The ability to tow caravans or trailers by electric cars can greatly vary with most not being approved for towing at all,
Camping and caravanning are popular pastimes, If you plan on using an electric car to tow your trailer or caravan, you need to think carefully. Most electric cars are not approved for towing, also the towing capacities of those that can officially tow anything can vary greatly from model to model.
A few electric cars are rated to tow as much as equivalent ICE cars, the abundant torque generated by electric motors makes them fantastic in the towing car role.
Towing maybe a major part of your motoring life, But you needn’t exclude electrified vehicles completely from your shopping list, just make sure you do your research before selecting your vehicle so that you onboard with what each vehicle can tow legally and safely.
Why are many electric cars not suitable for towing a caravan?
There are a few reasons why electric cars are not approved to tow or are not capable, the number one reason and biggest one is type approval:
A process that every model must go through before it can enter the sales arena. Then car makers decide whether to approve the vehicles for towing or not – and many electric cars are not approved for towing currently.
Let us explore this;
The extra weight of a caravan can cause the cars motors and brakes to struggle (most have regenerative breaking). Electric cars are heavier than ICE vehicles, this will place more strain on vital parts. Having extra weight on the back of your electric car will also drastically reduce its range.
A direct result of all this is that towing capacities for electric cars greatly vary. There is a small number of electric vehicles that are certified for towing caravans or trailers. The Tesla Model X is an exception as it can tow an weight of up to 2,270 Kg, Tesla also included a “trailer mode”, In this mode the vehicle shuts off a few of the cars drive assistance features that would not be inline with using a trailer.
Other cars and weights below:
Audi e-tron 1,600kg
Jaguar I-Pace 750kg
E-Golf 0kg
Mercedes EQC 1,800kg