Towing with your Hyundai.

Towing with your Hyundai opens up a world of possibilities. Whether it’s a weekend of caravanning or taking your boat for a day on the water, using your Hyundai for towing adds a new dimension to owning your car.

It can seem a bit daunting if you have never towed before, but it’s more straightforward than you think. We’ll explain how to stay safe and legal while showing just why a Hyundai is one of the best cars for towing.

Safe Hyundai Towing.

Starting Out.

There are so many reasons you might want to tow with your Hyundai. Whether you own a caravan, a horsebox, or a boat trailer, knowing the basics means you can hit the road safely.

One of the first things to understand is whether you have a braked or unbraked trailer.

Unbraked trailers are usually lighter and rely on the car’s brakes when slowing down. Larger trailers such as caravans will have their own brakes which makes them more suitable for heavier loads.

Any Hyundai that has been approved to tow trailers will have two towing capacities, one for unbraked and one for braked trailers.

You don’t need a special licence to tow a trailer. So long as you have a full licence you can tow.

There used to be a trailer towing test, but this ended in December 2021.

The weight of trailer you can tow on a full UK driving licence varies depending on when you passed your driving test. If you passed after 1 January 1997, you can tow a trailer weighing up to 3,500kg.

Anyone who passed before 1997 can drive a car and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg.

Either way, in practice that covers most car and trailer combinations.

It’s important to remember that different speed limits apply on some roads when towing a trailer. On motorways and dual-carriageway A-roads with a 70mph limit for cars, the maximum while towing is 60mph. On single-carriageway roads with a 60mph maximum for cars, the limit while towing is 50mph.

Where lower limits apply to cars the maximum doesn’t change when towing a caravan, horsebox, or any other type of trailer.

In wet and windy weather, a safe and sensible speed may be below the legal limit.

When towing, by law the driver must be able to see four metres either side of the trailer, 20 metres behind the vehicle. With narrow trailers, your Hyundai’s door mirrors will give a clear view. If the trailer is wider than the car, you will almost certainly need extension mirrors to stay safe and legal.

Caravanners often follow the ‘85% rule’, although it’s more of a guideline than a hard-and-fast requirement. The advice is aimed at inexperienced drivers in particular.

The idea is that the caravan weighs no more than 85% of the kerbweight of the tow car. Ensuring that the caravan weighs less than the car helps to make the combination more stable at speed.

Tow with your Hyundai.

Hyundai Tow Cars.

Good news if you plan to tow with your Hyundai – most of our current range is approved to tow. That includes many electric cars as well as petrol and hybrid models.

  1. SANTA FE Plug-in Hybrid
  2. Hyundai SANTA FE Hybrid

    SANTA FE Hybrid

  3. TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid

  4. TUCSON Hybrid
    1. Hyundai range image of SANTA FE and TUCSON.

      Our best cars for towing.

      The Hyundai SUV range is great for towing all sorts of trailers. As of November 2025, the TUCSON range and SANTA FE Hybrid have been enhanced further, with more power and better towing capacities.
    2. Hyundai SANTA FE towing a horsebox on the road.

      For decades, the SANTA FE has been renowned for its towing ability. The latest updates update sees the towing capacity of the hybrid increase to 2,000kg, thanks to increased power (235PS) and torque (380Nm). Those improvements apply to both the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive and mean the SANTA FE Hybrid could now tow the INSTER electric car.
    3. Hyundai TUCSON N line on driving on the road.

      TUCSON buyers also enjoy an improved towing experience thanks to higher towing capacities. The petrol-electric Hybrid now has 239PS and 265Nm, and the SUV’s towing weight is up to 1,510kg. The increased towing capacity applies to both two- and four-wheel-drive models. The petrol model also has an improved towing capacity of 1,650kg.
    4. Hyundai TUCSON and SANTA FE.

      All of those Hyundai towing capacities apply to braked trailers. Every SANTA FE and TUCSON has an unbraked towing capacity of 750kg.
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    Can electric cars tow?

    Towing with an electric car.

    More drivers than ever are choosing to tow with an electric car. With plenty of power and torque, electric motors are well-suited to the demands of towing, so most of the Hyundai electric car range can tow trailers and caravans. Their wide stance and low centre of gravity make for easy and stable journeys.

    Electric car towing is quite straightforward on journeys that can be completed on a single charge. As a rough rule of thumb, testing by What Car? and The Camping and Caravanning Club found that EVs can typically travel half as far while towing as in normal driving. That gives our new IONIQ 9 electric SUV an approximate towing range of nearly 200 miles based on the official WLTP range of 385 miles.2

    1. Hyundai IONIQ 9
      All-new

      All-new IONIQ 9
    2. Hyundai IONIQ 5

      IONIQ 5
    3. IONIQ 6

      IONIQ 6

      This seven-seat SUV isn’t just big, it’s clever too. In trailer mode, the IONIQ 9 automatically detects the weight of the trailer and adjusts the predicted range according. So, there’s no need for anxiety as to how far the IONIQ 9 will travel between charges while towing a boat, caravan or horsebox.

      The IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 also make excellent tow cars.

      Your towing questions answered.

      FAQs.

       

      The exact towing capacity of a Hyundai SUV will vary from model to model. For example, the 2026 SANTA FE Hybrid has a maximum towing weight of up to 2,000kg, while the 2026 TUCSON has a towing capacity of up to 1,650kg.
      Yes, absolutely. Most of the Hyundai electric car range are approved for towing. The new IONIQ 9 can tow up to 2,500kg.
      Braked towing means the trailer has its own brakes. These activate when the hitch (which joins the trailer to the car’s tow bar) compresses as the tow car slows down.
      No, there’s no need for a special licence to tow a caravan. If you have a full driving licence you can tow a caravan or any other type of trailer, so long as it is within the maximum permitted weight of the vehicle and your driving licence.
      Most Hyundai models can tow a caravan or trailer, but the best cars for towing are our SUVs. These Hyundai models have high towing capacities. The 2026 SANTA FE Hybrid and TUCSON both have improved towing weights for the new model year.
      You can find the towing capacity of your Hyundai in the vehicle handbook. If you want to check the towing capacity of your next Hyundai, download a brochure or contact your Hyundai retailer.
      Most Hyundai models are available with tow bars and electrics (to power the trailer’s running lights). Both 7-PIN and 13-PIN wiring kits are available to match the electrics used by your caravan or trailer.