The future is electric, make no mistake. With petrol and diesel-only drivetrains set to be outlawed from 2040 and more and more manufacturers announcing an electric-only future, with PSA’s luxury brand, DS, being the latest, there’s no doubt at all that plug-in cars are charging ahead.
But they still have their drawbacks, and while electric range and charging times are forever improving, there are some areas where a pure electric car will always be a compromise. And one of those is when it comes to towing, as the extra weight of a trailer or caravan will naturally have an impact on the car’s battery.
So what are your options if you want an electric car and need to tow? Here are the choices…
1. Buy a Tesla
The first all-electric production SUV, Tesla developed the Model X with the requirements of an everyday SUV in mind, including towing a caravan – after all, more than half of new large SUVs sold in the UK are specified with a tow bar, and there’s a very good reason for that.
The Model X has a very clever feature in that it has a ‘Trailer Mode’, whereby you can disable many of its semi-autonomous features to preserve battery life. It has a pretty impressive towing weight of 2,270kg, which is good enough for most large caravans, but do bear in mind that its usual 280-mile range will be depleted by the additional weight, so you need to plan your journeys carefully.
It also has trailer sway mitigation, which automatically applies the brakes to individual wheels when it detects a swaying trailer.
Then there’s the price – Tesla doesn’t discount its prices, so if it’s a new Model X you’re after, you’ll need at least £75k…
2. Go Plug-In Hybrid
At present, a plug-in hybrid, or PHEV, is probably the most practical way of owning an electric tow car, as it will allow you to pull a trailer or caravan without fear of running out of juice. When the electric range is inevitably defeated, you’ll be able to carry on in full hybrid mode.
Admittedly, it’s not the most efficient approach and with a caravan on the back a PHEV won’t necessarily be any more efficient, economical or environmentally friendly than a diesel, so if you’re after a tow car to use for work then diesel, for now at least, remains the better choice. But if you take a few caravan holidays each year and your normal commuting can be done on electric power, it’s a different proposition.
There are a number of Plug-In SUVs on the market right now that are extremely proficient tow cars, our favourites being the Range Rover Sport PHEV, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volvo XC90 TwinEngine.
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3. Wait…
It may sound flippant, but EV technology is developing all the time, and it won’t be long before there are a lot more mass-market electric vehicles to choose from. Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Jaguar have all confirmed electric SUVs to appear in the next 18 months, and it’s highly likely that towing ability will be a feature if they’re to appeal to the mainstream SUV market.
