Towbar Prices And Installation Cost In Australia
Towbars are a wonderful add-on for your vehicle. Not only do they serve their main purpose of towing extremely well, many attachments are available to use them as bike racks, kayak holders, and much more.
Generally, new vehicles aren’t fitted with a towbar but can be purchased as an additional add-on during the sales process. Although easy and straightforward, this method will usually cost you more. As such, I recommend adding on the towbar by a 3rd party.
If you already have your vehicle – great! Time to get that towbar attached.
There are two components which come together to form the total installation price of the towbar. The towbar itself, and the labour required to install it. Total price depends on your car, the type of towbar, and the towing capacity you’re after.
Here is a little guide as to how much a towbar might cost and their installation price:
Towbar Prices & Installation Cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
Towbar Type |
|
| Light Weight (1200kg-1600kg) | $329 |
| Medium Weight (1600kg-2000kg) | $440 |
| Heavy Weight (2000kg+) | $520 |
Installation |
|
| Towbar Installation Cost | $200 |
Towbar Price Updates
- November 2019 – Updated towbar prices.
- November 2018 – Prices seem to have slightly increased across a number of cities. This has been confirmed by our team with further research into a number of specific installers in the major cities.
- June 2018 – Price have not changed in the past 6 months.
Recommended installers:
| Sydney | |
 Fastfit Automotive Specialist |
 Cosmopolitan Towbars |
| Melbourne | |
 Five Star Towbars |
 Budget Towbars |
| Perth | |
 Parkside Towbars |
 Canningvale Towbar Service |
| Adelaide | |
 Hall Towbars |
 Franks Towbars & Exhausts |
| Brisbane | |
 Speedy Towbars |
 Wynnum Towbars |
What’s included in the towbar installation
Towball
The towbar and the installation are included. One little thing that some people aren’t away of, however, is that the towball isn’t actually part of the towbar. The towball is the shiny chrome spherical attachment which you most often see attached to the towbar.
Towball Attachment
Make sure you find out if it’s included in the price or not beforehand. Nothing’s worse than agreeing to the installation whilst you believe the towball is included when it isn’t. Then you get hit with the – “That’ll be an extra $199 please.”
Electrics
You’ll always want to confirm the electrical components will be sorted as well. Generally, this is just the indicators and brake lights which come with the trailers and various other items you’ll be towing.
Depending on what you’re towing, you may be after some custom electrical work. So it’s up to you whether you want to get the towbar at one place, then the custom electrical work at another, or find one place that’ll be able to sort of all it at once.
Similar to wrapping your car with vinyl, where custom artwork will increase the price, any custom electrical work for your towbar will add on to the total price of the installation cost.
Warranty
Lastly, but one of the most important considerations you should take, is the warranty and guarantee that comes with the product.
You don’t want to be towing half of your life savings behind you when poof, you look back and instead of seeing your trailer, it’s just a trail of carnage. Make sure you’re receiving a high quality product, with a long lasting warranty.
This will ensure the price you pay for the initial installation won’t be the start of many hassles to come further down the road.
One of the easiest ways you can make sure of this yourself, is to head straight to a highly rated business first.
On a side note – here’s a good video of a thorough walk through if you want to fit and install the towbar yourself:
Good Luck
Awesome – now you know a little more about the cost of a towbar installation, you’re more prepared for when you decide to get an accurate quote.
Towbar Bike Rack Attachment
Hopefully, you learned a little from this article. If you have any further questions or comments about the prices, let us know in the comments below.
An Aussie prices website is a great idea Mike. Thanks for taking the time to put it together. I hope at least some the businesses you’re supplying up to date prices for will sponsor you for your trouble.
Hi Duncan – Thanks for the generous feedback! Really appreciate it 🙂
This has been a useful article. I’ve been looking at buying a Subaru Tribeca and attaching a towbar, but couldn’t find a decent ballpark figure for costs so could factor this into the car cost. Thank you for your help!
No worries Katrina! Good luck with your purchase 🙂
Mike
Pricing still appears to be in the ball park UNLESS you have a Skoda (at least). Sadly, it seems that if I want the skoda wiring with the requisite coding – I’m up for about $2200 unless you know something I don’t .. ?
Good review Thanks for Posting Keep up the good work
Thanks, I’ll do my best 🙂
very helpful article. Thanks
Glad I could help Sarah! 🙂
Thanks for this information. I’ve been looking to get a towbar added to my X-Trail but I felt like a bit of a dill not having a clue what I needed to make sure was included (I’ve never towed anything in my life).