When Should You Tow Your Car Instead of Driving It?

Most people can tell when a car is undriveable. The harder call is the car that still drives — starts, moves, feels more or less normal — while something underneath is quietly getting worse. That is where the expensive mistakes happen.

If in doubt, do not drive it. DK’s Recovery covers Sheffield and South Yorkshire 24 hours a day for breakdown recovery and transport to your garage. Call 07867 860723.

The test worth applying

Do not ask whether the car feels alright now. Ask what happens if this gets suddenly worse at fifty miles an hour on the Parkway.

If the honest answer involves the brakes failing, the steering going, a wheel parting company with the car, or the engine seizing — it does not matter how normal it feels at twenty miles an hour on a quiet street. That is a tow.

Stop now, whatever it feels like

• Red oil pressure light. The engine may have no oil pressure and can destroy itself in under a minute.
• Temperature in the red, or steam. Warped heads and failed gaskets follow quickly.
• Brakes soft, long, or pulling to one side.
• Steering heavier, lighter or vaguer than usual.
• A sudden knock, grind or rhythmic bang that changes with speed or revs.
• Anything after a collision that might involve wheels, suspension or the structure.
• A burning smell, or a wheel far hotter than the others.

You can usually drive gently to somewhere safer

Getting off a live lane, out of a junction or off a blind bend always comes first. A few hundred metres at low speed to reach a lay-by is the right call even with a flat tyre, even though it will finish the tyre.

What that does not extend to is continuing the journey. “Somewhere safe” means the nearest safe place, not home.

The faults people talk themselves into driving

Overheating that “settled down”. It settled because you slowed or stopped. The cause has not gone anywhere and the next hill brings it back.

A warning light that went off again. Intermittent faults are still faults, and an oil pressure light that flickers is telling you something real.

“It is only a mile.” Most catastrophic engine damage happens in the last mile someone decided to risk.

A slipping clutch on a hill. See our guide to clutch failure for when that becomes a stop.

The arithmetic

A recovery costs a known amount, quoted before the truck sets off. An engine, a gearbox or a set of brake components does not. Nobody has ever regretted the tow; plenty of people regret the last five miles.

One absolute exception is worth knowing before anyone reaches for a rope: an automatic gearbox is lubricated by a pump driven by the engine, so an automatic cannot be towed on its driven wheels without risking serious damage.

If it is going on the truck

Say what the car is when you call — automatic, four-wheel drive, electric, or a wheel that will not turn. Those all need a flatbed rather than a conventional tow, and getting that right first time is the difference between one visit and two.

Common questions

How do I know if my car is safe to drive?

Work backwards from consequences. Ask what happens if the fault gets suddenly worse at 50mph. If the answer involves the brakes, the steering, the wheels or the engine seizing, it is not safe to drive – regardless of how normal it feels at 20mph on a quiet road.

The car seems fine. Do I really need it towed?

Sometimes yes. Overheating, low oil pressure and brake faults all leave a car able to move. The damage is happening whether or not you can feel it, and the cost of a tow is small compared with what a few more miles can do.

Can I drive a short distance if I go slowly?

For getting off a live carriageway or out of a dangerous spot, yes – that is always the priority. As a way of reaching home or a garage, no. Slow driving does not help an engine with no oil pressure or a car with failing brakes.

What about a warning light that has come on?

Red generally means stop; amber generally means get it checked soon. The red oil pressure and temperature lights are the two that cause the most expensive damage when ignored, often within a mile or two.

Will my insurance be affected if I drive it and it gets worse?

It can be. Insurers and warranty providers do sometimes decline claims where damage was made worse by continuing to drive after a clear warning. Keeping it simple: if a light told you to stop and you did not, expect that to come up.

Is towing bad for the car?

Not when it is done correctly. What causes damage is towing a vehicle that should have been flatbedded – an automatic, a four-wheel drive, an electric car, or one with a seized wheel. Say what the car is when you call and that does not happen.

Not sure whether to risk it?

Describe the symptoms and we will give you a straight answer. 07867 860723 — 24 hours a day.