The best electric car for towing has been named by a panel of experts, alongside the 10 EV models with the best towing capacity.
The Kia EV6 was voted the overall best electric tow car for the second year in a row by judges from What Car? and the Camping and Caravanning Club as part of the annual What Car? Tow Car Awards.
Despite not boasting the highest towing capacity, its 1,600kg limit was the same as many of the best petrol and diesel models and considered far better for the car’s weight compared with some rival EV models. The judges also praised its stability and power while towing and the car’s overall practicality and driveability when not towing, which helped it beat vehicles with higher maximum weight limits.
As part of the awards, the consumer title carried out a survey which found that 40.4% of motorists thought electric cars can’t be used for towing. The same research found 75.6% of respondents would not consider an electric car if they had to use it for towing.
Of the 85 electric cars on the market today, 50 can be used to tow with according to the manufacturers, representing 58.8% of the market, and nine models are rated up to 1,800kg.
What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: “More and more electric cars can now be used for towing, yet our survey highlights a significant proportion of motorists remain unaware of this. As What Car?’s research shows, a number of electric cars currently come with maximum towing capacities equivalent to those found in petrol and diesel models, and this will only grow.”
With that in mind, here are the 10 EVs with the best towing capacities, currently on sale in the UK.
9. Volvo C40 Recharge - 1,800kg
Like Audi, Volvo has managed to nab two places on this list by reskinning and renaming the same car. The C40 is the four-door “coupe” bodied version of the XC40, with the same twin-motor powertrain, same towing capacity and fractionally longer range thanks to its more aerodynamic shape. Like the boxier XC40, the single-motor rear-wheel drive variant has a lower towing capacity. | Volvo
10. Kia EV6 - 1,600kg
Kia’s slippery looking SUV has the lowest towing capacity of any car on this list but is still a match for many petrol and diesel vehicles and able to tow all but the largest of touring vans. Two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models share the same 1,600kg limit, with the extra motor taking power up to 321bhp and torque to 446lb ft. The 77kWh battery promises up to 314 miles when not towing and the same 350kW charging as the GT version for rapid top-ups. | Kia