Month: February 2026

With spring rapidly approaching, the hibernation period for so many luxury cars is also coming to an end. 

However, whether you run a business renting classic, luxury or exotic cars or have embraced the petrolhead life, you need the right trailer to get your precious vehicle anywhere it needs to go.

The right trailer is like the right horsebox for a racehorse; it is not strictly necessary, but it eases the load on your car so much that it is all-but-essential for you to make the most of it on a beautiful track day or family adventure.

However, with so many options from the all-encompassing Transporta to the ultra-versatile Beavertail, which trailer is right for you? And when do you need nothing but the best to protect your vehicle?

Do You Need A Transport Trailer For Your Car?

Before exploring which trailer you need to transport your luxury car, it is important to ask whether you strictly need a trailer at all.

The answer, in most cases, is no; as long as your car is road legal, taxed and has a valid MOT, you can drive it on the road, including to your destination.

It is often more enjoyable, however, to tow it to a road or track of your choice and drive it, as you mostly guarantee that it will avoid wearing itself out, and you will have the tools at your disposal to tune it the way you want for the particular conditions.

It is often safer and more comfortable to use a reliable towing car and trailer to take an exotic car to its destination and then tow it back afterwards.

Why Do You Need A Transport Trailer For A Track Day Car?

However, there does exist one particular type of car where a trailer is not only encouraged, but it is outright required.

In recent years, track days have become increasingly popular outings where you can take a car far beyond its speed limit and test yourself against the clock for as many laps as the entry fee will allow.

They have become so popular that dedicated track day cars have been made that are not actually road legal, which means that they need to be transported from your home or garage to the track itself.

Similarly, if you are taking part in banger racing in a race akin to the 24 Hours of Lemons

What is the best type of trailer to transport it, however? Would a closed Transporta, a mobile workshop or an open-top Tiltbed be the best choice? Whilst choosing us and choosing Ifor Williams will ensure you get a high-quality trailer, the answer depends on your needs and the needs of your car.

Should You Choose An Open Or Enclosed Trailer?

Does flexibility and versatility matter more to you than protecting the car itself? Or are you towing a particularly valuable vehicle that needs to be protected from the elements and the risk of anything chipping the paintwork?

There is no universally correct answer, so here are the advantages of each of the two main types.

Advantages Of An Enclosed Trailer

• Complete protection from external hazards such as debris or the weather.
• Completely lockable and discreet.
• Ideally designed for low-clearance cars, which often include the types of high-performance cars typically taken on track days.
• Perfect for long-distance journeys.

Advantages Of An Open Trailer

• Easier to load and secure standard vehicles.
• Allows for a greater selection of towing vehicles.
• Can in some cases be easier to tow due to being lighter.
• Allows for a self-contained showcase of your vehicle whilst on the road.
• Multipurpose, capable of towing most standard cars.

Questions To Ask When Choosing The Right Luxury Car Trailer

• What is the value of your car? The more expensive the car you are transporting, the more security will become a factor and the more likely it is that you will require a more enclosed and secure trailer.
• What is the condition of your car? If your car is concours-ready, factory fresh or highly sensitive to the elements, make sure that it is protected for its journey.
• How far do you need to go? Short journeys are typically fine for most kinds of car, but the longer you plan to drive, the more an enclosed trailer becomes necessary.
• What is the weather forecast for your journey? If you expect rain, which on a spring track day is almost inevitable, an enclosed trailer will give you peace of mind.

Do you feel comfortable towing a heavier trailer? The caveat of a larger trailer is that it will have a different centre of gravity and weight distribution than a Tiltbed or  Beavertail.

As an expert supplier of Ifor Williams trailers, we have a lot to teach about the mechanics of towing almost anything that can be moved by a powerful enough car or sports utility vehicle, from work supplies to livestock to other cars.

The best way to transport a car using another car is to use a dedicated transporter trailer, of which we have several to recommend based on your particular needs.

From the versatile and lightweight CT177 and Beavertail to the comprehensive Transporta box, we have trailers for every type of towing situation, as well as servicing, repair and maintenance services that ensure it is as safe and comfortable to use as possible.

However, there are a lot of ways to tow a car with another car, some of which can be charitably described as suboptimal, whilst others can be outright dangerous or even illegal in the wrong circumstances.

With that in mind and to provide a public service in situations where a trailer is not available but towing is necessary, here is what you need to know about towing a car, the risks that can come from improper methods and the most common mistakes to avoid.

How Do You Tow A Car?

The best way to tow a car is the best way you should tow any heavy load; use an appropriate trailer, ensure that the load is adequately tied down and evenly distributed, check everything is ready before towing the trailer away and maintain safe driving speeds and a cautious driving style.

Outside of a trailer, there are three main ways to tow a car:

• Hook-and-chain towing, where a chain is wrapped around the front bumper and the car is towed forward on all four wheels.
• Wheel-lift towing, where a hook or other type of hoist is used to lift the stricken car onto two wheels for towing.
• Dolly towing, which uses a small trailer with a ramp to lift the stricken car onto two wheels. 

All of these methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but if you are without a trailer, they can become necessary.

Can Towing A Car Damage It?

If you tow a car with an appropriate trailer that is secured properly, follow the rules of the road, warn other road users appropriately and tow your car gently and cautiously, it is very unlikely that using a flatbed trailer will cause any problems to your car beyond those that led to the breakdown.

However, towing a car with any of its wheels touching the road can lead to potential long-term damage, as the lubrication and drive management systems that many cars use today are not in operation while the car’s engine is not running.

The exact risk of this depends on the drive system of the car you are towing:

• All automatic cars may be at risk when towing them without a trailer. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, try to keep the gearbox in neutral and check if you need to remove the driveshaft or use special settings.
• Manual cars that are front-wheel drive can generally be safely towed short distances without damaging the internal systems, but generally it should only be as far as the nearest garage.
• Manual cars that are rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive can cause damage to the transfer case and gearbox within just a few miles in the worst-case scenarios. Check the manual to see if you need to disconnect the driveshaft. 

The EU has recently updated their best practices on the subject of towing, and it can be a useful resource when towing without a proper trailer.

As well as this, towing a car can fundamentally change its driving properties, so stay below 15 miles per hour and do not make any sudden moves.

Biggest Mistakes When Towing A Car

• Driving Too Quickly – Unless you have a flatbed trailer that has taken all four wheels off the road, avoid driving faster than 15 miles per hour. This is not only important for the car but for the driver who must sit in the towed car to pick up the slack and coordinate movements.
• Making Sudden Moves – Towing a car fundamentally changes how it drives, making it potentially twice as long, twice as heavy and significantly increasing its stopping distance. Do not attempt lane changes and turns as if you are driving your unladen car.
• Following Too Closely Or Too Far Away – A car being towed needs enough slack to avoid colliding into the back, but too much rope, and it can quickly get out of control.
• Not Using A Trailer – Ultimately, a flatbed trailer or car transporter is by far the safest way to transport a car using another car.

There are many types of businesses where a vehicle is required to tow another vehicle, each of which has different requirements when it comes to the features, functionality and payload capacity required from a car transporter trailer.

A self-employed engineer or vehicle recovery specialist, for example, will have different requirements than someone who needs to transport a car which is not road legal to a track day, which itself has different needs than a small privateer team travelling to a motorsport event.

Choosing the right trailer is as important as choosing the right car, and we are here to help. Not only do we supply trailers from the industry-leading Ifor Williams, but we can also provide tailored advice, assistance in setting up the trailer the way you want it, as well as servicing and repairs when needed.

With that in mind, here are some of the biggest questions to ask yourself before looking into transport trailers.

What Are You Allowed To Tow?

In general, if you acquired your driving licence after 1997, you will generally be qualified to tow a trailer that weighs up to 3,500kg MAM (maximum authorised mass). 

People with older licenses will be able to drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg, but if you have a relatively heavy towing vehicle, it is important to check that your trailer with both car and equipment is not too heavy.

All of the trailers we offer, from the Beavertail to the Transporta, have MAM gross weights of 3,500kg or below, which gives you a lot of scope to transport a wide variety of vehicles under 1500kg.

What Does Your Trailer Have To Include?

You need to make sure you can drive your trailer safely, which means that there are certain features you need to have on it that you do not need with a lighter, smaller trailer.

These include:

• Brakes on the trailer itself, which must be serviced, in good working order, feature a secondary coupling or breakaway cable and be fit for purpose.
• Independent lights and indicators on the trailer, which must work and be connected to the towing vehicle.
• Type-approved tow bars for your towing vehicle.
• Extended towing mirrors.
• Number plates on the back of the trailer.

How Much Protection Does Your Car Need?

Some car transporters treat a car as another load that is secured in place, whilst others are more akin to horseboxes and provide a similar level of amenities and protections.

If the car you are towing is robust or has already broken down and simply needs to be towed to a garage, a Beavertail or Tiltbed may be a better option, with the latter having the added benefit of versatility; it can not only be used to tow vehicles but also more general loads.

However, if you are a small motorsport team with equipment to carry alongside your car, or if you regularly attend track days in a classic or exotic car that needs to be protected from the elements, you will need a Transporta or similar enclosed transport trailer.

This means that the wind, direct sunlight, the rain, salty wash on coastal roads or grit kicked up during frosty nights will not damage your previous car.

How Do You Safely Load Your Vehicle?

Choosing the right trailer is also a matter of ensuring that its optimal method of loading or unloading vehicles matches your workflow or working style.

Anything that can make your job or your hobby easier is essential, and with that in mind, here are some top tips for safely loading and unloading your vehicle:

Choose The Most Appropriate Loading Method

Typically, there are two main ways to load a car onto a trailer without physically having to push it on:

• Driving it on directly: This is fine if your trailer is wide enough, but try to use a spotter if you can and take it slowly to ensure you follow the ramp and avoid collisions.
• Using a winch: This method is safer for loading into tight spaces and is required for vehicles that are not running. It is important to winch slowly and keep the car straight where possible.

Centre The Weight And Chock The Car

Make sure the car is positioned to maximise a balanced, even weight distribution, as this will make it far easier to drive and give you, your vehicle and your trailer far less of a strain.

Once this is done, use chocks to keep the car in place before strapping it down properly to stop the weight from shifting.

Triple check everything and do a test tow if possible before setting off on your journey.