Prius / Corolla Hybrid dolly towing?

[tizeye]

While needing to replace a car, would prefer a 4 down capable like the Buick Encore GX/Chevy Trailblazer 1.3 AWD for eventual RV purchase within next 6 months. Wife vetoes that and pushing Prius or Corolla hybrid. Toyota's manual ignores recreational towing other than 4 down not approved but doesn't address what is approved. I did a search and noted threads where Prius was being dolly towed, however these were older Prius. My question is can the current generation, introduced in 2018 to present, be dolly towed? Any experience. I assume the Corolla hybrid can also as it is mechanically identical drivetrain, but the 2023 significantly upgraded the interior features that have not ben modernized on the Prius since 2018.

Thanks for your input.

[theroc]

You're correct when saying that Toyota does not specifically address dolly towing in the manual for the 2022 Prius and the 2023 Corolla Hybrid. It also explicitly states that the vehicle can't be "dinghy towed" as you are already aware.

"Your vehicle is not designed
to be dinghy towed (with 4
wheels on the ground)
behind a motor home."

However, like prior or older Prius models, it DOES mention in the "emergency towing" section that it can be towed with the front wheels off the ground (assuming FWD or Front Wheel Drive models):

When towing the vehicle
2WD models:

"Be sure to transport the vehicle
with the front wheels raised or
with all four wheels raised off the
ground. If the vehicle is towed
with the front wheels contacting
the ground, the drivetrain and
related parts may be damaged or
electricity generated by the opera-
tion of the motor may cause a fire
to occur depending on the nature
of the damage or malfunction."

Therefore, because of no new language directly addressing the prohibition of towing with the front wheels off the ground, I'm going to assume that nothing has changed with the post-2018 Prius or with the 2023 Corolla Hybrid.

What is known as the "fourth generation" Prius covers years 2015 to present with a "facelift" introduced with the 2019 model so, again, I'm going to assume that there is no significant difference as it pertains to anything related to the rear axle from the 2015 to the present model year. Others please correct this if incorrect.

The images below are from the 2023 Corolla HV owner's manual from page 169 and 366. The 2022 Prius manual has the exact same wording and images --see pages 238 and 581.

The owner's manuals from the Toyota corporate website are linked below:

2022 Toyota Prius Owner's Manual -- page 238 for dinghy towing and page 581 for the implied emergency towing images

2023 Toyota Corolla HV Owner's Manual -- page 169 for dinghy towing and page 366 for the implied emergency towing



This is only my own personal interpretation so let's see if anybody will post here if they are successfully dolly towing a 2022 Prius or 2023 Corolla HV to confirm or deny their dolly towing capability.


.