Should you get a Honda Civic Tow Hitch for your bike and cargo rack?

Published by Bike Scientist on

Looking for a tow hitch for your Honda Civic bike rack? Well, you have come to the right place. Honda Civic is not rated for heavy-duty towing so you have to be careful with the selection of the right trailer hitch and the load you put on it. 

In this article, you will find Honda Civic tow hitches along with their prices, compatible Civic models, and instructions for installation. We have also done most of the research about whether drilling or trimming would be required or not. In this way, this guide will make it easier for you to select the right hitch for your Civic model in your budget.

Which is the best Honda Civic Tow Hitch?

BRANDCURTCURTDRAW-TITEDRAW-TITEREESE
PRODUCT1139111604249542476377139
YEAR2006-20152016-20182016-20222006-20152006-2015
PRICE$158$175$194$175$175
HITCH OPENING1 ¼”1 ¼”1 ¼”1 ¼”1 ¼”
CLASS11111
GROSS TRAILER WEIGHT2,000 lbs.2,000 lbs.2,000 lbs2,000 lbs2,000 lbs
WEIGHT IN POUNDS31.75 lbs.24.35  lbs.23.57 lbs.22.34 lbs.29.9 lbs.
DRILLING NoYes No. No No 
RATING 92%81%82%88%90%

We have also reviewed the best Toyota Corolla and Toyota Highlander trailer hitches

What can you tow with a hitch on your Honda Civic?

You can tow trailers and bike racks if a Honda Civic tow hitch is installed. But that does not mean all trailers and bike racks. For example, if you have a hitch mount bike rack and you want to carry it along with your bike(s) on the car, you should know the weight of the rack and the bikes. Add it up and then check with your Civic manufacturers if it is able to tow that load. 

This is also an important consideration for purchasing a trailer hitch. Once you are sure about the towing capacity of the Honda Civic model you own, and you are clear on what load you want to tow, it would be very easy and simple to pick the right hitch.

Our shortlisted best hitches for Honda Civic

CURT 11391|Best economical Civic hitch

Curt 11391 is the best Honda hitch for many reasons. Firstly it would save a lot of your money because it is economical. You can get this trailer hitch for around $158 and if you are able to install it yourself, you can save another $100 to $200. 

This trailer does not require drilling but you may have to trim a bit for certain Civic models. The trimming is required around the heat shield and the under panel. You can trim with some tin snips and is not difficult. Other than that, no modifications to the vehicle are required. 

This hitch has high customer satisfaction with 92% of the users liking the trailer. They love it because it is a sturdy, rock-solid product that looks good when installed on Honda Civic. Other than that, it can be easily installed in an hour or two and has 5 points of attachment on the car. 

CURT 11391

Draw-Tite 24954|Easy DIY Honda Civic hitch

The Draw-Tite 24954 Honda Civic tow hitch is compatible with 2016-2022 Civic models. Basically, it would work with the models that do not have exhaust in the center of the bumper. But if your car has a center exhaust, you can ask a mechanic to cut and reweld the receiver at a position higher than before, so it does not interfere with the exhaust. 

But if you own the compatible models with exhaust to one side, you will find it very simple to install. For installation, you will have to remove the bumper cover and some trimming might be required but it would not affect the aesthetics of the car once the Draw-Tite 24954 hitch is installed. 

Overall, the product is made of high quality, it is sturdy, stable, and reliable. At $194 it costs more than other trailer hitches mentioned here but it is still recommended if you want to save on the cost of installation. 

Draw-Tite 24954

CURT 11604

Curt 11604 is the best Honda Civic tow hitch if you know how to fish wire a bolt through the frame. If you don’t you can learn by watching some videos because it is not tricky. The installation is not as simple as Curt 11391 because it might also require drilling. 

For aligning the trailer perfectly with the vehicle, you would require a diamond drill. Also, unlike other trailer hitches that require drilling, you would have to make large cutouts with a die grinder. These cutouts are made for large square-shaped threaded nuts. 

So you might need to hire a professional to install this hitch but otherwise, the effort is worth it because the trailer is quite stable and the quality is good. You can buy this hitch at around $175 if you own a 2016-2018 Honda Civic. It costs more than Curt 11391 but we believe it has a lower value for money since trimming and drilling makes a lot of modifications. 

Draw-Tite 24763

If you are looking for a 2006 to 2015 Civic hitch, you can consider buying the Draw-Tite 24763. This trailer hitch works great with hitch bike racks. The trailer would not rust because it is black powder coated and is built as a sturdy high-quality product that looks good on the car.

This trailer hitch is compatible with 2006 to 2015 2 Dr. Coupe and 4 Dr. Sedan, 2006 to 2011 Hybrid and Si. To these models, the installation of the Draw-Tite 24763 Honda Civic tow hitch is a breeze. You can install it in an hour with just a torque wrench and some socket wrenches. 

No drilling is required because the predrilled holes attach easily to the car. Overall, it is a solid and reliable trailer hitch, a high-quality product that works well on Honda  Civic. Draw-Tite 24763 has good customer satisfaction and can be bought at around $175. 

Draw-Tite 24763

Reese 77139

This class 1 hitch is compatible with 2006-2015 Civic models. It has a 1 ¼” receiver opening that is suitable for most hitch bike racks compatible with Civic. It can also be used to tow other lightweight objects because the towing capacity of Civic is low. 

The design of this trailer is impressive and it fits perfectly on the compatible models. Although Civic is hard to work with because of the plastic structures so you would have to be careful while installing. Although cutting is mentioned in the instructions, it is not usually required if the parts are properly positioned.

Overall, this Honda Civic tow hitch is attached at the perfect height for a 4’ x 6’ trailer but it must be a maximum of 1000 lbs. You can also use it to carry a single bike on a bike rack. So, if you are good at DIY installations, you can save a lot of money by buying this trailer. 

Honda Civic Towing Capacity

What is the towing capacity of a Honda Civic 2023?

Honda Civics are not made for heavy-duty towing. You can tow around 850 lbs. on the 2023 Civic. 

What is the towing capacity of a Honda Civic 2022?

The towing capacity of 2022 Honda Civic models, LX 4dr Sedan, Sport 4dr Sedan, EX 4dr Sedan, and Touring 4dr Sedan is 1750 pounds. 

What is the towing capacity of a Honda Civic 2002?

The towing capacity of 2002 Honda Civic models, DX 2dr Coupe, EX 2dr Coupe, EX 4dr Sedan, DX 4dr Sedan, HX 2dr Coupe, LX 4dr Sedan, LX 2dr Coupe, and Si 2dr Hatchback is around 2645 pounds. 

What is the towing capacity of a 2015 Honda Civic?

The 2015 Honda Civic models can be used to tow greater loads as compared to the latest models. The 20015 LX 2dr Coupe, LX 4dr Sedan, HF 4dr Sedan, SE 4dr Sedan, EX 4dr Sedan, EX-L 4dr Sedan, EX 2dr Coupe, and EX-L 2dr Coupe have a towing capacity of 3300 pounds. 

What is the towing capacity of a 2018 Honda Civic with a trailer hitch on it?

The 2018 Honda Civic Coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks have a towing capacity of 1750 pounds. 

How much towing capacity for a 2009 Honda Civic?

The different models of the 2009 Honda Civic have a towing capacity of 3080 pounds. This means that you can also get a class 2 trailer hitch to tow greater load. 

How to put a tow hitch on Honda Civic?

Installation of a Honda Civic tow hitch varies with different trailers. All of them have different mechanisms for installation so it is best to consult with the user manuals or a professional. But generally, the installation of a trailer hitch involves a few steps that are common for all. Also, it is a two-person job, especially while lifting the hitch and inserting the bolts. 

Tools required to install a Honda Civic hitch receiver

The main tools required for the installation of a hitch on a Honda Civic are

  1. Wrenches that can be used with the bolts provided by manufacturers. 
  2. Drilling machine if the predrilled holes do not align. 
  3. Bolts and nuts in case they do not come along with the trailer packaging. 
  4. A vehicle jack and wheel chokes for stable positioning of the vehicle. 

Steps for installing a Trailer hitch for Civic

  1. Choke the wheels and lift the vehicle: this is for safety and convenience purpose. When a vehicle jack is used, there is a chance of rolling of wheels which might cause accidents so it is better to use wheel chokes specifically designed for the Honda Civic. Lifting the vehicle would make the installation procedure easier. 
  2. Clean the bumper and lift the Honda Civic tow hitch: hitch trailers are heavy so you might need someone to lift it with you. After lifting make sure you correctly align the predrilled holes with the vehicle. 
  3. Drill holes if the already present holes do not align with the vehicle: some tow hitches do not have already drilled holes and some have them but they do not correctly align with some vehicle models. In this case, you would have to drill them yourself.
  4. Tighten the bolts by using a wrench and remove the vehicle jack and wheel chokes. 

How Long Does It Take To Install a hitch receiver on Honda Civic?

If you are experienced, installation of the hitch could take 45-60 minutes. 

FAQs for trailer hitch on Honda Civic

Which car,a Rav 4 or Honda Civic has the best towing capacity? 

RAV4 has a comparatively higher towing capacity. It can tow even above 3000 pounds while most Civic models can tow less than 2000 pounds. You can use class 3 trailer hitches for RAV 4 and class 1 for Honda Civic. 

Best Honda Civic hatchback tow hitch

The best Honda Civic hatchback tow hitch varies with different models because they have different towing capacities. However, CURT 11391 is a great fit and is a class 1 hitch with a 1 ¼” receiver. 

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Bike Scientist

S Chaudhry is the founder and the first writer for BikesRacks. He covers almost all the bike reviews after doing a lot of secondary and primary (hands on) research on the products. Apart from that he is the author of a number of how to do articles as well on the website. He is an avid road bike cyclists who is dealing in a lot of areas related to biking. Currently he has gained experience fixing bikes to retailing accessories related to them as well. His eventual goal is to build an authority site on cycling and also become a profession bike fitter.