Welcome To Electric Tow Cars.co.uk

Hi, I’m Chris. About Me

The world is changing, transportation is changing and the adoption of electric cars is accelerating. While many people welcome the change to electric vehicles, they do come with some challenges and changes in behaviour are required. In general, changing to an electric car is/will be relatively straight forward. However, if you are looking for an electric car that can tow a trailer/camper etc there are more factors to consider. Therefore, that’s what this website is all about, showing which electric cars can tow, what they can tow and importantly how far they can tow before running out of charge. Enjoy 🙂

Tesla Model X - The First Electric Tow Car
The Tesla Model X was the first fully electric car with a rated towing capacity: Image – Tesla.com

As the costs of electric cars continue to fall and the distances they can travel on a full charge continues to increase, more and more people can rely on an electric car to meet the majority of their needs.

However, when it comes to towing, its more of a challenge, though the key attributes of electric cars suit them well in principle for towing.

For instance, electric motors provide a lot of torque, and they produce that torque from very low speeds, a great attribute for towing.

Furthermore, as electric cars are generally heavier than ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars, that also aids their towing performance.

As heavier cars are more stable tow cars, as you don’t want the tail (trailer) wagging the dog (tow car).

Electric Tow Car List

Electric Tow Car Guides & FAQ

Through clicking the link above, you will be directed to my electric tow cars list of current and upcoming electric vehicles for the UK.

However, before you do that, please review the below. There are many terms used to describe electric vehicles, such as:

  • EV (Electric Vehicle – General Term)
  • BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle – 100% Electric)
  • EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle – On-Board Generator)
  • PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle)
  • HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle – No Plug)

No Plug? It’s Not A True Electric Vehicle

Certain vehicle manufacturers promote the idea of a ‘self-charging hybrid’ as an electric vehicle.

Just so you’re aware, of the electric tow cars you will find listed on this website, I want to make this absolutely clear, if it doesn’t have a plug so the vehicle can receive electrical energy directly, I won’t be writing about it.

A HEV may have an electric motor, it may even have a small battery. However, the source of energy with an HEV is only through the combustion of fuel.

Granted, a HEV can capture kinetic energy from breaking, and convert that kinetic energy into electrical energy to be stored in the battery for later use.

However, unless you are only ever going to drive downhill in an HEV, the only source of energy comes from the combustion of liquid fuel and not an electrical outlet.

Electric Car Plug
Unless a vehicle has a plug to receive electricity directly, I won’t be writing about it as an electric tow car.

What About PHEVs?

The main emphasis of this website is to discuss pure electric tow cars. However, electric tow cars present challenges with range/charging rates above those of electric cars, which are not used for towing.

For instance, I discuss this more in my article on Charging While Towing – The Biggest Challenge.

Therefore, PHEVs as electric tow cars will still have a place for several years to come. As they have a plug, a PHEV can receive electrical power directly as a source of energy.

However, the pure electric range of many PHEVs still tends to be pretty low. Add towing into the mix, and the pure electric range may be pretty insignificant.

Then again, most cars are not used for towing for most of their life, normally only a small proportion.

Hence, a PHEV could potentially use electricity for most journeys when not towing. The average UK daily commute is 30 miles.

Therefore, I’m going to write about PHEVs which have a real-world range of at least 30 miles, which will be roughly 70% of its quoted WLTP EV range figure.

What About Electric Trucks?

While the name of the website states ‘cars’, yes, I’m going to be covering the various electric trucks which are coming on the market, as many of them will be used for towing.

Therefore, that obviously includes the Tesla Cybertruck along with the electric Ford F-150 and Rivian’s electric truck etc.

However, with many electric trucks, its unclear if they will be released in the UK, and that will be referenced in my articles on them.

Tesla Cybertruck
Yes, I’ll also be writing about electric trucks which can tow: Image – Tesla.com

Aerodynamic drag/wind resistance is a big contributor to range reduction when towing with an electric vehicle at highway speeds, for instance.

Therefore, what’s going to be very interesting is comparing the efficiency/consumption figures of electric tow cars and electric tow trucks.

What About Hydrogen Tow Cars?

While I believe hydrogen has applications for certain delivery/haulage vehicles and many heavy industry applications, it doesn’t appear there is much of a future for hydrogen-powered personal vehicles.

There are many reasons for this, but it mainly comes down to infrastructure. Most people will/do charge their electric tow car at home most of the time.

Though you can also typically charge at your destination when towing or during the journey.

With hydrogen, you will not be able to refill at home, and its unlikely you will be able to refill with hydrogen at your destination.

Hydrogen re-filling infrastructure is currently very sparse and not expanding rapidly by any means.

Hence, I think hydrogen tow cars are going to be very niche if they ever even come to market. That doesn’t mean I would never write an article on a hydrogen tow car.

However, the main emphasis of this website is firmly to promote electric/battery tow cars/trucks.

The Challenges Of Electric Tow Cars

While an electric car, in principle, can be an excellent tow car, and ultimately they will be the best tow cars ever produced, we are still in a transitional phase with the most important component of an electric car, the battery.

Furthermore, the charging infrastructure in terms of charging locations and the rate of charge is also still yet to reach its full potential.

These two aspects of electric tow car capabilities are very important for the following reason:

When towing, you should expect an electric cars range to be roughly 50% of its typical range when not towing

Now, 50% is a very general estimate, and the real reduction in range will vary per vehicle depending on the size and weight of the trailer.

For instance, the aerodynamics of the trailer may have more of an impact on range more than its weight.

As you cannot charge an electric car as quickly as you can put liquid fuel into an ICE car (yet), range and efficiency when towing are very important. Hence, that’s what this website is about.

Discussing the different electric tow cars which are/will be available and looking at what their towing capabilities actually are.

Currently, there is quite a limited range of electric cars which are rated to tow, though that is set to increase considerably over the coming years.

Furthermore, battery and charging technology is also developing rapidly, which will reduce the challenges of towing with an electric car.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the articles on this site, and I hope I can help you to find your next electric tow car! 🙂

Electric Tow Car List

Electric Tow Car Guides & FAQ