Best practices for towing a Prius?

The manual is unclear about it, but basically it's not anything new. The transmission is essentially always "in gear" so you can't tow with the front wheels down. The rear wheels are held tight by the parking brake (you do use the parking brake, right?! ). So as long as the front wheels are up and the parking brake is released, towing is fine. I don't know about your area, but I haven't seen a sling-style tow truck in years, so I don't worry about that.

I had my Prius towed not too long ago, but not because it broke down :angry: ... grumble grumble... stupid NYC and their stupid ever-vigilant parking cops... Anyway, the Prius was not hideously deformed by that, so don't worry about it!

 

And if you're stuck in a deep ditch or something where first you have to be pulled out with a rope or chain, then you'll have to open the trunk, pull out the screw-in towing eye (or whatever you call it), remove the round tow hole cover on the front bumper, and screw in the towing eye.

 

The safest answer is to specifically request a flatbed if one is available. Toyota's wording has confused a lot of Prius owners over the years because the hybrid drivetrain doesn't behave quite the same way as a conventional automatic transmission.

In practice, most professional towing operators already know that hybrids are best transported on a flatbed, especially if there's any uncertainty about the vehicle's condition. If a flatbed isn't available, the key is making sure the drive wheels aren't turning on the ground. That's why the manual mentions wheel lifts and dollies in certain situations.

When calling roadside assistance, it helps to simply say, "It's a 2008 Prius hybrid and I'd prefer a flatbed tow." That immediately tells the dispatcher what they're dealing with. Companies that specialize in towing equipment, such as Crawford Truck Sales (crawfordtruck com), work with the kinds of flatbeds and wheel-lift systems commonly used by recovery operators, so the industry is very familiar with the requirements of vehicles like the Prius.

The good news is that sling-style tow trucks are pretty rare these days. For most owners, asking for a flatbed and confirming the driver knows it's a hybrid is enough to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

 

wow.
What archeologist dug THIS out the the tar pits?

The OP hasn't visited this forum since before the Obama administration but they actually answered their own question.

Best practices for hauling any Prius involves a flatbed.
Some Priuses "can" be towed for short distances.
HOWEVER (comma!!!!)
If you're one of the unfortunates that drive one with AWD then they should always be hauled instead of towed.
One of the MANY MANY reasons you should never EVER buy one of these cars used is that you can get too drunk to fish playing a drinking game counting the number of these cars being towed behind some boomer's RV.