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The paper examines typical vehicle dynamics models used for the design of car-trailer active safety systems, including active trailer braking and steering. A linear 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF), a nonlinear 4 DOF and a nonlinear 6 DOF car-trailer model are generated. Then, these models are compared with a car-trailer model developed with the commercial software package, CarSim. The benchmark investigation of the car-trailer models is carried out through examining numerical simulation results obtained in two emulated tests, i.e., a single lane-change and a Fishhook maneuver. In the vehicle modeling, a mathematical model of a tire with flexible sidewalls is included to account for transient tire forces. Steady-state aerodynamic forces are included in these models. The deviation of the model dynamic responses, e.g., the variation of the articulation angle between the car and trailer, is discussed.