Can a Prius pull a canoe trailer?

Can a Prius pull a trailer such as a Remackel 5’8" canoe/kayak trailer with a ~16’ canoe on it?

What does Toyota say?

owners manual should tell you if hitch can be installed and the limits.

https://www.google.com/search?q=putting+towing+hitch+on+toyota+prius&oq=putting+towing+hitch+on+toyota+prius&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.15810j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=prius+tow+capacity

looks good for 1598 lb. as I see it. But it says for 2016 and up not earlier models.Hitches are manufactured for the vehicle after 2016.

My concern for the ultralight compacts is not so much the power needed to tow a small trailer or the ability to stop with it, as much as is there a strong enough place on the underside of the vehicle to mount a hitch? The vibration and torque may not hold up well to thin plastic and metal parts. All roads are not smooth.
T

Frame mounted light duty hitches can be installed on virtually any vehicle by the shops that do such things. They are not attached to “thin plastic and metal parts”. I’ve had hitches put on virtually every car I’ve owned – runs from $175 to $250 usually. I had one put on my 4 cylinder Mazda CX5.

The priuschat forum shows the experience of some other people. When I worked in automotive we tested for towing at Davis Dam. Looks like a pre2016 Prius should not be used for severe duty but if you aren’t climbing mountains or going cross country in the summer you should be fine for short local shuttles. It looks like the gross vehicle weight rating for a Prius is around 3900 pounds meaning it’s rated for a total load of around 900 pounds. So if you have 4 people in the car plus the trailer full of boats you are pushing your luck.

I am surprised by all the guesswork in this thread. Is this because the allowed towing weight is not stated for cars on the US market?

In Europe, the car manufacturer* must state the allowed weight of the trailer and/or the allowed total weight of car and trailer. Is it different in USA?

*: And, by the way, Toyota is known for being ridiculously conservative with their allowed towing weight. I switched from Toyota to Mercedes for exactly that reason.

@“Allan Olesen”

It’s stated in the owner’s manual.

With my vehicle (Honda Fit) the manual specifically states the car should not be used for towing.

@Allan Olesen said:
I am surprised by all the guesswork in this thread. Is this because the allowed towing weight is not stated for cars on the US market?

In Europe, the car manufacturer* must state the allowed weight of the trailer and/or the allowed total weight of car and trailer. Is it different in USA?

*: And, by the way, Toyota is known for being ridiculously conservative with their allowed towing weight. I switched from Toyota to Mercedes for exactly that reason.

Answer I gave tells it all from Toyota pre 16 no towing.

Thanks. My Prius is a 2009, so I guess it won’t work. At first blush it seemed kinda dicey to me anyway. The car is so light weight in the rear end that it can lose traction on a slick road under normal conditions.
Thank you all for your input.

@Rookie said:
@“Allan Olesen”

It’s stated in the owner’s manual.

With my vehicle (Honda Fit) the manual specifically states the car should not be used for towing.

But the exact same car sold as the Jazz overseas, is per the manual, OK for towing. Haven’t put a hitch on my Fit yet, but probably will. I’ve heard the US manuals contain the restriction to sell bigger cars to Americans whereas in other countries people buy small do it all cars or no car,

@BFamilyAdventureTeam said:

@Rookie said:
@“Allan Olesen”

It’s stated in the owner’s manual.

With my vehicle (Honda Fit) the manual specifically states the car should not be used for towing.

But the exact same car sold as the Jazz overseas, is per the manual, OK for towing. Haven’t put a hitch on my Fit yet, but probably will. I’ve heard the US manuals contain the restriction to sell bigger cars to Americans whereas in other countries people buy small do it all cars or no car,

That’s crazy. Am happy with my Hullavator and my Fit as I can easily get that little car in and out of tight spaces. MPG pretty good as well; on my last trip with the kayak on top I averaged 41.2 mpg.

What does a Fit have in common with a Prius?
The Prius is a hybrid powered by batteries that get very hot when under load.

@grayhawk said:
What does a Fit have in common with a Prius?
The Prius is a hybrid powered by batteries that get very hot when under load.

Point was to dig a little deeper than the US manual. Toyota would love for us to buy a Prius for the planet and a Tacoma to tow a light trailer.

A year ago I parked my GMC 2500 with a canoe trailer next to a Prius with a single boat kayak trailer at the Suwannee River Music Park, Canoe Outfitters ramp. It looked like “Mutt and Jeff” Our canoe/kayak trailer (4 to 6 boats) weighs 1500# empty. There are lighter models of course.

The priuschat forum has quite a bit of information from real Prius owners that have actually done some towing.

Part of the guesswork is that no one knows exactly what the tongue weight is and that does have to be added into the cars payload… Too heavy and you prevent the front tires from making contact with the pavement. So that 900 lbs is people gear and trailer tongue weight… We have a vehicle rated for 5000 lbs towing and we do exceed the payload in the truck from time to time( if we are toting gear and generator in the truck) but not much and we have never gone over 3500 in tow weight. The payload usually gets you first.

@TomL said:
The priuschat forum has quite a bit of information from real Prius owners that have actually done some towing.

you can rig what you like but it won’t change what yoda says is proper. Would not want to get in an accident with all the lawyers around now.
My Ford Excursion weights 8990 lb. with diesel engine. Rated tongue weight is 500 lb. and tow capacity is 5000 lb. all with factory hitch. Tongue weight capacity is usually written in bumper plastic or metal.

Feels like an argument but I think everyone is in violent agreement. Rated towing capacity is zero…but perhaps this is “ridiculously conservative”. Priuschat forum has an example of towing 560 pound load for long distances with no problems…not surprising given approx. 900 pound load capacity. Some owners are asking about stiffer rear shocks/springs since Prius is soft and light in rear so highly sensitive to tongue weight…and I can’t imagine a happy Prius carrying anywhere near 500 pound tongue weight like a diesel Excursion. The total load is for sure critical and a Prius doesn’t know whether it’s 900 pound load limit comes from passengers or loaded trailer weight plus aerodynamic load and for sure the aerodynamic load would be a real factor at highway speeds. Prius forum warns that extended hillclimbs could use up the battery power and reduce the 2009 Prius from almost 300 ft-lb torque (more torque than my 4Runner!) to just the 84 ft-lb available from the gas engine (about 2/3 of the torque of a 1.5L Fit…and less than some motorcycles). The forum also notes that the CVT eliminates the heat build-up associated with a traditional torque converter fluid coupling ( one positive factor). Lightest Remackel trailer listed at 400 pounds. Seems logical that a sub 600 pound load could be handled by a Prius for local shuttles without buying a Tacoma. Personally I like to have a big comfortable margin and target max loads around half of a vehicle’s rated capacity to ensure that the vehicle never feels like it is struggling but when the rated capacity is zero it does seem worth “digging a little deeper” to see if one can avoid buying a Tacoma. In my experience diesels flat out kick butt for towing…they love big loads and actually get quieter and happier under load, unlike any gas powertrain.