Tow Car Awards 2023: Electric car
If you’re looking for a great tow car that will also be enjoyable to drive solo, you need one of our 2023 Tow Car Awards winners. Here we look at the best electric car...
Kia EV6 77.4kWh GT-Line AWD
Kerb weight 2090kg 85% match Above max weight Max towing weight 1600kg Towball limit 100kg
Kia consistently builds brilliant tow cars, whether you want a diesel, a hybrid or even a fully electric car. And speaking of the latter, for the second year in a row the Kia EV6 is our favourite electric tow car.
Why? Well, for starters a 30-60mph time of just 5.7sec with a caravan on the back means the EV6 has power to spare. You can drive with a light right foot and still easily keep up with traffic.
Some electric cars suffer from low towing limits relative to their size and weight (VW Group, we’re looking at you), but that’s not a problem with the EV6. The 1600kg maximum weight brings a broad choice of caravans into play.
Even towing such a heavy ’van, the EV6 is reassuringly stable. A kerb weight of more than two tonnes helps, and there’s no sign of wandering even when travelling 10mph beyond the UK motorway limit.
The EV6 was rock-solid in the lane-change test, too, keeping the caravan under control and staying on course with ease. The hill start was also straightforward, even though the car was a little slow to pull away.
Like any electric vehicle, the EV6’s range while towing is something that will put off many potential buyers. In our testing last year, we found its range pulling a 1600kg caravan to be 101.5 miles.
If that’s something you can live with, though, the EV6 is as rewarding every day as it is while towing. The ride is well controlled without being harsh, also bringing the benefit of agile handling on twisty roads.
The dashboard looks suitably high-tech, with a digital display in front of the driver and a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen. And it’s pretty easy to use, once you realise the touch-sensitive controls beneath the main screen serve two functions.
Our practicality testers were impressed with the large boot, but less happy with the awkward tow bar installation, which places the socket and breakaway attachment a long way under the rear bumper. Still, this is a minor irritation.
It’s also worth noting that if you like the sound of the EV6 but not the price, there are more affordable rear-wheel-drive versions with the same 1600kg maximum towing weight.
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