Can You Tow With an Electric Vehicle?
Are you thinking about getting rid of your gas car or pickup and transitioning towards electrical power? If so, you should read our article titled Things to Know Before Buying a Used Electric Car, it will help you make a better decision.
With summer in full swing, many people are going on camping trips or are renovating their houses, which often requires to pull a trailer. However, you’ll see and hear warnings stating that electric cars are not recommended for towing … is it true?
- Also: 5 Used Vehicles With Surprisingly High Towing Capacity
- Also: 2021 Ford F-150 to Add New Options Making Towing and Hauling Easier
Indeed, most electric vehicles on the market today are not designed for this type of task; they don't even come with official towing ratings. This is the case for the Nissan LEAF, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Tesla Model 3 and the Porsche Taycan, and also for some SUVs such as the Kia Niro EV and Soul EV, the Hyundai Kona electric, the Jaguar I-PACE and even the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
In North America, automakers use the SAE J2807 standard to determine a vehicle’s maximum towing capacity after a series of tests (acceleration, braking, cornering, uphill and downhill driving, etc.), and also by taking into consideration the combined gross vehicle weight (vehicle and trailer).
The standards and tests are different in Europe, where towing is normally done on slower roads and represents a lower safety risk. By the way, if you cause an accident while towing with a vehicle that’s not approved for the application, you could be charged with negligence.
Some Exceptions
What electric vehicles can tow then? Audi first comes to mind with its e-tron (4,000 lb) and Q4 e-tron (2,650 lb), followed by Volvo with its C40 Recharge (3,968 lb) et XC40 Recharge (2,000 lb), and Tesla with its Model X (4,960 lb) and Model Y (3,500 lb). Let’s not forget the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (2,000 lb) and the Kia EV6 (2,300 lb), which are equipped with the 77.4 kWh battery.
Of course, these are mainly brand-new models that will not appear in used vehicle inventories before long. This is even more true for upcoming electric pickups like the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which will be designed for real work, with a towing capacity up to 10,000 lb.
Naturally, pulling heavy loads will drain the battery pretty quickly, but remember that the same goes for a combustion engine, which burns a lot more fuel in similar conditions.