Towing with a fully electric tow car comes with challenges. Switching from petrol or diesel to the best hybrid tow car is a much easier transition to make.
By ‘full hybrid’, we mean a car that uses an electric motor and an internal combustion engine to drive the wheels, but does not plug in to recharge.
Not so long ago, many hybrids were hampered by low towing capacities. That is still the case with some – indeed, recent hybrid models from Hyundai and Kia have worse towing capacities than their predecessors. But there are plenty of petrol-electric cars capable of towing well, providing that all-important trait of stability that we look for in the best caravan tow cars.
If you’ve come down on the side of a hybrid in the plug-in hybrid vs hybrid debate, these are the five full hybrid tow cars that we would recommend.
What is the best hybrid car to tow a caravan?
Nissan X-Trail e-Power 213 e-4orce Tekna 5st
Ford Kuga 2.5 FHEV ST-Line
Lexus RX350h Premium
Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi HEV (207hp) 2WD ‘3’
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 2.0 Hybrid Design
The best hybrid tow cars
Nissan X-Trail e-Power 213 e-4orce Tekna 5st
- Price: £45,855
- Kerbweight: 1988kg
- 85% match: 1690kg
- Towing limit: 1800kg
The X-Trail is a hybrid of sorts, but not like the others here. Whereas most hybrids turn the wheels using both sources of power, the Nissan is only ever propelled by electricity. The 1.5-litre petrol engine is there to act as a generator.
It’s an unusual arrangement, but works well when towing. The X-Trail is powerful and responsive. Although the engine can be noisy, it settles into the background once cruising.
One unintended upside of most hybrids for caravanners is that they tend to be heavy – having mechanical and electrical power and hefty batteries makes for high kerbweights. In this specification, the X-Trail weighs just under two tonnes, which contributes to secure and stable towing manners.
The towing capacity varies, depending on whether you choose the five- (1800kg) or seven-seat (1650kg) model. The third row of seats is painfully cramped, so we’d save the extra cost and choose the five-seater. There’s plenty of room up front and in the second row, and lots of storage around the cabin.
If you like the sound of that but not the price, we’ve seen a 17,000-mile 72-reg car priced at under £31,000.
Ford Kuga 2.5 FHEV ST-Line
- Price: £38,565
- Kerbweight: 1689kg
- 85% match: 1436kg
- Towing limit: 1600kg
The Kuga is a really excellent hybrid. We’ve seen better than 30mpg while towing a caravan, which is as good or better than we would expect from a similar turbodiesel vehicle.
Despite being a full hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid tow car, the Kuga FHEV regularly runs on electricity for short distances, contributing to its impressive fuel economy.
Both front- and four-wheel drive versions are available.
Here, we’ve gone for the front-wheel-drive model, because it’s almost £2000 cheaper and will be more fuel efficient, but the 4×4 could be worth the extra cost if you are someone who tows all year round, or who stays regularly on grass pitches.
Either way, the Kuga makes a stable tow car. We would be happy to tow long distances with the Ford, one of the traits which saw us shortlist the Ford Kuga 2.5 FHEV 183PS ST-Line X AWD for the best car for towing a 1500kg caravan category at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025.
In solo driving, the Kuga is an enjoyable drive, with firm but well-controlled suspension. That said, it’s not going to be as comfortable around town as a Škoda Karoq.
Inside the car, there’s plenty of space, whether you travel in the front or the back. However, the boot is on the small side for an SUV of this size.
The Ford is reasonably priced in this spec, but you could save a lot on the used market.
We’ve seen a 22-reg model with 50,000 miles, advertised for just £18,999.
Full review: Ford Kuga 2.5 FHEV 183PS ST-Line X AWD
Lexus RX350h Premium
- Price: £63,190
- Kerbweight: 2040kg*
- 85% match: 1734kg
- Towing limit: 2000kg
Lexus has been one of the pioneers of hybrid vehicles, offering petrol-electric power long before most rivals.
The RX sits right at the top of the Lexus SUV range, with a choice of full and plug-in hybrid versions. The RX350h is the entry-level full hybrid, or ‘self-charging’ hybrid as Lexus prefers to call it.
We’ve yet to tow with the latest RX, but the two-tonne kerbweight should deliver good stability while pulling a sensibly matched caravan. And what’s more, with a towing capacity of 2000kg, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to tow a tourer weighing 85% of the RX’s kerbweight.
Lexus quotes a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds in solo driving. This suggests that the RX350h will have enough punch to accelerate confidently, so long as you’ve been sensible when matching a car to a caravan.
With a price tag of over £60,000, you’d expect luxury from the Lexus. Everything you can see or touch is beautifully finished, and you can be sure quality runs deep. The brand always does well in customer satisfaction and reliability surveys. That makes the RX a very good used buy. We saw a 71-reg RX450h with around 45,000 miles, for £31,150.
*Includes 75kg for driver not included in Lexus’s published kerbweight
Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi HEV (207hp) 2WD ‘3’
- Price: £35,595
- Kerbweight: 1649kg
- 85% match: Above max tow
- Towing limit: 1360kg
The Sportage is Kia’s mid-sized SUV. Although the towing figures for the larger Sorento hybrid were cut when the car was last updated, the Sportage hybrid is still able to tow a reasonable choice of tourers.
Yes, a towing capacity of 1360kg is low for an SUV of this size and weight, but it’s enough to pull a Sprite Alpine 4 or a Bailey Discovery D4-4.
With plenty of pulling power from the petrol engine and electric motor, the Sportage will easily tow these vans up to 60mph, the speed limit when towing a caravan. The Kia is also very stable at speed, so long journeys should be pretty much stress-free.
We’ve suggested the two-wheel drive, but there’s a 4×4 car for towing a caravan with the same towing capacity – for a considerable premium.
In everyday driving, the Sportage handles neatly, although the ride is on the firm side. A Seat Ateca is more fun, while a Škoda Karoq is more comfortable. But the interior is spacious, with plenty of storage and lots of thoughtful design touches.
Shop on the used market for a big saving over new. We found an 18,000-mile, 23-reg car with a sticker price of £26,599.
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 2.0 Hybrid Design
- Price: £35,220
- Kerbweight: 1475kg*
- 85% match: Above max tow
- Towing limit: 750kg
Owing to its very low towing capacity, the Corolla Touring Sports will only make a viable tow car for caravanners with certain types of caravans, such as a micro-caravan or a trailer tent. Something like a Freedom Microlite or a Mink Camper would be ideal.
With a kerbweight of close to 1.5 tonnes and a power output of 196hp, the Toyota will have no trouble towing a suitably light tourer up to speed. In fact, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that the towing limit has been set so low.
On paper, the Toyota’s fuel economy should be excellent. The official combined figure of 60.1mpg is identical, whether you choose the 2.0-litre model that we’ve selected here or the
less powerful 1.8. We would be surprised if better than 30mpg wasn’t possible while towing, given the vehicle’s low maximum towing figure.
Inside, the Corolla Touring Sports is solidly made and roomy in both front and back.
The boot in the 2.0-litre car has a respectable capacity of 581 litres, slightly down on the 1.8’s 596 litres. The space is nice and square, so it’s easy to make the most of every available litre.
If you’d prefer to shop for a used car, we’ve seen a 23-reg model with just over 40,000 miles, priced at £21,914.
*Includes 75kg for driver not included in Toyota’s published kerbweight
For those who are heading off on tour this summer, don’t miss our caravan towing tips to help you stay safe on the road.
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