If you often spend money to transport your car, you could consider a more economical way to buy a car trailer for your family, you can use it anytime, anywhere, it can not only transport the car, but also pull other cargo, it can also come in great use when you’re moving house.
As a professional car trailer manufacturer, we have summarized the following 3 aspects to help you choose the most suitable car trailer for you: dimension, material and loading style.
Car trailers come in a variety of styles and shapes, closed and open trailers, and trailers that transport one or more cars, and here we’re just talking about the most practical one, which is open and transports only one car.
Dimension
Deck Height
Car trailers require a lower deck height. It makes towing easier because the overall center of gravity is lower. Low decks usually involve more expensive drop axles. Most car trailers have a deck height of 20”-26”.
Deck Length
Deck length is a key consideration. Common car trailer lengths vary from 14 to 24 feet, usually in 2-foot increments. A 16-20 feet car trailer can accommodate most cars.
Deck Capacity
More important than length is total load capacity. Load capacities are based on axle ratings. The two most common consumer car trailer axles are 3,500 lbs and 5,000 lbs. Then a 2-axle car trailer has the capacity of 7,000 and 10,000 lbs.
In order to determine the capacity you need, you must know the weight of the empty trailer. The average car trailer weighs about 2,000 pounds, and it’s best to have extra load capacity. A 7,000-pound trailer can carry most cars, but a 10,000-pound trailer is also a good choice.
Following are the recommended sizes of car trailers for popular cars.
| Body Style | Examples | Average Weight | Length | Width | Recommended Size of Car Trailer |
| Smart car | Smart Fortwo | 1,500 pounds | 9feet | 6-7feet | 10’L*8’W |
| Subcompact car | Ford Fiesta | 2,600 pounds | 15feet | 6feet | 16’L*8’W |
| Compact car | Toyota Corolla | 2,600 to 3,000 pounds | 16feet | 6feet | 18’L*8’W |
| Midsize car | Toyota Camry | 3,300 pounds | 17feet | 6feet | 18’L*8’W |
| Honda Accord | 17feet | 7feet | 18’L*8’W | ||
| Large car | Dodge Charger | 4,400 pounds | 17feet | 7feet | 18’L*8’W |
| Subcompact SUV | Kia Soul | 2000 pounds | 14feet | 6feet | 16’L*8’W |
| Honda HR-V | 15feet | 6feet | 16’L*8’W | ||
| Compact SUV | Honda CR-V | 3,000 to 3,500 pounds | 16feet | 7feet | 18’L*8’W |
| Mazda CX-5 | 16feet | 7feet | 18’L*8’W | ||
| Midsize SUV | Honda Pilot | 3,500 to 6,000 pounds | 17feet | 7feet | 18’L*8’W |
| Chevrolet Traverse | 18feet | 7feet | 20’L*8’W | ||
| Large SUV | Chevrolet Suburban | 5,400 to 6,000 pounds | 19feet | 7feet | 20’L*8’W |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 18feet | 7feet | 20’L*8’W |
Material
Wooden Deck
Open trailers with wooden decks are the most common and cheapest tandem axle trailers (avoid single-axle car trailers). The full deck makes them ideal for non-automotive use. Such as moving house or transporting agricultural products.
Metal Deck
Metal decks are easier to clean. There are steel and aluminum decks, they are both strong and durable, aluminum is lighter and can pull heavier cars, so it’s more expensive.
Loading Style
Common car trailers have ramps at the end, which are suitable for most car loading and are popular because of their low price.
The other is a tilt bed trailer, which has no ramps but is better for low-deck cars, but is also more expensive.