What’s The Best Trailer Hitch for a Toyota RAV4?

When shopping around for a trailer hitch for your Toyota RAV4, the natural first question is “what’s the best hitch for my vehicle?” Fortunately, as the largest installer of aftermarket hitches in North America, U-Haul knows a thing or two about the best options available for the RAV4. We’ve outlined the good, better, and best hitch receivers for your Toyota RAV4, as well as the key features for each.

Good: Curt CMF13615

This trailer hitch from Curt is a standard hitch for the Toyota RAV4.

It offers a gross trailer weight rating of 4,500 lbs and a tongue weight rating of 675 lbs which is 15% of the gross trailer weight. While this is standard for U-Haul, other common hitches on the market can only offer 10%. All things considered; you want a trailer hitch with the highest possible weight rating.

This trailer hitch is made right here in the United States, and the installation itself is pretty straightforward for a DIY installer – there’s no drilling, no cutting, and no fancy features.

Better: B&W RH670118

The B&W trailer hitch for the Toyota RAV4 is a step up from standard trailer hitches for a couple of reasons.

Like other U-Haul trailer hitches, this B&W hitch has a gross trailer weight rating of 4,500 lbs and a tongue weight rating of 675 lbs, whereas common hitches on the market only offer a tongue weight rating of 450 lbs (or 10% of the gross trailer weight).

However, installation is even easier thanks to this B&W hitch’s removeable side plates. Positioning a hitch underneath a vehicle to bolt in the side plates is usually a challenge, but these standalone side plates allow a DIY installer to first bolt in the plates by themselves, then affix the cross tube in place.

The cross tube is also completely hidden behind the bumper of a RAV4, so the only part of this hitch that is visible after installation is the receiver.

Best: U-Haul Adventure Series AP3001A

The U-Haul Adventure Series trailer hitch for the Toyota RAV4 is a high-quality, U-Haul-exclusive hitch engineered by AutoPacific Group, a leading hitch manufacturer in Australia, with specs and features that were previously unavailable in the North American market.

This brand-new receiver hitch offers a 4,500-lb gross trailer weight rating and 675-lb tongue weight rating like other U-Haul trailer hitches for the RAV4, but it separates itself from other hitches due to its enhanced safety features and refined aesthetic.

The U-Haul Adventure Series hitch meets not only the United States’ SAE standards for static testing and fatigue testing, but Europe’s CARLOSTC standards for multiaxial testing that more closely simulates real-life towing experiences. In other words, the Adventure Series hitch has proven to be stronger and more durable than other hitches on the market.

How? Well, unlike other trailer hitches, the U-Haul Adventure Series hitch utilizes both outer and inner frame brackets on both sides to more evenly distribute stress on your hitch, offering maximum strength without compromising the integrity of your vehicle. This hitch also sports ‘castle lock’ features that affix the cross tube to the side plates before any bolts are even inserted, making it safer to install and serving as a failsafe for the hitch if needed.

The Adventure Series hitch is also installed onto the Toyota RAV4 in the same fashion as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) hitch by using all available factory mounting points for a secure fit and concealed look without any additional modifications to your vehicle.

Even then, the most unique part of the U-Haul Adventure Series trailer hitch is the patented HitchHush™, a built-in, anti-rattle device that secures your ball mount or other hitch accessories in place while silencing the noise that you would typically expect when towing. It also doubles as a sleek receiver tube cover when you’re not using the hitch.

With all of these unique features, the U-Haul Adventure Series hitch for the Toyota RAV4 is trailer hitch innovation at its finest, offering you the best towing experience possible.

Regardless of which trailer hitch you’d prefer for your Toyota RAV4, you can have it installed by the hitch professionals at U-Haul. Our digital hitch finder will determine the tow package that’s right for your RAV4, then help you schedule an installation appointment at your local U-Haul center.