law-enforcement agreement (VC 22524.5).