With increasing emphasis on lowering emissions worldwide, many people are shifting from gasoline to electric cars. The shift is straightforward for everyday users looking for a daily commute vehicle. For the outdoorsy types looking for a car that can fit a tow bar, the options are limited.
Electric cars can have towbars. However, only a small fraction of the electric car models in the market are designed to support towbar installation due to the structural limitations of electric vehicles. On the approved models, adding a towbar can increase your final costs by an extra $350-$1500.
The rest of the article will cover all you need to know about tow bars and electric vehicles in more detail. We’ll cover the models that support towbar installation and their towing capacity.
Electric Vehicles That Can Take Towbars and Their Capacity
Due to the advancements made in EV technology in recent years, more cars now support towbar installation. You’d also see if you can install the towbar after you’ve bought the car.
| Vehicle Model | Maximum Towing Capacity | Extra Cost for Towbar | Can You Install as An Afterthought? |
| Tesla Model 3 | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $1,300 | No |
| Citroën ë-Spacetourer | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $400 | Yes |
| Vauxhall e-Vivaro Life | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $400 | Yes |
| Peugeot e-Traveller | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $400 | Yes |
| Skoda Enyaq iV | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $350 | Yes |
| Volkswagen ID 4 | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $350 | Yes |
| Audi Q4 E-Tron | 2200lbs (1000kg) | $350 | Yes |
| Polestar 2 | 3300lbs (1500kg) | $1300 | Yes |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 3500lbs (1600kg) | $665 for the detachable variant $2160 for the retractable electric variant | Yes |
| Mercedes Benz EQA 350 4Matic and EQA 300 4Matic | 4000lbs (1800kg) | $1000 | No |
| Tesla Model X | 5000lbs (2286kg) | $1400 | No |
What Type of Towing Affects an EV’s Range?
All kinds of towing will affect an EV’s range. The severity of the drop depends on the weight you’re towing behind, the car’s initial range capacity, the surface you’re driving, and how long you have to travel.
This research by CleanTechnica highlights how different types of towing and weather conditions can affect range. Even towing lightweight and aerodynamic trailers can cut down the EVs range by up to 30%.
Bottom line, you’d lose some range whether you’re towing a bike or lugging your boat across the country for fishing.
Why All EVs Don’t Support Towbar Installation
The powerful electric motors on electric vehicles mean that many people assume they are perfect for towing heavier loads compared to traditional gasoline vehicles. However, electric vehicles often have specific limitations regarding towing capacity that potential owners should consider. When exploring electric car ownership tips, it’s important to research the manufacturer’s specifications and understand how towing can impact battery life and performance. Additionally, using proper towing equipment and being mindful of weight distribution can help maximize efficiency while on the road. Understanding the limitations of your electric vehicle is crucial for ensuring safe towing practices. To tow an electric car safely, it’s essential to follow the guidelines provided by the manufacturer and to use appropriate towing accessories designed for electric models. By doing so, you can help prevent damage to both the vehicle and the trailer while ensuring a smoother and safer towing experience.
However, one look at the spec sheets for most EVs will tell you that many of them aren’t designed to handle the rigors of towing. For those who need to tow heavy loads, finding the best electric cars for towing can be crucial. These models often come with enhanced powertrains, upgraded cooling systems, and reinforced frames to ensure safety and reliability. As the market evolves, more manufacturers are recognizing this need and are beginning to produce electric vehicles that can competently handle towing tasks.
Cars that can tow have established legal towing limits. You’d find maximum weight limits for braked and unbraked trailers. Where these numbers don’t exist, it means that the manufacturer doesn’t believe it’s suited to towing and therefore can’t take a towbar installation.
You can manually rig a tow bar onto such vehicles, but without approval from the manufacturer, that would void a raft of warranties. Many EVs aren’t granted towing approval for the following reasons:
Overall Weight of EVs
Electric vehicles are heavier than gas vehicles of similar size due to the powerful battery packs. For example, the petrol Volvo XC40 weighs around 3600lbs (1,655kg) while the electric version weighs 4800lbs (2188kg).
That’s around a 32% increase in weight. The petrol-powered Renault Clio supermini weighs as little as 2153lbs (977kg), while the similar-sized EV Renault ZOE weighs 3236lbs (1468kg). A massive 50% increase in weight. The battery accounts for around 20% of the weight of the Renault Zoe.
Adding extra weight to an EV via towing will likely stress the brakes and transmission—which are already working hard to control the heavy vehicle—even further.
I wrote a helpful article comparing the Renault Zoe vs. Nissan Leaf. Check it out!
Distortion of the Regenerative Braking System
The intricately designed regenerative braking system is one of the best things about EVs. The electric motor is designed to act as a generator when slowing down, transferring potentially lost energy back into your battery.
The entire process and the resulting engine braking effect are designed with the car’s weight in mind. Adding extra kinetic energy via towing a trailer or boat will add extra energy and may overload the system—especially when you’re coming down a steep hill. Of course, you’re allowed to disengage regenerative braking.
However, that would only transfer the risk of damage from your motor to the friction braking system.
On a somewhat similar note, I also wrote a related article about All The Pros and Cons of EV Towing. Check it out and let me know what you think. It certainly is different than ICE towing!
Reduction in Range
As we briefly mentioned above, towing a heavy trailer with your electric car will significantly increase its electricity consumption. Any sort of aerodynamically inefficient load will have a similar impact on your electricity consumption.
So, if you’re a caravan owner looking to use your EV to pull your trailer while searching for camping locations, you need to factor in the risk of running out of charge into the equation.
A popular example of this is the 2020 Audi experiment with the E-Tron. They pulled a 4000lbs (1800kg) trailer over 800kms. The car only completed 160kms between charges, a drop of more than 58% from the 390kms the car recorded without towing a trailer.
Range Anxiety
Similar to the point above, many EV manufacturers know that the average consumer will first check the range on a vehicle before buying.
Since it’s been established that towing a trailer can significantly reduce the maximum driving range, the manufacturers don’t bother with completing the towing homologation process.
Going through that process means they have to explicitly state how towing can affect a vehicle’s range, which can scare some drivers away.
EV Speedy’s Take
Many powerful models now offer the towing capability to anyone willing to pay extra to fit a tow bar.
If you’re looking for an EV that can pull 4000-5000lbs of weight behind it, the Mercedes Benz EQA 4Matic and the Tesla Model X are the most popular models to go with.
However, adding the towbar will set you back up to $1500, and you have to request tow bar installation before the car leaves the lot.
