What Towbar Express does

Towbar Express Ltd (trading as Towbar Express) is a privately held, founder-owned UK company operating a mobile towbar fitting service. Its core offering is at-home/at-workplace installation of towbars — Fixed and Detachable Swan Neck and Flange styles across 50+ vehicle brands — combined with 13-pin towing electrics, cycle carriers (including Thule), accessories, and TentBox rooftop tents. Rather than operating retail workshops, the company dispatches directly employed and trained fitters who travel up to a ~60-mile radius from their home base, covering a claimed 85% of the UK (England and parts of Wales, with markets stated to extend to Scotland). A key technical component is vehicle-specific wiring with coding equipment that integrates with modern CAN bus systems and safety features such as Trailer Stability Control and parking sensors.

The business monetizes through one-time transactional sales: a bundled price covering towbar hardware, towing electrics, and professional mobile installation, quoted via an online vehicle-registration or make/model search tool. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; there is no supply-only or mail-order option. Go-to-market is a hybrid of self-serve online booking (Magento-based e-commerce checkout), inside phone sales (0800 freephone), and enterprise field sales through a "TradePro" fleet division offering 30-day payment terms, exclusive discounts, and branded account pages.

The company serves two primary segments: individual consumers towing caravans, trailers, and bike racks, and business fleet operators — fleet managers, leasing companies, car dealerships, and local government offices — with fleets ranging from five to five hundred vehicles. It positions its directly-employed (non-franchised, non-subcontracted) fitter model as its central quality differentiator and is an authorized retailer for towbar and accessory manufacturers including Brink, Tow Trust, PCT Automotive, ECS Electronics, and Thule. Founded in 1997 (firmographic records alternatively cite 2002) and headquartered at The Old Barn, Egton, near Whitby, it employs an estimated 11–50 people and reports fitting "hundreds of towbars every week" with thousands of 5-star Trustpilot reviews.

Name

Towbar Express

Legal name

Towbar Express Ltd

Website

https://towbarexpress.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Towbar Express is a UK mobile towbar fitting company whose directly-employed fitters install towbars, towing electrics, and cycle carriers at customers' homes or workplaces, serving individual consumers and business fleet operators including dealerships, leasing companies, and government offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Egton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Towbar Sales and Installation: One-time purchase model where customers pay for towbar products (flange, swan neck, detachable styles) combined with professional mobile installation. Price includes complete installation, towing electrics, and all fitting work. No supply-only or mail-order options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Towbar Express provides a mobile towbar fitting service across the UK, sending directly employed professional fitters to customers' homes or workplaces to supply and install towbars and towing electrics. The service covers 85% of England and parts of Wales with locally-based fitters traveling up to 60 miles from their base, and includes complementary products such as cycle carriers, accessories, and TentBox rooftop tents alongside a dedicated Fleet Solutions (TradePro) division for commercial fleet customers.

Product overview

Towbar Express is a UK-based mobile towbar fitting service offering a unified installation service. The core product is the Mobile Towbar Fitting service, which combines supply and professional installation of Towbars (available in Fixed Swan Neck, Detachable Swan Neck, Fixed Flange, and Detachable Flange styles) along with Towing Electrics (13-pin vehicle-specific wiring). The company also offers complementary products including Cycle Carriers (Thule and other brands for 1-4 bikes including electric bikes), Accessories (bumper guards, cargo boxes, steps, adapters), Fleet Solutions for commercial customers with trade accounts, and TentBox rooftop tents. All products and services are provided through directly employed fitters who travel to customer locations across 85% of the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile Towbar Fitting

Quantifiable outcome

• 12-month guarantee on workmanship + manufacturer warranty on towbars
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BrinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorised retailer of Brink towbars - a major towbar manufacturer that also supplies original equipment to car manufacturers. Brink products are selected for quality and fitment precision.
• ThulecoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorised retailer of Thule cycle carriers and accessories. Thule is a leading manufacturer of bike racks, roof boxes, and outdoor equipment compatible with towbar installations.
• Tow TrustcoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorised retailer of Tow Trust towbars - a quality UK towbar manufacturer. Products selected for best fitting and tidiest installation for each vehicle application.
• PCT AutomotivecoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorised retailer of PCT Automotive towbar products. PCT is a recognised manufacturer in the towbar industry supplying quality components.
• ECS ElectronicscoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorised retailer of ECS Electronics towing electrics and wiring solutions. Provides vehicle-specific and universal wiring kits for towbar installations.
• TentBoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TentBox - a manufacturer of roof-top tents for vehicles. Blog content celebrates TentBox as 'Giants in the Leisure World' indicating collaborative marketing and product compatibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pendle Towbars: UK towbar specialist providing towbars, wiring, and installation services across multiple vehicle brands. Directly comparable as a towbar product and installation provider serving individual consumers and fleets in the UK market.
• Witter Towbars: One of the UK's largest towbar manufacturers and retailers, offering a wide range of towbars, electrics, and cycle carriers. Comparable because it serves the same UK towbar aftermarket customer base with overlapping product categories and dealer/fitter network.
• ECS Electronics: Manufacturer of towing electrics and vehicle-specific wiring kits; Towbar Express is an authorized retailer. Comparable as a specialist supplier of towing electronics that complement towbar installation services.
• PCT Automotive: Recognized UK towbar manufacturer whose products are retailed and installed by Towbar Express. Comparable as a towbar product specialist serving the same installer/fitter ecosystem and end customers in the UK aftermarket.
• Brink Group: Major European towbar manufacturer supplying original equipment to car manufacturers; Towbar Express is an authorized retailer. Comparable as a towbar specialist with overlapping product range and shared focus on vehicle-specific wiring integration.
• Tow-Trust Towbars: UK towbar manufacturer selected by Towbar Express as an authorized product partner. Directly comparable as a UK-based towbar specialist focused on quality fitment and broad vehicle coverage — overlapping supply and installation value chain.

Others

• Thule: Leading global manufacturer of premium cycle carriers, roof boxes, and outdoor transport solutions; Towbar Express is an authorized retailer. Comparable as a partner/adjacent supplier within the leisure-towing ecosystem that Towbar Express serves, though Thule does not directly compete in towbar installation.
• Kwik Fit: UK's largest automotive service chain (tyres, MOTs, servicing) with growing aftermarket services. Comparable as a UK-wide automotive services operator but with a fundamentally different offering — no focus on towbar-specific mobile fitting.

Broad incumbents

• Halfords: UK's largest automotive aftermarket retailer, offering towbars, cycle carriers, and fitting services through its autocentre network. Comparable as a UK automotive aftermarket player with overlapping towbar and accessory categories, though its distribution model (retail/autocentres) differs from mobile fitting.
• Westfalia-Automotive: One of Europe's largest towbar manufacturers, operating broadly across multiple countries with a wide portfolio of towbars and electrics. Comparable as a towbar specialist but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach than Towbar Express.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TowbarExpress

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Towbar Express