Lynk & Co 01 – What Can It Tow?

Hi, I’m Chris. About Me

The Lynk & Co 01 is a compact SUV PHEV. Never heard of Lynk & Co? Well, they are a new Chinese brand entering the UK market. While new brands often struggle the force behind Lynk & Co is Geely who has also owned Volvo since 2010. In fact, the Lynk & Co 01 shares the same platform and many of its components with the very popular and well-reviewed Volvo XC40. However, the Lynk & Co 01 is different in a few ways, notably, it has a much larger battery than the current Volvo XC40 PHEV while being significantly cheaper.

Lynk & Co 01 PHEV
The Lynk & Co 01 has an official EV range of 43 miles and it can also tow a trailer/caravan up to 1,800kg: Image – Lynkco.com

Lynk & Co 01 PHEV Specs

  • Official Towing Capacity – 1,800 kg
  • Availability – Mid to Late 2022
  • Price – Starting £30,000 (estimated)
  • Official MPG – 235.4
  • Official EV Range – 43 miles
  • Real-World EV Range – 30 miles (70% of Official)
  • Maximum Charge Rate/Time – 3.5kW/5 Hours

Lynk & Co 01 PHEV HP & Torque

  • FWD: Combined output of 258 HP
  • 1.5L Turbo Petrol Engine: 180 HP
  • Electric Motor: 80 HP

Lynk & Co 01 Towing Capabilties

Right, so first off the Lynk & Co 01 is not available in the UK as yet, but that is set to change by mid to late 2022. However, they have already launched in the EU and it appears to be going pretty well. There won’t be any Lynk & Co dealerships it will all be online sales.

So you’re probably wondering who will service the vehicle? How is warranty support provided etc. Well, as I’ve stated in the intro, Volvo is the sibling brand to Lynk & Co, and Volvo service centres will be carrying out warranty work etc. I’ll discuss more Volvo comparisons below, anyway, let’s talk towing capacity.

If the Lynk & Co 01 comes to the UK at around a £30,000 price point which would be comparable to its price in the EU for a 1,800kg towing capacity and an official EV range of 43 miles that looks like a very good deal.

Take the Volvo XC40 PHEV for instance, that can also tow 1,800 kg but it currently costs about £10,000 more than the estimated price point of the Lynk & Co 01. Furthermore, the Volvo XC40 PHEV has a very average official EV range of 27 miles, which will give a real-world EV range of around 19 miles. I only write about PHEVs which have a real-world EV range of at least 30 miles, hence its not a PHEV I’ve previously written about.

The Volvo XC40 PHEV only has a 10.7kWh battery whereas the Lynk & Co 01 has a significantly larger 17.6 kWh battery hence the much better EV range. Remember, at the same time, the Lynk & Co 01 will likely costs around £10,000 less than the Volvo XC40 PHEV. Therefore, I think it could be a very compelling option as a PHEV tow car.

Less Than Ideal Features/Specifications

When I was browsing the specs for the Lynk & Co 01 while as a whole and for the price point I think it will appeal to a lot of people there are a few features that are less than ideal. The first one is the FWD only drivetrain.

Now, under normal driving conditions, front-wheel drive is perfectly fine and even preferred over rear-wheel drive when it comes to snowy/icy weather. However, when it comes to towing and traction, I’d choose rear-wheel drive over front-wheel drive every time.

Therefore, while the Lynk & Co 01 competes well on EV range to the likes of the Toyota RAV4 PHEV and actually beats it on towing capacity, the RAV4 PHEV has the advantage on towing traction due to its AWD system.

Another area where the RAV4 PHEV is superior is charging, the RAV4 PHEV can charge via a 7kW charger in 3.5 hours. Whereas the Lynk & Co 01 can only be spec’d with 3kW charging capabilities which will take around 5 hours to fully charge the battery.

Then again, the RAV4 PHEV costs around £10,000 more than the predicted price of the Lynk & Co 01. So again, when it comes down to it, value for money on towing capacity and EV range no other PHEV can currently compete.

Lynk & Co 01 Review

As I’ve stated above, the Lynk & Co 01 is not available in the UK as yet, so I don’t have any UK reviews I can reference. However, it is available in the EU already therefore I’ve included a review below by the Autogefühl channel. I’ll add a UK specific review once available.

An early EU review of Lynk & Co 01 PHEV and the spec’s have actually been improved from that stated in the video

As is discussed in the review while Lynk & Co is technically a new brand, the engineering behind the 01 is well established and very similar to that of the much more expensive Volvo XC40 PHEV. Though as stated above, the Lynk & Co 01 actually has a much better EV range than the Volvo.

Therefore, as materials and build quality appear to be very comparable to that of Volvo cars the Lynk & Co brand should not struggle to gain a foothold in the market. Especially as discussed in the review they are offering some interesting subscription options which cover all the costs to use the vehicle.

My Thoughts On The Lynk & Co 01 PHEV…

So according to the marketing materials the Lynk & Co 01 is being targeted at more of a younger audience than those that typically look to purchase a Volvo. The all-in subscription payment model option including insurance/servicing etc is apparently more appealing to younger buyers, essentially making paying for use of the car similar to that of a smartphone.

However, I think the more important difference between the Lynk & Co 01 vs its Volvo XC40 PHEV sibling is the Lynk & Co 01 is providing more for less when it comes to EV range. I don’t care how old you are, that’s obviously appealing.

While the front-wheel drivetrain is not ideal for towing, the fact that the 01 is rated to tow 1,800kg is very competitive at the expected £30,000 price point for a PHEV that can travel up to 43 miles officially (around 30 miles in the real world).

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