The numbers behind TowShare.
The market, what it costs to get set up, what inspections run, the insurance levels we plan to ask for, and how money moves on a tow. Anything marked as an estimate is a planning figure, not a quote.
Who can tow
Vehicles on US roads, from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' 2021 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey.
| SUVs | 93.4 million |
| Pickup trucks | 53.8 million |
Share of vehicles by rated towing capacity:
| Up to 6,000 lbs | 47.89% |
| 6,001 to 9,999 lbs | 12.57% |
| 10,000 to 25,999 lbs | 8.25% |
| 26,000 lbs and up | 1.70% |
| Not reported | 29.59% |
These describe what vehicles are rated to tow, not how many have a hitch installed. We couldn't find a reliable national count of installed hitches.
Getting set up to tow
Typical installed prices in the US in 2026. Estimates, not quotes for any specific vehicle.
| Basic receiver hitch | $250 – $450 |
| Hitch plus 4-pin wiring | $350 – $600 |
| Hitch, wiring, ball mount and ball | $450 – $800 |
| 7-pin wiring and brake controller | $700 – $1,200 |
| Heavy-duty setup | $800 – $1,500+ |
A basic setup suits a dolly. Carrying a whole car on a trailer takes trailer brakes, proper wiring and more capacity.
Inspection
Budget estimates for the check a driver pays a shop for directly. Not provider quotes.
| Tow vehicle (brakes, suspension, tires, cooling) | $75 – $125 |
| Hitch and installation | $40 – $75 |
| Trailer or dolly | $75 – $150 |
| Complete towing setup | $150 – $250 |
We'd like to negotiate a standard package at $125 – $175 with shops that sign on.
Insurance levels we plan to ask for
In the app a customer sees a single optional add-on when they book an Insured driver. These are the coverage levels we intend to ask insurers to price. They are proposals, not an offer, and nothing is covered until an insurer agrees to it.
| Basic Covered physical damage, $250 deductible, before and after photos required | Up to $2,500 |
| Plus Same deductible, priority claims handling, higher-value cars with approval | Up to $10,000 |
| Full Value Agreed vehicle value, declared value and inspection required | $25,000 – $50,000+ |
Coverage would run from the moment the car is being attached until it's delivered. Pre-existing damage, ordinary mechanical failure and belongings inside the car would be excluded. The add-on price, around $8, is a placeholder until we have a real quote.
What a tow costs
The app's default is the nearest mechanic shop, a short trip of roughly 10 to 15 minutes. The suggested price for that tow is $125, about half of what a typical tow truck charges for the same short haul (around $250). For a driver who already has a hitch and is nearby, it's under an hour of work for $125. If the customer picks their own mechanic farther away, the driver and customer negotiate the price in the chat.
How money moves on a tow
Say a customer is towed to the nearest shop for the suggested $125.
| Customer pays the driver, directly | $125 |
| Driver keeps | $125 |
| Insurance add-on, if the customer ticks it | about $8 (placeholder) |
| TowShare takes from the tow | $0 |
TowShare earns only from driver memberships. A driver's first month is free, and after that they are charged only once they've had a paying customer. The membership price isn't set yet.
TowShare is still being built. Figures here are estimates and plans, and the insurance depends on agreements we haven't made yet.