Electric vehicles with towbar, what choice do you have?

A towing hook on your electric vehicle. This topic is not very sexy, but for many it is relevant. After all, there are many people who want to take a bike rack or even a caravan with them. But is all this possible on an electric car?

If you look at the characteristics of an electric vehicle, they are often very suitable for towing a caravan. Take the MG ZS EV, one of the cheapest electric SUVs available today. It has a starting price of just under € 31.000 and a 143 hp electric motor. and (more importantly) 363 Nm of torque. This torque is also available straight away and you don't have to row in the gearbox. On paper it is Brittanya The Chinese car is already very suitable for towing caravans.

There is just one small problem: this electric vehicle does not have a towbar. This is also not an option. And installing a towbar with your own hands may not be the most reasonable decision. In other words, this MG falls off immediately.

No towbar with electric vehicles

The lack of a towbar is what you see most often in the lower price segment of the electric vehicle market. The Peugeot e-208, for example, also does not have a tow bar. An important detail: both Peugeot 208 and MG ZE, which come with an internal combustion engine, have a tow hook (optional). Why is there no such hook in electric cars?

This is probably due to the firing range. After all, the towbar is mainly used for long distances: for example, to take a bike and / or caravan on vacation. The E-208 has a WLTP range of 340 kilometers, the MG even less - 263 kilometers. If you then hang a van behind him, these kilometers will quickly decrease.

This is mainly due to resistance and being overweight. Let's start with resistance: caravans are not always very aerodynamic. After all, the trailer needs a lot of space inside, but outside it is compact. So you will receive a box of blocks soon. Yes, the front is often sloping, but it remains a brick that you pull with you. This effect will be less for MG than for Peugeot: since the MG is larger (and has a larger frontal area), less headwind will "rumble" through the caravan. In addition, the extra wheels of the trailer will of course also provide greater rolling resistance.

the weight

However, the weight of the caravan is more important. There are light caravans like the 750kg Knaus Travelino, but a two-axle model can weigh more than double. The same applies to electric vehicles, just like a conventional combustion engine: the more you carry, the harder the engine has to work in order to reach a certain speed.

Ultimately, however, the impact of the caravan is unpredictable. It depends on your driving style, road, weather conditions, caravan, load ... On Caravantrekker.nl, a number of tractors for trailers indicate the effect of towing a trailer on their (combustion engine) consumption. As expected, impressions vary, but an increase in consumption of about 30 percent is quite realistic.

For this simplified picture, we assume that a 30 percent increase in consumption also results in a 30 percent decrease in range. If we then take the aforementioned electric Peugeot and MGs, we will enter the next range. In the case of the e-208 with a trailer, you will have a range of 238 kilometers. With MG, this would even go down to 184 kilometers. It is now important to note that the WLTP standard is never a perfect reflection of reality. Therefore, these figures are assessed as overestimated rather than underestimated.

Finally, there will never be exactly 184 kilometers between all the charging stations, so you can never use the maximum range. So even if the electric MG had a towbar, the trip to the south of France would take a very long time. Therefore, it is not surprising that an electric vehicle with a small power reserve does not come with a towbar.

What about a bike rack?

But not everyone uses a towbar for towing a caravan. For example, a bike mount on the back of a car can also precedent to be. Why, then, aren't electric vehicles sold with a towbar? Good question. Presumably this was a cost analysis for manufacturers. "How many people would use a towbar if you can't hook up a van or trailer to it?" They may have come to the conclusion that EVs are better delivered without a towbar.

However, EVs can come with a tow bar, although they are often slightly more expensive. Below we will describe several electric vehicles. At the bottom of the article is an overview of all electric vehicles available with a towbar.

Before we start with cars, here's a quick safety lesson. With every car you will encounter the maximum nose weight, if known. This pressure is the downward force exerted by the trailer hitch on the tow ball. Or, more simply, how much the trailer / caravan / bike carrier rests on the towing hook. In the case of a bike rack, it's simply how heavy your bike rack can be. The situation is slightly different with caravans and trailers.

When towing a caravan, it is important to properly balance the weight of the bow. If too much weight is applied to the trailer hitch, it can be damaged. And you don't want to come to the conclusion in the south of France that you cannot take your caravan home. However, this does not mean that you have to put all the weight on the rear of the caravan. If you do this, your towbar will be too small. Then your car may suddenly start to sway on the highway, leading to dangerous situations. Tesla says that this nose weight should never be less than four percent of your trailer weight. And you want to know exactly how much your electric vehicle can tow? This is always indicated on the registration certificate.

Tesla Model 3

The first car we're going to review is the most popular car of 2019: the Tesla Model 3. It's available with a towbar. Please select the correct variant when ordering: retrofitting is not possible. This variant costs 1150 euros, is suitable for a towing weight of up to 910 kg and has a maximum nose weight of 55 kg. Unless you have five people in the car and opt for 20-inch rims, the nose weighs only 20 kilograms. The cheapest Tesla Model 3 is Standard Plus. This gives you a WLTP range of 409 kilometers. This electric car costs 48.980 euros without the tow bar.

Jaguar I-Pace

A step up from the cheap Tesla is the Jaguar I-Pace. In the Business Edition, it costs 73.900 euros and has a WLTP range of 470 kilometers. More important for this article is that you can install a detachable towbar or bike rack at your dealer. All I-Pace models are suitable for this as standard. Unlike the Model 3, you don't have to think in advance if you need a towbar on your electric vehicle. This towing hook costs 2.211 euros and has a maximum towing weight of 750 kg. With regard to the weight of the bow, this towbar can support a maximum of 45 kg. Jaguar emphasizes that this towbar is more for transporting bicycles or a small trailer. If you're looking to tow a caravan or horse trailer, it's best to look elsewhere.

Tesla Model X

Tesla returns to the list for the second time, this time with the Model X. It could very well be an electric towing vehicle. If you have a big wallet then. Prices for the electric SUV start at 93.600 euros, but the Long Range version immediately appears with a WLTP range of 507 kilometers. Of all the cars on this list, Tesla will probably be the furthest ahead.

In terms of towed weight, the electric SUV is also a winner. Model X can tow up to 2250 kg. That is bijna own weight! Although the latter can say more about the weight of the top model Tesla than about the towing capacity ... The maximum weight of the nose is also greater than that of competitors, not less than 90 kg.

One note about the Model X towbar, because according to the manual, it requires a towing package. This option cannot be selected during setup. This package may be standard on the new Xs model.

Audi e-tron

We end this list with two Germans, the first of which is the Audi e-tron. Like the Jaguar I-Pace, this one has standard towbar preparation. The detachable towbar can be ordered at the time of setup for € 953 or later from the dealer for € 1649. The Audi towbar bike carrier costs 599 euros.

The maximum nose weight of the Audi e-tron 55 quattro is 80 kg. This e-tron can tow up to 1800 kg. Or 750 kg if the trailer is not braked. The Audi e-tron 55 quattro has a suggested retail price of € 78.850 and a WLTP range of 411 kilometers. The towbar is not available for the quattro, but roof boxes and bike racks are available for it.

Mercedes-Benz EQC

As promised, the last German. This Mercedes EQC is optionally available with an electric ball head. This is a consumer price of 1162 euros. Mercedes does not indicate the maximum nose weight. The German car manufacturer claims users can tow up to 1800kg with the EQC.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is available from 77.935 € 408. This gives you a 765bhp SUV. and 80 Nm of torque. The battery has a capacity of 471 kWh, giving the EQC a range of XNUMX km.

Conclusion

Now that EVs can drive farther and farther on battery power, it's no surprise that they are increasingly being sold with a towbar. At first there was only Tesla Model X, which could really pull a good caravan. However, from last year, this also includes the Audi e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC, both of which can pull through the trunk.

These two cars are more than ten thousand euros cheaper than the top Tesla model, so for a not too heavy trailer, they can be a good choice. Do you only want to tow a light trailer? Then you should think about the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model 3. But perhaps waiting is not a bad idea. After all, there will be a lot of electric vehicles coming out in the next two years, which could be good for caravaners. Think Tesla Model Y, Sion from Sono Motors and Aiways U5. An electric car with a towbar is already available, but this choice will only increase in the future.

• Audi e-tron, max. 1800 kg, now available for 78.850 euros, range of 411 km.
• Bollinger B1 and B2, max. 3400 kg, can now be reserved for 125.000 $ 113.759 (calculated at 322 2021 euros), flight range XNUMX km EPA, deliveries expected in XNUMX year.
• Ford Mustang Mach-E, max. 750 kg, will be available at the end of 2020 at a price of 49.925 450 euros, a range of XNUMX km.
• The Hyundai Kona Electric, the only bike carriers with a maximum load of 36.795 kg, are now available for € 305, a range of XNUMX km.
• Jaguar I-Pace, max. 750 kg, now available for 81.800 euros, range 470 km.
• Kia e-Niro, max 75 kg, now available for 44.995 455 euros, power reserve XNUMX km
• Kia e-Soul, max 75 kg, now available for 42.985 452 euros, power reserve XNUMX km
• Mercedes EQC, max. 1800 kg, now available for 77.935 471 euros, range XNUMX km.
• Nissan e-NV200, max. 430 kg, now available for 38.744,20 € 200, range of XNUMX km
• Polestar 2, max. 1500 kg, available from the end of May at a price of 59.800 425 euros, flight range XNUMX km.
• Rivian R1T, max. 4990 kg, can now be reserved for 69.000 $ 62.685 (in terms of 644 XNUMX euros), the estimated flight range is "more than XNUMX km".
• Rivian R1S, max. 3493 km, can now be reserved for 72.500 $ 65.855 (in terms of 644 XNUMX euros), the estimated flight range is "more than XNUMX km".
• Renault Kangoo ZE, max. 374 kg, now available for 33.994 € 26.099 / 270 € with battery rental, range of XNUMX km.
• Sono Sion Motors, max. 750 kg, now available for 25.500 255 euros, range XNUMX km.
• Tesla Model 3, max. 910 kg, now available for 48.980 409 euros, range of XNUMX km.
• Tesla Model X, max. 2250 kg, now available for 93.600 euros, range 507 km.
• Volkswagen ID.3, max 75 kg, sold in summer 2020 for 38.000 euros, range 420 km, later cheaper models with lower range will appear
• Volvo XC40 Recharge, max. 1500 kg, sold this year for 59.900 euros, with a minimum range of 400 km.