Car Towing London: Flatbed Tow Truck, Local and UK-Wide
Flatbed and spec lift towing for cars, vans, 4x4s, EVs and non-runners across Greater London, the M25 and the rest of the UK. The price is agreed on the phone before we set off, and there is no call-out fee.
- No call-out fee
- Price agreed first
- Fully insured operators
- 24/7/365
We tow cars, vans and 4x4s anywhere in Greater London and onward across the UK, 24 hours a day. A flatbed tow truck takes electric and hybrid cars, automatics, all-wheel-drive cars and non-runners with all four wheels off the road; a spec lift suits a short move of a car that rolls freely. Car towing starts from £80, there is no call-out fee, and the price is agreed on the phone before we set off. Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253.
Tow truck London: which cars need a flatbed, and which do not
Tow truck is the everyday name for all of our trucks, and the one we send depends on your car. DVSA guidance for recovery operators calls them recovery vehicles. The question that decides it is whether the wheels left on the road can turn freely and safely with the engine off. If they cannot, the car goes on a flatbed with all four wheels clear of the road. In practice that means every electric and hybrid vehicle, every all-wheel-drive car and 4x4, most conventional automatics, any non-runner that will not roll or steer, any car with seized or electronically locked brakes, any crash-damaged vehicle, any car with no key, and any vehicle that is untaxed, has no valid MOT or is off the road on a SORN. Lowered, modified and prestige cars go on a bed as well, for clearance reasons rather than mechanical ones.
A spec lift, sometimes called a spectacle lift, raises one axle and leaves the other two wheels rolling on the road. It suits a short local move of a manual front-wheel-drive petrol or diesel car whose non-driven wheels roll freely. A flat, locked or missing wheel is a different case: the car goes on a flatbed with all four wheels off the road, loaded with the right equipment for the affected wheel. When we take the details on the phone, including the signed height limit if the car is in a car park, we work out which truck the job needs, so the right one is chosen before the job starts.
Non-fault accident? We can arrange the recovery
If another driver was at fault, we can arrange your recovery at no upfront cost to you, and the claim is handled through citygripclaims.co.uk. Costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer. Whether a replacement vehicle is provided depends on the circumstances of your claim. If liability is disputed, what you owe depends on the agreement you sign, so read it before you sign. Our page on accident recovery explains who pays after a crash.
What a flatbed does, and how your car is held on it
A flatbed, properly a tilt-and-slide, has a deck that tilts back and slides down to meet the ground. The car is winched up the deck under control, the bed levels off, and the vehicle is strapped down. GOV.UK guidance on securing loads sets the minimum for any load on a road vehicle: the securing system should withstand the entire weight of the load forwards and half the weight to the sides and to the rear.
The law behind it is section 40A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which makes it an offence to use a vehicle on a road if the weight, position or distribution of its load, or the way it is secured, involves a danger of injury. DVSA guidance for recovery operators also limits how many vehicles a recovery vehicle can carry: currently two, including any on a spec lift.
Electric and hybrid cars: on a flatbed, not on their wheels
The Department for Transport's guidance for recovery operators, Recovery operators: working with electric vehicles, says it is not recommended to tow EVs on their wheels, because this can generate electrical current and damage the high-voltage systems. It recommends transport on a flatbed or trailer, or using dolly wheels. The exception is moving an electric or hybrid vehicle a short distance out of immediate danger, at walking pace, with the distance kept to a minimum, the transmission in neutral and the parking brake released, and only if the vehicle has not been in a collision and is not visibly damaged. That is a way of clearing a live lane, not a way of getting to a garage. Manufacturers give their own instructions too, so check the towing or transporting section of your handbook.
Crash-damaged EVs are a separate job again. If an EV is on fire, call 999: the fire service takes priority. Tell us on the call if the EV has been in a collision.
Automatics and four-wheel drive: check the handbook, or use a flatbed
Some handbooks forbid towing an automatic or an all-wheel-drive car on its wheels. For example, one Kia owner's manual says not to tow an automatic with four wheels on the ground, and that an all-wheel-drive model should never be towed on its wheels. Limits vary by make and model and are printed in your own handbook. A flatbed removes the question: the wheels are off the road, so it makes no difference to the gearbox whether the journey is two miles or two hundred.
Four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive cars follow the same advice. Anything with drive to all four wheels, including part-time systems currently left in two-wheel drive, goes on the bed with us.
Non-runners, dead batteries, seized brakes and SORN cars
A car that will not roll is a different job from a car that will not start. The usual causes are a flat battery on a car with an electronic parking brake, brakes seized on after months standing, a flat, locked or missing wheel, no key at all, or a project car with the engine, suspension or brakes out of it. Depending on the car, we either release the brake and select neutral, or use the right equipment to winch it onto a flatbed. Tell us on the phone whether it rolls, whether it steers, whether the handbrake is electronic and whether the keys still exist, because that decides what equipment goes on the truck. Our non-runner car transport page covers these moves in more detail.
Cars with no MOT, tax or insurance, and cars on a SORN, travel on a flatbed with all four wheels off the road. GOV.UK says you can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. Tell us on the call if the car has no MOT, tax or insurance, so we plan the job correctly.
Lowered cars, prestige cars, vans and motorbikes
Low cars need a careful loading approach. Tell us the make, model and roughly how low it sits when you book, so the right equipment is chosen. Prestige and classic cars can also go by enclosed car transport.
Vans, Lutons, crew cabs and minibuses come down to weight and length rather than clearance. Give us the model, whether it is loaded and roughly what it weighs, and we will confirm on the phone whether it is a job for us before anyone sets off. Our van recovery page has more.
Motorbikes, scooters, mopeds and quads travel on the bed. Tell us the make and model so the bike is secured at the right points. A bike and a car can travel together on one load where the weight allows. For bikes on their own, see motorbike and scooter recovery.
Long-distance car towing and transport from London
A five-mile tow to a local garage and a long move to another city are different jobs, even though they use the same truck. Long moves are planned bookings with a collection and delivery window rather than an exact time, and the price is agreed on the phone. We move cars between London and Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, and to Belfast or Dublin where a ferry leg is arranged. See also nationwide car transport.
One distinction matters if the car actually runs. DVSA's guide for recovery operations gives this example: a breakdown or recovery vehicle moving a non-disabled car between two garage forecourts is classed as a haulage operation, carriage of goods for hire or reward. To you it is the same truck, but DVSA treats it as a different type of job, so tell us on the phone whether the car drives. Auction collections, online purchases, private sales, dealer-to-dealer moves and cars following you to a new address are all handled this way, and we can collect against your paperwork if you cannot be there in person. See vehicle transport London for planned moves.
Car towing prices in London: from £80, no call-out fee
Car recovery and towing starts from £80 and there is no call-out fee. The price is agreed on the phone before the truck leaves. What moves it is straightforward: distance, the size and weight of the vehicle, whether it rolls and steers, how hard it is to reach, the time of day, and whether it is a roadside job or a booked transport. Related work is priced the same way, with jump start from £60, fuel delivery £70 to £200 including a set amount of fuel, wrong fuel draining quoted on the call, and mobile tyre fitting from £140 on ordinary roads or £250 to £750 on a motorway, where the working conditions are genuinely different. The London car recovery price guide explains the same factors in more detail.
If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 first. Once everyone is safe and away from moving traffic, note the other driver's registration and insurance details, or an incident reference where the police attended, and take photographs of the scene and the damage if you can. The claim side is handled through our sister service at citygripclaims.co.uk; see how non-fault claims work and your rights after a non-fault accident. Say at the start of the call that it was a non-fault accident and we will set the job up correctly from the beginning.
Breakdown safety, car parks and access
On an ordinary road, Highway Code rules 275 and 276 say to keep well away from your vehicle and moving traffic, to get the vehicle off the road if you can, and to switch your hazard lights on if it is causing an obstruction. Never stand between the vehicle and oncoming traffic. Rule 276 also says a warning triangle can go at least 45 metres behind the vehicle on the same side of the road, but only with great care. If you are not sure it is safe, do not walk back along the road: stay well away from the vehicle and moving traffic and call us on 07960 200253. Never use a warning triangle on a motorway, where rule 277 applies instead, as set out below.
Highway Code rule 277 says to leave the motorway at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can. If you cannot, move into the left lane (into an emergency area if you can reach one), stop as far to the left as possible and switch your hazard lights on. If it is safe and possible, leave by the side furthest from traffic and wait well away from the vehicle, behind the safety barrier where there is one. Only if you cannot get your vehicle to the left lane or a place of relative safety, and cannot get out safely and well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately and ask for the police (or press your SOS button if your vehicle has one and ask for the police). Do not try repairs, do not place a warning triangle on the carriageway and do not go back to the vehicle once you have left it. Once you are safe, call us on 07960 200253. Where there is a free emergency roadside telephone, it connects you to National Highways, not to us, and you should quote the numbers and letters on the nearest marker post or driver location sign. Some motorways have no hard shoulder at all (all lane running smart motorways), for example the M25 between Junctions 23 and 27, so do not expect to find one. See our guides to smart motorway breakdowns, breaking down on the M25 and M25 breakdown recovery.
Tell us about access when you call. If the car is in an underground or multi-storey car park, give us the signed height limit and the level, because that decides which truck we send. If it is off the carriageway, for example on a driveway, a verge or in a ditch, say so, so the right winch and recovery gear is on the truck. If the receiving garage may be shut when we arrive, say so when you book so we can agree the plan on the phone.
How a car tow works, from your call to drop-off
- 1. You call: Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253 and tell us where the car is, what it is and where it needs to go.
- 2. We agree the truck and the price: From your answers we decide whether the car needs a flatbed or a spec lift, and the price is agreed on the phone before we set off.
- 3. Loading and securing: On a flatbed the car is winched up the deck under control and strapped down, with all four wheels off the road. A spec lift raises one axle instead.
- 4. The journey: The car goes to your garage, your home or the address you choose, whether that is across London or a long move elsewhere in the UK.
- 5. Handover: Tell us who will receive the car and whether the garage will be open, so the drop-off can be planned.
Car towing by area of London
We tow cars within Greater London and onward across the UK. These pages cover each part of London and the M25 in more detail:
For a car you have bought, sold or need collected from an auction, see nationwide car transport, vehicle transport London and auction car collection and delivery. For a car that has been in a crash, see accident recovery, and for a breakdown at the roadside see breakdown recovery and roadside assistance.
What to tell us when you call
Having these to hand keeps the call short and lets us confirm the price straight away.
- Where you are: a road name, the nearest junction or a landmark. If you are on a motorway or the North Circular, say which direction you are travelling and the nearest junction or marker post.
- The vehicle: make, model and registration, and whether it is petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric.
- What has happened: a flat battery, a car that will not start, a flat tyre, a warning light, a fuel problem or an accident.
- Where it needs to go: a garage, your home or another address.
- Your safety: On a motorway follow the Highway Code rule 277 steps and call 999 if you cannot reach safety and cannot get out safely, then call us once you are safe. On an ordinary road, follow Highway Code rules 275 and 276: get the vehicle off the road if you can, keep well away from it and from moving traffic, and call us from there. If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 first.
- If it is in a car park: the car park name, the level and the bay.
Need a car towed in London?
The price is agreed on the phone before we set off.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tow a Tesla or another electric car?
Yes, Teslas included, on a flatbed with all four wheels off the road. Department for Transport guidance to recovery operators says it is not recommended to tow EVs on their wheels, because this can generate electrical current and damage the high-voltage systems, and recommends a flatbed, trailer or dolly wheels. The exception is moving the car a short distance out of immediate danger at walking pace. Call 07960 200253 and tell us the model.
Can you tow an automatic car in neutral?
Not safely in every case. Some handbooks forbid towing an automatic with four wheels on the ground at all: one Kia owner's manual says not to tow an automatic that way, and never to tow an all-wheel-drive model on its wheels. Limits vary by make and model, so check yours. We carry automatics on a flatbed as standard, with all four wheels off the road, so the question does not arise.
What is the difference between a tow truck and a flatbed?
A flatbed is a tow truck with a deck that tilts and slides, so the car sits on the deck with all four wheels off the road. A spec lift is a tow truck that raises one axle and leaves the other wheels rolling. We put a car on a flatbed if it is electric or hybrid, all-wheel drive or 4x4, a non-runner that will not roll or steer, crash damaged, without a key, lowered, untaxed, without an MOT or on a SORN, and for most conventional automatics. A manual front-wheel-drive petrol or diesel car that rolls freely can travel a short local distance on a spec lift.
How much does car towing cost in London?
Car recovery and towing starts from £80 with no call-out fee, and the exact price is agreed on the phone before the truck sets off. It depends on distance, the size and weight of the vehicle, whether it rolls and steers, how difficult the access is, and the time of day. Ring 07960 200253 with both postcodes for a fixed figure.
Does the price of a car tow change with distance?
Yes. Distance is one of the things that moves the price, along with the size and weight of the vehicle, whether it rolls and steers, how hard it is to reach and the time of day. Car towing starts from £80 with no call-out fee. Give us both postcodes and the price is agreed on the phone before we set off.
How far can you take my car, for example to Scotland or Belfast?
Anywhere in mainland Britain, for example Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester or Birmingham, and to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland where a ferry leg is arranged. Long moves are planned bookings with a collection and delivery window, and the price is agreed on the phone before we set off. If the car drives, tell us on the call: DVSA guidance gives the example that moving a car that is not broken down is a haulage operation rather than recovery.
Can you move a car with no key?
Yes. A car with no key may not be able to be put into neutral or have its steering unlocked, so it is winched onto a flatbed rather than towed on its wheels. Tell us when you call that there is no key, and whether the car is in park or in gear, so the right equipment goes on the truck.
Can you tow a car with no MOT, tax or insurance?
Yes. Tell us on the call that the car has no MOT, tax or insurance, or that it is on a SORN, and it travels on a flatbed with all four wheels off the road. On the law for SORN vehicles, GOV.UK says you can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment.
Can you tow a car with a flat, locked or missing wheel?
Yes. Flat tyres, seized brakes, locked wheels and missing wheels can all be handled on a flatbed with the right loading equipment, so the affected corner is not dragged along the road. Let us know how many wheels are affected and whether the car still steers, because that changes what we bring and how long loading takes.
Is it legal to tow a car with a rope in the UK?
Rope towing is regulated, and the Highway Code warns that it is potentially dangerous. Regulation 86 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 says that where two vehicles are joined by a rope or chain the gap must never exceed 4.5 metres, and the rope must be made clearly visible to other road users if the gap is more than 1.5 metres. Highway Code rule 98 says to consider a tow bar or professional recovery instead. A flatbed avoids the question.
Can you get into an underground or multi-storey car park?
It depends on the signed height limit and the access. Tell us the car park, the signed height limit and which level the car is on when you call, and we work out which truck can reach the car and confirm the method before anyone sets off.
Do you tow vans, minibuses and 4x4s?
Yes. Cars, vans, 4x4s, crew cabs and small minibuses are all normal work, along with motorbikes, scooters and quads. Heavier vehicles come down to weight and length rather than type, so tell us the model and whether it is loaded, and we will confirm on the phone whether it is a job for us before anyone sets off.
Can you collect a car I have bought at auction or from a dealer?
Yes. Auction collections, online purchases, private sales and forecourt-to-forecourt moves are booked jobs with a collection window. Tell us on the phone whether the car actually drives, because DVSA guidance gives the example that moving a car that is not broken down is a haulage operation rather than recovery. We can collect against your paperwork if you cannot be there in person.
Do you tow at night, at weekends and on bank holidays?
Yes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. Out-of-hours jobs are quoted the same way as any other: you get the price on the phone before the truck leaves, and there is no call-out fee. Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253.
Who pays for towing after a non-fault accident?
If another driver was at fault, we can arrange your recovery at no upfront cost to you, and the claim is handled through citygripclaims.co.uk. Costs are claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer. A replacement vehicle depends on the circumstances of your claim, and if liability is disputed, what you owe depends on the agreement you sign, so read it first. If anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, call 999 first. Once everyone is safe and away from moving traffic, note the other driver's registration and insurance details, or a police incident reference, and take photographs if you can.
What do you need to know when I call?
Your exact location or a what3words reference, the make, model, colour and registration, whether the car rolls and steers, whether it is in gear or in park, whether the handbrake is electronic, whether the keys are with the car, where it is going, and whether someone will be there to receive it. That is enough to give you a fixed price on the call.
Does towing damage a car?
It can, if the car is towed on the wrong wheels, which is why electric and hybrid cars, all-wheel-drive cars and most automatics go on a flatbed with all four wheels off the road. Tell us the make and model on the call.
Can you move a car with a flat battery or an electronic handbrake that will not release?
Yes. A flat battery on a car with an electronic parking brake can stop the car rolling. Depending on the car, we either release the brake and select neutral, or use the right equipment to winch the car onto a flatbed. Tell us whether the car rolls, whether it steers and whether the keys are with it, so the right equipment goes on the truck.
Can you tow two cars at once?
It depends on the size and weight of the vehicles. DVSA guidance for recovery operators says a recovery vehicle may currently carry up to two vehicles, including any on a spec lift. Whether two particular vehicles can travel on one truck depends on their weight and size, so tell us what you are moving and we confirm on the phone.
Updated November 2026. Call 07960 200253.
Need a car moved, today or next week?
Call or WhatsApp 07960 200253 with the make, model, where the car is and where it needs to go. You get a fixed price on the call, 24 hours a day, with no call-out fee.