Guide
Flatbed vs Tow Truck: Which Does Your Car Need?
The method matters. Choose wrong and a straightforward recovery becomes a transmission repair. Here's how operators actually decide, so you know what to ask for.
The three questions that decide it
When you call us, we ask the same three things every time, and they aren't small talk. Manual or automatic. Front, rear or four-wheel drive. Does it roll and steer. Those answers determine which truck leaves the yard, and a wrong answer means a wasted visit or a damaged car.
The one hard rule
Automatics, four-wheel-drive vehicles and electric cars should not be flat-towed with their driven wheels on the road. Automatics aren't circulating gearbox fluid with the engine off, and EVs generate current through the motor. Both risk expensive damage in a very short distance.
The four methods, and when each is right
Full flatbed (tilt and slide)
Best for: Almost everything: automatics, four-wheel drive, EVs, damaged cars, classics, non-runners.
How it works: The bed tilts to the ground and the vehicle is driven or winched on, then strapped over the wheels. All four wheels leave the road.
Watch out for: Needs space to tilt the bed and a reasonably level surface. Tight terraced streets sometimes mean winching from a few metres away.
Spec-lift (wheel-lift)
Best for: Front-wheel-drive manuals in neutral, short urban moves, illegally parked or blocking vehicles.
How it works: A yoke lifts one axle clear while the other axle rolls on its own wheels.
Watch out for: Not suitable for automatics, four-wheel drive or EVs unless dollies go under the trailing axle. Not for cars with locked steering unless skated.
Wheel skates
Best for: Seized, flat or missing wheels; cars stuck in park; steering locks that won't release.
How it works: Small trolleys slide under each wheel so a vehicle that cannot roll or steer can still be moved onto the bed.
Watch out for: Needs a hard surface. Gravel and soft ground make skating difficult, so tell us the surface when you call.
Winch and bridle
Best for: Non-runners, vehicles in ditches or on verges, restoration projects with no brakes.
How it works: A powered winch pulls the vehicle onto the bed or back onto firm ground using rated straps on the manufacturer's recovery points.
Watch out for: Attachment point matters enormously. Pulling on tow eyes or bumper mounts is how subframes get damaged.
Does the method change the price?
Mostly it's the distance and the vehicle weight that set the price, not the equipment. Where it does make a difference is difficulty: a car that needs skating out of a tight underground car park takes far longer than one that drives onto the bed on a driveway, and a winch-out of a ditch is priced on the job rather than a tariff.
Either way, you should be told the figure before a driver sets off. If an operator won't commit to a price on the phone, that's worth noticing.
What to say when you call
- Make, model and roughly what year — it tells us weight and clearance
- Manual or automatic, and which wheels drive it
- Whether it rolls, steers and brakes
- What surface it's on and how much room a truck has
- Where it needs to go, and whether anyone will be there to receive it
Not sure what your car needs?
Describe the vehicle and we'll tell you which method it needs and what it costs — before anyone sets off.
Call 03300 435121