Sorry Newtoabbey, but another near impossible question to answer as posted. Needs more detail to give us a chance.
Absolutely critical you start with the MTPLM of the caravan if seeking advice, for a great many 4 berth vans the weight alone will exclude many EVs as they often have very limited towing capacity!
Secondly, the range expected to cover any journeys you anticipate. The number of times you will need to stop and recharge will dictate what is a reasonable journey distance in one day. Towing will generally at least half any claimed range for a solo EV, expect around 100 miles per charge if leaving a safety margin (same is true for ICE vehicles but they start as solo vehicles with a fuel tank range probably 60% more than most EVs! - my car will do close on 600 miles solo, and 320 miles towing on a tank of petrol, which is a LOT more than EVs and will get me to most parts of UK without a stop - I may need a stop, but not the car! That'd be 3 lengthy stops for an EV as recharging when towing is a bit of a faff as you can only charge the car without the caravan attached!)
As to best place, that's a highly subjective opinion, and can't really take account of any quality aspects of any individual car on offer. Best aftersales service/warranty should be influential on that.
Thank you Monty15, the caravan I have is an ELDDIS MAGNUM GT your brake down on performance
and recharging has answered my question I’ll stick to my Diesel VW
THANKS
------------- Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow
Newtoabbey, EVs are getting better as tow vehicles, but IMHO still a chocolate teapot to me compared to old school ICE! Only once in the 9 years I've had a caravan have I done a 75 mile journey to a site that would have been in the charge range of an EV charge! I'm usually well into the 200-300 mile distances without the slightest concern about needing to refuel/recharge, if I needed to consider an EV recharge, I'd be looking at maybe taking two days to cover the same distances, I only stop briefly for maybe 15-20 mins for a wee and a cupper, so not prolonging my driving time greatly, two or three recharges puts an extra probably well over 2 hours onto driving time with the faff involved in parking up the caravan whilst you take the solo car for it's slow charge!
As you were looking at an older s/h car, towing capacity and range would not likely be as good as new models, so some serious compromises over your current Diesel. The previous running cost savings of EVs have been eroded as well, high rate chargers can rival the cost of a tank of fuel when out on the road, and taxes, tolls, zone charges etc. are now applicable to EVs just the same as ICE vehicles. Other running costs are high as well, the purchase cost is high, the devaluation of a new vehicle is eyewatering! They many not need servicing the same as ICE, but they eat expensive tyres at a scary rate due to weight and power output, my tyres will last 4x longer and be cheaper!
As solo town cars EVs can make sense, as tow cars they look a LOT less attractive. The vast bulk of my mileage is towing, I rarely use my car in town, public transport being faster and cheaper, so my priority for a car is as a tow vehicle, others may have a more balanced use and may be prepared to compromise their towing experiences, but not me, so my opinions are to some extent a personal view.
We have kept our ageing mondeo just for towing the caravan. Young Auntie was never happy driving it, so 3 years ago we decided to buy a small ev. I must say it has proved a wonderful driving experience. Agreed it is really a city car, but still able to do long runs. That means planning ahead to select charging stations. Our normal rule on this is to stop every hour or so for a re charge. That is ideal for me, as I find nowadays I need a few minutes break at that time. I do mean, a few minutes as we find, by the time we have got the charge started, strolled to the toilets and returned to the car, it is charged ready to go.
I agree, at present, I would not want to try using an ev for towing, but as a general run around car, ideal. Also, we do not have to worry about ulez problems. Also just at the moment, the running cost is low because I can charge at home, approx £1 for 40 miles.
The extra taxes being introduced were to be expected, so not too upset about that. We use the buses whenever possible (free) so our mileage is in the order of 5000 miles annually.
Of course, these are just our personal feelings on the topic.
Quote: Originally posted by Fudge59 on 14/4/2026
Going to keep an eye on this thread as we tow a small trailer for our bigger tent, and are considering an EV in a few years.
I think you have the right idea Fudge59. It is a subject that needs an open mind. Also, towing a light trailer would be different to towing a large caravan.
No doubt about it, ev’s are developing rapidly, so who knows what they will be capable of doing in another 2 or 3 years time.
There are apparently EVs now that have towing capacity, but as they are a very long way out of my price bracket I couldn't recommend one. I think the only EV I will ever own will be a mobility scooter. Don't know how much they can tow.
I find it a great shame the caravan industry isn't looking seriously at folding caravans which will increase EV towing distances massively. Gobur have been doing it for years so it's very doable.
It's the wind resistance which doubles the fuel consumption, the weight has much less affect on fuel consumption.
I have a Dandy Designer which has 500kg MTPLM and towing that makes no difference to fuel consumption from driving solo.
I think the caravan industry has it's head in the sand over this.
Quote: Originally posted by navver on 15/4/2026
I find it a great shame the caravan industry isn't looking seriously at folding caravans which will increase EV towing distances massively. Gobur have been doing it for years so it's very doable.
It's the wind resistance which doubles the fuel consumption, the weight has much less affect on fuel consumption.
I have a Dandy Designer which has 500kg MTPLM and towing that makes no difference to fuel consumption from driving solo.
I think the caravan industry has it's head in the sand over this.
I think the problem there might be the market itself. From what I have seen on sites caravans have got bigger and bigger (like cars) and owners seem to want every possible gadget and minimal effort. They don't want to be messing around unfolding anything, they just want to drop the steadies and get inside to make a cuppa.
Just seen this thread. We have been towing our 1550kg MTPLM Bailey Unicorn S3 Vigo with an EV since 2021. The 1st 4 years were with a Polestar 2 LRDM, capable of between 120 and 140 miles while towing. The new car is a Polestar 4, capable of towing 2000Kg, and has a towing range of between 160 and 180 miles.
There is today a very health range of EVs that can tow significant weights all the way up to 2500kg. Have look at the ev-database uk to see what is available (you can filter on tow limit).
If the vast majority of my driving were doing the caravan (like 90%), or if I have no home charging potential, then perhaps I would think twice about changing from ICE to EV.
But I can charge from home, and 90% of my driving is solo.
As a private buyer, I would absolutely consider an EV as my main car, and tow car, and would be spending my money on a used car say 3 years old with 30k to 50k miles on it. The vast amount of depreciation would be done, but all the value in terms of economy and performance would remain.
The real question to be asked is what is your towing profile - do you tow to the south of France from North Yorkshire in one day once a year, or do you tend to have shorter runs. If you do lots of shorter trips (weekends away or touring shorter distances - up to 100ish miles between sites) an EV might be a great option. If you are in the 100 to 200 mile bracket, you are likely going to need to charge while on route. That may be an issue for you (see think its a complete faff) or it may not (for us we take it as an opportunity for a rest every 2 to 3 hours).
So we moved house in late January. We have three electric cars in the household and have been making do with charging from a 13A 3 pin socket for the last 2 1/2 months. We will be installing a charger, for simplicity, but could manage without.
Cost - how much is a car? What I mean my that is how much would you spend. Almost no one changes their car "just because", but lots of people change car for other reasons (age, cost to maintain, upsize, downsize, want a new colour, etc). If you are in the market for a "new" (to you) car - you probably have a budget. If you have a budget, you can make a choice about what is your preferred colour, size, age and drive train. It's just a part of the buying decision.
For me the issue is all about initial cost. In many ways I am probably the ideal EV owner. Most of my normal everyday journeys are relatively short, and we don't usually go far with the caravan these days, not like we used to. For us 200 miles would be an exceptionally long journey, we rarely go much more than 100 - 150 miles from home by car. I could easily install a charging point on our driveway too, We never need to park on the road at home.
I could never afford to actually buy an EV though, even the smallest would be way outside our budget. I have seen mobility scooters that cost more than our current car! A small EV would be no use to me anyway, as I need a car that has a fairly high driving position due to my flexibility issues. I struggle to get out of low cars. My present car, which I have now had 7 years, cost £4,000. Yes I do mean £4,000 not £40,000, and that is probably less than the cost of a set of batteries for an EV.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Electric car
via mobile 29/3/2026 at 11:26am
