Towing a Caravan with an Electric Car in Australia (2026)

Yes, an electric car can tow a caravan in Australia, but it needs the right car, a slower right foot and more planning than a diesel. The family EVs rated to tow the most are the Kia EV9 AWD and Hyundai Ioniq 9 at 2,500 kg, and the Porsche Cayenne Electric goes to 3,500 kg. With a full-height caravan on, plan on about half the car’s normal range at 90 to 100 km/h, roughly 250 to 300 km from a big battery, and on unhitching at many chargers. That is enough for the Hume, Pacific, Western and Bruce highways today, and only just enough for the Nullarbor.

Which electric cars can tow a caravan?

These are the electric cars sold new in Australia with a braked towing rating of 1,500 kg or more, highest first. The towball limit is the maximum weight the caravan’s drawbar may put on the tow ball.

Sources: makers’ Australian spec sheets and brochures for Kia (EV9), Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Ioniq 5, Porsche Cayenne Electric and Macan, BMW iX and iX3, Polestar, BYD, Leapmotor and Skoda; The Driven for the Zeekr; CarExpert and CarsGuide for Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen, Toyota and Smart, whose own sites would not load for us. Checked 29 October 2026; ratings can differ by variant, so confirm yours in the owner’s manual.

Below 1,500 kg the choice is for camper trailers and box trailers. The Kia EV5 long-range models are rated to 1,250 kg, the Tesla Model 3 to 1,000 kg on CarExpert’s figures (the RACV quoted 750 kg in 2024, so check the manual), and the BYD Sealion 7 and Atto 3 base models, MG S5 EV and Toyota bZ4X FWD to 750 kg. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model 3 Performance, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Xpeng G6 RWD are not rated to tow at all.

Why does the towball limit matter more?

Because it decides how heavy a caravan you can actually hitch up. Australian caravans usually put 8 to 12 per cent of their loaded weight on the tow ball, What’s Up Downunder notes. On that basis a 125 kg towball limit suits a loaded van of roughly 1,040 to 1,560 kg, and a 100 kg limit roughly 830 to 1,250 kg, even if the braked rating says 2,500 kg. Ask the caravan maker for the van’s ball weight when it is loaded for a trip, not empty, and remember the ball weight also counts against the car’s payload.

How far can an EV go towing a caravan?

About half as far as without it, at highway speed with a full-height van. These are the Australian tests we found with measured energy use:

Sources: NRMA owner review (June 2024); The Driven on the Model 3 and Kona; NRMA (March 2023).

Speed matters more than weight, because most of the extra energy goes into pushing the caravan’s flat front through the air. Germany’s motoring club ADAC towed a caravan behind a Kia EV6 at three speeds and measured energy use rising by 54 per cent at 80 km/h, 79 per cent at 90 km/h and 103 per cent at 100 km/h (ADAC). Dropping from 100 to 80 km/h can add a third to your range. A low camper trailer costs far less than a full-height van. Our guide to how far an EV can go covers the other drains: heat, hills and headwinds.

The Caravan Industry Association’s Luke Chippindale put the practical upshot bluntly: “Under load, we’re effectively stopping every 100km on average” (Yahoo News). That is pessimistic for a big-battery car driven at 90 km/h, but it is the right mindset for planning.

Which highways can you tow along today?

Take a towing range of about 250 km from a big battery at 80 to 90 km/h, keep 20 per cent in reserve, and you have legs of about 200 km between fast chargers. Against the longest gaps on our charging gaps study, measured in road kilometres on our October 2026 charger data:

• Hume, Western, Pacific and Bruce highways: longest gaps of 60, 75, 105 and 135 km. Comfortable with a van on, as long as the charger you planned on is working.
• Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor: longest gap about 195 km, Norseman to Balladonia. Possible in a big-battery EV at 80 km/h with a full charge, but a headwind can take the margin away. See our Adelaide to Perth EV trip for the stops.
• North West Coastal Highway: about 235 km between Karratha and Port Hedland. Beyond most EVs towing a van.
• Stuart Highway: about 680 km with no fast charger between Tennant Creek and Katherine. Out of reach without a long overnight stop on a powerpoint.

These are the gaps between public fast chargers. Caravan parks along the way add slow overnight top-ups: a 15 amp powered site gives about 3.4 kW, which is roughly 100 km of towing range over a long night. Our list of caravan parks with EV charging shows parks with a public charger on site or next door.

Can you charge without unhitching?

Sometimes. Most Australian fast-charging bays are nose-in car spaces, and the NRMA and RACV both say to expect to unhitch. A few sites are built for trailers:

• Tesla Kojonup, WA: four drive-through Superchargers, open to other EVs (The Driven).
• Ampol Foodary Eastern Creek, NSW: four drive-through bays at each of the two service centres on the M4 (The Driven).
• RAA Snowtown, SA: pull-through parking for towing (The Driven).

More are coming in New South Wales, where the government’s fast-charging grants pay operators up to $20,000 extra per site for a pull-through bay long enough for a car and an 8-metre caravan (Energy NSW). Elsewhere, look at the site layout on the charger map or the network’s app before you pull in, and unhitch beside the bay rather than in the next one. Unhitching can turn a 15-minute stop into the best part of an hour, so plan your stops around meals.

What changes when you tow with an EV?

• The towbar and software. Several makers fit towbars through the dealer, and some need software switched on: BYD installs a tow kit and software, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 towbar is a dealer accessory, and Tesla’s Model Y tow pack includes the car’s tow mode. Fit the maker’s genuine kit; Tesla’s Model 3 manual, as quoted by the RACV, says damage caused by towing is not covered by warranty.
• The range estimate. Many cars do not know a caravan is on the back, so the remaining-range figure will be far too optimistic. Watch the battery percentage and your kWh per 100 km instead.
• Regenerative braking and the van’s brakes. Most electric brake controllers take their signal from the brake lights, and Australian design rules stop gentle regenerative braking from lighting them below a set rate of slowing (ADR 31/04). On a long downhill on regen alone, the car may be doing all the braking. Set the controller up with an auto-electrician who knows your car.

What if you run flat while towing?

You need two tows: the EV on a flatbed, because it cannot be dragged on its wheels, and the caravan separately. Not every roadside membership covers the van, so check before the trip. Our guides to towing an EV, who tows an EV to a charger and the best roadside assistance for EVs explain the options.

Is an EV a good tow car yet?

For a camper trailer, a boat or a small caravan on the east coast, yes: the torque makes towing easy, the running costs are low, and the chargers are close enough. For a 2.5-tonne van across the Nullarbor or up the Stuart Highway, not yet. The ratings, the towball limits and the charging gaps all point the same way. If heavy, remote towing is the main job, a plug-in hybrid ute or a diesel still does it better, and our electric utes guide covers the utes rated to 3,500 kg.