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This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Matte black, powder coated steel is durable and corrosion resistant and creates a rugged look.
Features:
Specs:
The sturdy steel construction is protected with a matte black finish for added durability. This unique powder coating gives etrailer hitches a carbide-like appearance and a rugged look that sets them apart from traditional glossy hitches. In addition to being rust and corrosion resistant, the tough matte coating hides dirt, scuffs, and dings better than a glossy finish.
At etrailer we're committed to the products we sell, and to our customers. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via both phone and email to address your questions and concerns for the lifetime of your hitch. The technicians at etrailer perform hitch installations on a daily basis, making them a valuable resource for do-it-yourselfers. The one-on-one, personal service you'll receive comes straight from an expert in the towing and automotive field. We've installed it, we've wired it and we've towed with it, so whatever your question, we can answer it.
I couldn’t be happier with the etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver (Item #e33ZR) for my Tesla Model 3. From the moment I opened the box, it was clear this was a high-quality, well-thought-out product. The matte black finish looks fantastic and blends seamlessly with the Tesla’s design — subtle but solid.
Installation was far easier than I expected. I followed the clear step-by-step instructions provided by etrailer and didn’t need to make any modifications to the car. No drilling, no complicated wiring — just remove the rear fascia, unbolt a few things, mount the hitch, and reassemble. Everything lined up perfectly, and I was done in about an hour with basic tools. If you’re comfortable doing minor work on your car, you can absolutely handle this yourself in your driveway or garage.
The hitch sits flush and doesn’t interfere with the car’s aesthetics or aerodynamics. It’s ideal for bike racks, cargo carriers, or even light towing. Plus, the build quality inspires confidence — strong, sturdy, and built to last.
Highly recommended if you want a clean, factory-like hitch solution for your Model 3. Kudos to etrailer for making a truly Tesla-friendly product that installs like a dream.
Good hitch. Not perfect. I did it on Sunday morning. Took be about 3 hrs. It’s not hard to do. Etrailer instructional video was very helpful. Little stressful when working on new car that’s not known for paint quality. I took my time. Used mostly hand tools.
It would take me less time, but I had hard time tightening one nut holding hitch to the body (pic of nut by the black hitch) and I had to dremel out the right side of a hole (just one) in aluminum Tesla beam to be able to tighten the beam to the hitch. (Lower right nut, golden color, inside the aluminum beam). The rest of holes/hardware was fine. Be careful. Aluminum beam has really sharp edges.
Mario
12/11/2024
It’s been a year and 24k miles. The hitch is working great, and looking the same. No rust or any signs of aging. I’d buy it again!
I have many pictures that I've sent to my friends with Teslas of their own.
Here are 2 that show that this was an an easy installation .
The printed instructions is not accurate and could confuse some...
But the install video was very well done.
Solidly built, good hardware provided. A little heavier duty than I needed. Would prefer to have found a lighter weight option but otherwise very happy with the quality. etrailer's video instructions were spot on.
Gwendolyn Y.
4/19/2025
Looks great, Matt! It's always better to have one that is bigger than what is needed, so you know it will be able to handle anything you need to use it for :)
Hitch design is nice and fit is good. Everything is working great so far.
As far as installation, I had to position hitch just right to access two inner body mount bolts. Maybe a touch more space could be given to get a socket on there easier. Install video was really helpful and accurate.
My only issue is unclear torque values. Video directs you elsewhere for that. The printed directions say 45ft-lbs and 60 ft-lbs for M10 and 7/16 hardware respectively. Not entirely sure those are the bolt sizes I have, actually. Values seem high.
I torqued the bumper to hitch assembly to 45 ft-lbs and that seemed okay. However, I was not brave enough to tighten body mount nuts to 60 ft-lbs. That really feels way to high for the skinny bolts on the vehicle. Also, I would change the nylon washers on body mount bolts to ones that fit better and don't hang so much.
Otherwise, I am happy with my purchase. Seems solid and fits nicely on the vehicle.
The trailer hitch is excellent. The ordering was easy and the shipping fast. The installation video was very good although I wish it had mentioned that the Model 3 must be jacked up to get to two of the bolts.
George
6/22/2025
Works great. My only regret is not getting a trailer hitch with detachable receiver tube since it rides low and has scraped the pavement once.
Easy installation for car diy’ers. I like that it retains the factory crash bar. Quality construction and works perfect with my mountain bike rack. I had to cut a section out of the bottom bumper of my 2018 Model 3.
Enzo M.
7/17/2025
Still working great, holds up to everyday use. Extremely solid. Expected amount of wear and tear on the paint.
Instructions were little hard to understand, I ended up finding a video from them on how to install it. I also recommend finding a torque wrench as I tighten it by hand first, and months later went to tighten it before the first tow. And I used a torque wrench and was surprised at how loose they were. Also I had to refind that video to get the torque specs, they should list them on the product page. Amazing hitch, I’ve used it 10 times in the first year up. Largest load was about 2,200lb largest covered U-Haul trailer, love that I don’t need a truck anymore!
Victoria H.
3/7/2025
I'm glad the install videos were helpful to you Jesse, and that this makes it more convenient for you to tow! Yes you are correct, the torque wrench is definitely needed for this install. If you think about it, its pretty amazing how much money and fuel you can save switching from a truck to your Tesla, especially for towing.
Works great, very solid on 2018 Tesla Model 3. Preload the 6 carriage bumper bolts before bolting up the hitch. The size of the opening I cut in the lower under rear panel was 2.75" wide and 3.25" long... I think the instructions had different dimensions. The bottom of the hitch is 6.5" off the ground.
Steve
10/13/2023
The hitch works fine and although it is low to the ground, there has not been much scraping of the hitch when traversing inclines. The Model 3 suspension is stiff so there is not much bouncing.Also the rear of the car doesnt much when the trailer tongue weight is added which in my case is about 80 pounds. There is not much room to install an anti rattle hitch clamp but it can be done.
I use this hitch on my Tesla 3 Performance. A little challenging to install, however it works perfectly for me. I only use it to hold my bike rack. I use it almost every day.
Brooke M.
3/17/2025
That is awesome, Scott--sounds like you are getting your money's worth! What time of the day is your favorite for a bike ride?
No problems from order to shipment and delivery. I took it to local Colorado installer and they had it on the car with no problems.
The hitch receiver is very good quality and the installation video was very accurate with respect our 2023 Tesla model 3. The trim reinstallation at the end was fiddly but the receiver itself was easy to mount.
Awesome. Does the job great. I followed YouTube videos to put on. I did have to go buy a torque wrench.
The hitch itself was a perfect fit and appears well-made. I held back one star because the instructions include a diagram that is poorly done. It shows the hitch receiver appearing to go outside the Tesla bumper beam between the hitch and the car when it is really the opposite. That makes it hard to tell where the washers go. The supplied nylon washers had holes that were twice the size needed. They should be 8mm nylon fender washers. The eTrailer video was very helpful as were some others online (ie U-Haul).
1 year review: I opted for this product since it was a fraction of the cost of the stealth type hitches. Some people may mind the look of a hitch especially on a Tesla Model 3 but this hitch sits as close up underneath to the bumper as possible, so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. With the Model 3 being a low car, I've scraped the hitch a few times backing out of my driveway. Upon inspection, the hitch did not bend and the scrapes are only visible when you get underneath it. It's a solid design bolting up to the rear bumper cross bar mount points. I mainly use the hitch to haul up to 2 mountain bikes using a 1Up platform carrier and again, it is very solid with no play. Installation was straight forward other than the fact that my Model 3 is a 2019 and it does not have the removable hitch cover like later model years. The suggested cut out dimensions weren't big enough so I had to measure/cut twice. For the price, I've already made up in the gas savings driving the Tesla instead of my 15mpg SUV. Well worth it!
The hitch receiver looks great and seems like a quality product. However it was not designed correctly for my 2018 Model 3. The minimum spacing for the holes is 36 inches, while the bumper is 35 inches. Installing it this way will result on the bumper shifted to the driver's side, and almost impossible to reach the passenger side bolts.
The aluminum on the bumper is pretty thick, but thankfully it's soft enough that I was able to cut about 1/2" and more or less center it on the car before bolting it back on. (Cutting the hitch receiver is NOT at option - solid steel!)
Anyway, it is a shame I ran into this problem and doubled my installation time. Based on the reviews here, it seems a lot of people also running into this problem.
The install was time consuming but not technically difficult. This hitch fits the 2023 Tesla Model 3 RWD perfectly without cutting the bottom panel. The 2023 model comes with a removable hitch cover and this hitch slides right through it. It's best to raise the rear end by 2" by driving over a set of 2x4 lumber. I laid down two large moving pads for the work space. One underneath the bumper and one to place the removed bumper on. It's also advised to lay down a small towel on the side and place the small parts on it in order as you remove them. That makes sure the parts stay together and makes the order of the reinstall much easier. The trickiest part was installing the stock aluminum crash bar over the eTrailer hitch. Its best to use painter's tape to hold the golden crash bar bolts in place while trying to align with the bar holes. Re-installing the bumper was also tricky re-aligning the bottom lip to re-install the two 10mm retaining black bolts. I referred to the eTrailer Youtube Draw-tite video for the 2022 Model 3 and a video made by "Reid Tomasko". Combining the information for both videos made the install possible.
This is a good hitch. The install is not for the faint of heart, though. I installed this on my 2019 Tesla Model 3 after watching this video from etrailer that was very helpful:
The preparation of the car for the installation was a royal pain. Not unexpected for sure.
For the hitch, I did have to make one of the mounting holes a little bit larger, similar to what a lot of people have referenced. I just used a round file and made the hole about 1/16” larger. The rest of the hitch components fit well without hassle.
Reassembly of the car was, of course, a pain.
All in all, this was about a six hour install in our personal well-equipped shop. Follow the video, take your time, be ready to adjust a little bit, try to do have someone else help you and you can do it!
Bolted right up, and works like a charm. Watch the installation video first. Seems intimidating at first, but went pretty smoothly.
The hitch seems to be of very good quality and fits perfectly. Installation was more difficult than any hitch I've ever installed but doable. When you remove the rear bumper facia, take extra care to sit it on a soft, non-abrasive surface.
Exactly what I needed for the price. I have a 2020 model 3 SR+. Installation can be difficult but if you have the tools it is possible. There are many [online] videos of installing a hitch in the model 3 to guide you. Overall this item is well built, like many other hitches it will shorten your ground clearance since the model 3 sits low.
Put it on a 2022 Tesla Model 3, works like a champ
Parts arrived as advertised - no surprise. I watched 3 or 4 different installation videos and things went as expected.
I found the biggest challenge was putting the final, larger bumper/underside panel back on car due to the difficult-to-see way some of the panel's tabs line up farther in, up underneath the car. That step alone took me about 15-20 minutes of just "fishing around" blindly trying to get things to line up. It's a fairly big, one-piece, unwieldy panel piece... But on the whole, it was a smooth installation.
I've done this twice at this point. I did the same install on a neighbor's car too - consistent experience that time also.
Does not fit a 2019 model 3. You will need a dremel and 4 hours on your hands to make this fit on the bumper. etrailer knows about this problem as many other reviews say this but they keep advertising it as a fit. Would not buy again and I would recommend looking elsewhere.
Really happy with the result. The install videos on the etrailer website really helped. The price was good and the speed of shipping was excellent. Only downside in my case was with aligning the holes on the hitch with the bumper bar (I chose to reinstall). It took a little more work, but I was able to do it. The install would have gone quicker if the holes aligned a little more closely. I have a 2019 Tesla model 3
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Brooke M.
7/14/2025
Wow, what a great review, Matteo, thank you! So glad to hear what you like about it and how the look of the Tesla is still intact after it's all said and done. :) What will you use your new hitch to carry? Are you a cyclist?