Choosing the wrong tow equipment can cost you thousands of dollars in transmission damage, drivetrain damage, or body panel damage. The OEM-recommended method for most modern vehicles is flatbed — and for all-wheel-drive vehicles, it is the ONLY correct method.
Flatbed towing lifts your entire vehicle off the ground onto a hydraulic-tilt deck. Four wheels off the ground means zero drivetrain engagement and zero risk to transmissions, transfer cases, or regenerative braking systems on EVs.
Wheel-lift towing uses a hydraulic yoke to lift the drive wheels off the ground while the non-drive wheels roll on the pavement. Appropriate for two-wheel-drive vehicles where the non-drive axle can safely travel on the ground. Hookup takes 3 minutes, making it fast and cheap — but wrong for AWD.
When wheel-lift is correct: standard two-wheel-drive cars when flatbed access is physically impossible — underground parking decks with 6'6" clearance, narrow urban alleys, tight driveways, tandem-parked rows.
When flatbed is correct: all-wheel-drive vehicles (always), low-clearance sports cars and luxury vehicles, electric vehicles with regenerative drivetrains, any vehicle where the manufacturer specifies flatbed-only, and any vehicle with transmission damage that cannot safely roll.
Dolly towing (using axle dollies to lift the non-drive wheels onto a small platform) is a workaround but generally not the best answer for AWD — flatbed is safer and no more expensive in most scenarios.
Our dispatcher confirms your vehicle year/make/model at the start of every call and matches the truck to your specific needs. If you have AWD, you get a flatbed. Every time.