To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your Toyota RAV4 Prime's frame with no welding required. Receiver sits beneath your bumper so it's out of the way when accessing cargo. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.
Features:
Specs:
California residents: click here
2022 RAV4 LE.
Installation time: 45 min
Experience level: novice.
Recommended equipment: 2 jack lifts, 1 jack, headlamp, 3/4” wrenches
No lowering exhaust required. Not cutting required. Simply lifted it up, bolted it on.
To make the process easier, we placed the hitch on 2 Jack lifts. We then put on a head lamp and slid under the car. The headlamp was very helpful in lining up the holes. We lifted one side of the hitch, and bolted that side to the frame. Then we used a jack to raise the other side to the exact height, and bolted it to the frame. The hardest thing was getting the passenger side thread started. It’s a pretty small space, but we were able to do it without any special tools. I slid my iPhone to the hole and took a pic to ensure I had the holes lined up well before bolting.
A pretty simple installation and a well made hitch. There was a glitch in the installation that is not covered in the installation video. My RAV4 Hybrid has/had a rear tow eye (for towing vehicles in an emergency) bolted to the frame that prevented the installation of the hitch. At first I was frustrated and thought I'd have to return the hitch. Then I realized that duh, I'm installing a hitch and don't need the tow eye. Two bolts were easily removed, and the eye was removed so the new hitch was then easily installed.
Gwendolyn Y.
6/4/2025
Thanks for pointing out the tow eye, Mel! I'll forward this to the manufacturer so that hopefully they can get it added into the instructions so no one else has confusion when installing. What are you going to be using the hitch for?
Installed the hitch on my 2025 Rav4 by myself with the car on the ground using my floor jack and jack stands. It was necessary to loosen the muffler from the car frame by removing the four silver bolts holding the muffler hangers to the frame (2 each side per picture below). I did not need to install any supporting strap for the muffler or exhaust. The hardest part of the install was getting the bolts into the threaded holes on the passenger side of the car as clearance was tight and these bolts were tightened with a ratcheting flat wrench only due to clearance issues. Reattachment of muffler was easy after hitch was fully installed. Total time for install was about 60-75 minutes due to working under the car while it was on the ground.
Gwendolyn Y.
4/22/2025
Hey Steve! Thanks for sharing all your pictures with us. I like that you showed where the bolts were for the muffler hanger. What are you going to be hauling/carrying with your RAV4?
The hitch fit perfectly on my 2025 RAV4, only needed to lower the exhaust by sliding off the rubber hangers. Only gave 4 stars due to the hitch sticking out both corners of the box and because it appeared someone had tried installing it previously. The paint was completely scraped off to shiny bare metal all around one of the bolt holes. It was 1/4” thick steel so it won’t appear the life of the hitch.
Hitch arrived with paint rubbed of the part of the hitch that shows.You can see rust starting before being unwrapped.
easy install on 2025 RAV 4. Followed instructions in the etrailer video. I like that the receiver sits below rear bumper fascia with the rest of hitch concealed behind the fascia.
Brooke M.
6/27/2025
Happy to hear it a good fit for the newer 2025 Toyota RAV4's. The concealed look is super sleek. :) What will you be towing?
Easy install perfect fit! Best of all, it’s somewhat hidden so it looks great
the hitch was shipped quickly and the installation was very simple. Many other hitches required moving the exhaust or even removing the rear bumper and cutting out a notch for the hitch. The TowSmart just needed to be bolted in place. It took my son and I about 30 - 45 minutes if you include the time spent raising the car and putting it on jack stands to have more room to work.
The trailer hitch is well built. But the installation is challenging on the passenger side because of the tight fit caused by the battery (for hybrid RAV4). The Etrailer customer forum is very helpful. I adopted the idea of using two car stands to stabilize and raise the heavy trailer hitch, then use a car jack to lift the hitch up to align the holes. It worked. One thing I added is to back up my car from the drive way to the entrance of the garage to maximize extra clearance. It was a very tight fit to lift the trailer hitch without loosen the exhaust pipes. Lastly, the hitch arrived with some scratches. The packing tneeds to be improved for such a heavy hitch. There is too much space in the package for other things to poke thru and scratch the hitch. I have received other heavier packages with no damages to the contents before.
Fast delivery and secure packaging. Took 40 minutes to install and did not have to remove exhaust hangers. Backed up the RAV 4 on ramps for more clearance and used jack stands to hold it in place. Took some time to wiggle into place and make sure the screw holes lined up. Once the hitch was aligned the screws went in easy and used a 19mm socket to tighten the passenger side bolts and a 19mm flat wrench to tighten the driver side bolts. The driver's side is easy to access, and the passenger side is tight, but you just have to have patience. Great experience with e-trailer and installation. Thanks!
Getting a lot of bent hitches. etrailer makes good on it but it messes with our plans.
Fit my 2025 Toyota Rav 4 SE HEV kust had to remove tow anchor and it fit right on.
It did come bent on 1 side but alittle hammering to straighten it up did the job.
I believe it was UPS fault though because the cardboard box it came in was tore up.
Two things tha were disappointing:
1. The exhaust needed to be lowered. Your discription did not indicate
2/ A hitch extension is needed.
Great build! As others have said the packaging needs improvement. On a hybrid model the mounting bolts are extremely difficult to get started because of limited clearance due to the battery housing. There is no way to put a torque wrench on these bolts without a special torque extension tool so I’ll have to take it to my tire shop to get it torqued properly.
only have hitch support--nothing pulled as yet, but so far so good
Your recommendation to have JR call me from spring, tx was nice, he installed for me. Thanks for giving him the tip, he did a good job and was a pleasure to meet
This company is amazing, I ordered late on Wednesday, UPS already tendered the shipment later that night and delivery was completed on Saturday. Total communication and accurate, great company to deal with! Thank you for your outstanding customer service.
APPRECIATE YOUR EXPEDITED ORDER. HOWEVER, WE ORDERED 20 HITCHES AND ONLY RECEIVED 19. ALSO, ONE OF THE HITCHES WAS BENT. I'LL SEND YOU PICTURES.
Easy install. 1 person 1 hour. It is a nice low profile look when complete.
The box was damaged and some paint was scratched upon arrival. Fortunately the hitch was not bent. Installation on my 2025 RAV4 hybrid was easy although I had to remove the factory installed tow attachment to get the hitch on. My husband and I were able to install the hitch without removing the exhaust or using jack stands. We just raised the car with ramps and lifted the hitch into place. Watching the etrailer video was extremely helpful.
Speedy shipping, easy install!
Fits perfectly, no issues with installa tion.
The hitch receiver was good quality but difficult to install. Both ends need to be inserted in place at the same time and I could not do so by myself. With my grandson’s help we got it in place and three of the 4 bolts installed. The 4th bolt was a bear due to extremely tight space on the right side. We could have used a small monkey to get the bolt started. Finally installed and looking good.
Heavy duty and easy to install
Fit perfectly as stated
Great job!!!
Do you have a question about this Trailer Hitch?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Brooke M.
5/22/2025
I'm actually super impressed with the iPhone snapshot of the bolt hole. It's such a genius idea, and I think it's nice for other folks to be able to visualize it too! Thanks for sharing the ins and outs of what your experience was with this and what made it easier. 'Preciate ya, Macy!