Can electric cars tow?
Some of the latest electric cars have equivalent towing capacities to petrol and diesel models, but a What Car? survey suggests that's not the perception among motorists...
More than half of the electric cars currently on sale can be used to pull a caravan or trailer, even though 40.4% of drivers think it's not possible to tow with an electric car.
Those are the findings of What Car? research carried out as part of our 2023 Tow Car Awards, held in partnership with the The Camping and Caravanning Club, and supported by caravan manufacturer Adria.
The same research found 75.6% of the 1052 respondents would not consider an electric car if they had to use it for towing, with 28.7% of those not considering one stating that they have concerns about maximum towing capacity.
Of the 85 electric cars on sale in the UK today, 50 can officially tow, with those models representing 58.8% of the market.
Nine models are rated up to 1800kg, including the Audi Q8 e-tron and Genesis GV70, while the Kia EV6 – which was named as the winner in the Electric Car category at the 2023 Tow Car Awards – comes with a maximum towing capacity of 1600kg.
The EV6's win wasn’t merely based on its official towing capacity, but also on how it performed when a range of cars across a number of weight and powertrain categories were assessed, both on the road and at our private test track.
The 10 electric cars with the highest towing capacities
| Make and Model | Maximum braked towing capacity |
| Audi Q8 e-tron | 1800kg |
| Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron | 1800kg |
| Genesis GV70 | 1800kg |
| Kia EV6 GT | 1800kg |
| Mercedes EQA | 1800kg (300 & 350 variants) |
| Mercedes EQC | 1800kg |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV | 1800kg |
| Volvo C40 Recharge | 1800kg (Twin variant) |
| Volvo XC40 Recharge | 1800kg (Twin variant) |
| Kia EV6 | 1600kg |
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
