Electric cars with towbars 2025: what models are there and what are the problems?

Electric cars have long since established themselves on the market. Customers have a wide choice - there are also more and more e-cars with a trailer hitch. However, the choice of vehicle types is limited. Why is towing trailers difficult for e-cars?

Which e-cars with a trailer hitch are there?

Many customers want an electric car or a plug-in hybrid, but would also like to be able to tow loads with it if necessary. We have listed the e-car models and plug-in hybrids that can be ordered with a trailer hitch ex works:

Die Aufpreise beziehen sich bei den meisten Modellen auf die Vorbereitung für eine Anhängerkupplung. Der Kupplungsträger und der Einbau verursachen oft noch weitere Kosten. Sprich hierfür dein Autohaus an.

Kann man mit einem Elektroauto einen Anhänger ziehen?

Viele Interessierte möchten eine Anhängerkupplung für ihr E-Auto, gerade auch die Elektro-Kleinwagen und Elektro-Kombis sind häufig mit Anhängerkupplung gewünscht, denn es ist ja nicht so als ob jeder gleich einen Pferdeanhänger damit ziehen möchte. Oftmals geht es lediglich darum, die Gartenabfälle zum Wertstoffhof zu bringen, über kurze Strecken Gegenstände zu transportieren oder einen Fahrradheckträger zu befestigen. Im Großen und Ganzen also keine große Sache, doch Kund:innen wird die Entscheidung für ein E-Auto schwer gemacht, wenn eine Anhängerkupplung benötigt wird.

Der Frust vieler potentieller Käufer:innen ist durchaus nachvollziehbar, denn für viele wäre eine Anhängelast von 750 Kilogramm völlig ausreichend und durchaus machbar – auch bei kleinen Elektroautos. Je nach Größe deines Transportguts ist vielleicht die Entscheidung pro Dachbox ratsam, die keiner Anhängerkupplung bedarf.

Auch, wenn es mittlerweile schon eine recht große Auswahl an E-Autos mit Anhängevorrichtung gibt, so richtig zusammenpassen wollen Elektroauto und Anhänger aus Herstellersicht allerdings nicht. Die meisten E-Autos, die Anhänger ziehen können, sind SUVs. Das ist schade, denn Elektro-SUVs sind oft teuer und nicht jede:r braucht ein so großes Auto.

This means that customers will continue to opt for a conventional drive or a plug-in hybrid – here the choice is much larger. The reason given is a reason given for many problems – the battery.

The problem is once again the energy consumption and thus the decreasing range. This is not about the infrastructure at all, because there are charging facilities, and free charging stations are also available.

 

Why can't electric cars tow trailers?

That's a good question, because if you look at the requirements that a car has to meet in order to be able to tow a trailer, then electric cars shouldn't have any problems with that. A car should be

1. enough torque and
2. have a sufficiently high weight.

If the car is sufficiently heavy, it cannot be pushed by the trailer when braking, and with enough torque, it gets off the ground well even with additional weight. Torque and weight therefore result in the permissible towing capacity.

Electric cars meet both criteria in most cases. The vehicle weight increases due to the battery and e-cars are not lacking in torque either. Some models deliver even better performance on the road than conventionally powered cars.

In a nutshell: Actually, there shouldn't be a problem with a trailer in electric cars. But once again, the battery and the range are being pushed forward. According to manufacturers, the energy consumption of the battery increases enormously with a high additional weight.

This is theoretically correct, but as I said, the weight of the leaves from the garden should not be a problem for the battery at all.

Plug-in hybrid with trailer hitch as solutions?

Unfortunately, there are not many solutions at the moment to tow a trailer with an electric drive. Either you opt for one of the models listed above and in some cases risk a loss of the manufacturer's warranty, or you make a compromise and fall back on a plug-in hybrid.

Here, the selection of models with towing capacity is much larger.

Retrofitting a trailer hitch to an electric car: What do you have to consider?

For some models, there are retrofit kits for towbars to buy, for example for the Renault Zoe. But if the manufacturer has not officially communicated a towing or drawbar load, it is questionable whether the vehicle's operating license is still valid if it is assembled by the manufacturer, or whether the warranty expires. Since the warranties for electric cars are often quite long, you should think carefully about this step.

You can also find more interesting information on topics related to e-cars here. Why you don't have to be afraid of breaking down with your electric car, what charging options are available for your home or how long the delivery times of current e-cars are, we will be happy to inform you about this and much more.