As part of Toyota’s desire to engineer greater driving appeal into its cars, most current generation Toyota Hybrid models have the capacity to tow trailers and caravans. This might lead owners to wonder how about hybrid towing and how much their car is able to tow.
The regulations surrounding towing can be quite complicated to understand. So while this post is not designed to explain all the rules on this subject, we hope it clears some confusion by supplying straightforward answers to important, frequently asked questions.
Within this post we have also supplied relevant links to official government pages, related associations, and Toyota resources.
1) Hybrid towing – Which Toyota Hybrid models can tow?
The latest generation Yaris, Corolla, Toyota C-HR, RAV4 and Prius.
Moving upwards in towing ability, the latest Yaris has a towing capacity of 450kg. The Prius and Toyota C-HR share a recommended towing capacity of 725kg for both a braked or unbraked trailer. You can read more about this in our special feature on towing with a Prius. Meanwhile, all Corolla models – Hatchback, Touring Sports and Saloon – have an unbraked capacity of 450kg and a braked towing capacity of 750kg.
All RAV4 models have a legal towing capacity of 750kg for unbraked trailers. But with regard to braked trailers (where the trailer has its own braking system), the front-wheel drive RAV4 has a recommended towing capacity of 800kg and the all-wheel drive RAV4 has a 1,650kg capacity. Straddling the two is the new RAV4 Plug-in, which has a braked trailer maximum set at a 1,500kg.
For more information on how legal towing capacities are calculated, please see question four.
2) Hybrid towing – Can I tow with a Toyota Camry?
The current generation Camry has not been homologated to tow in the United Kingdom.
Some hybrid Camry models in other markets have been specially configured to tow light loads but these models are not available in the UK. Their cooling systems are different and the components cannot be retro-fitted to UK-spec cars.
3) Hybrid towing – What am I allowed to tow?
It depends on when you passed your driving test, the weight of your car and what you are towing.
You can get the latest rules and restrictions on the government services and information website.
4) What is my car legally allowed to tow?
The figure authorities use to enforce the maximum towing capacity of a vehicle can be found on the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) plate. This goes for all cars, not just those capable of hybrid towing.
Not all vehicles have been homologated to tow, but those that have will display either three or four sets of figures on the VIN plate. Reading from top to bottom, these will be the gross vehicle weight (the maximum mass of the vehicle including occupants, fuel and load), the gross vehicle train weight (the combined maximum mass of the vehicle and trailer) and the maximum loads across the front and rear axles respectively.
In order to create a recommended maximum towing capacity, vehicle manufacturers usually deduct the gross vehicle weight from the gross vehicle train weight.
For more advice on your specific Toyota model and hybrid towing, please follow this link to the My Toyota site where you download a copy of the owner’s manual for your car.
See more: Towing the line with the new Toyota Prius
Further information: National Trailer & Towing Association
Further information: AA guidance on towing
Are you able to share the noseweight limit for the highlander pls? Many thanks
Hi David,
We do not have this information available at the moment.
Thanks.
This is critical information and is at least as important as the trailer weight so should be readily available both as a result of this query and be included in the sales brochure, which is missing this information on the one I’ve just downloaded. VW/Skoda recently were unable to provide this info for me, so I switched to another make of vehicle, its so important.
Hi,
Our Product team have advised that the vertical load for the Highlander is 80kg.
We hope this helps.
Thanks.
Hi
I have a 2007 toyota arphard hybird 2.4L, and i own a 15 foot caravan, just wonder if can tow?
Hi there,
As the Alphard was not produced for the UK market, we do not have any information on this.
We apologise that we cannot assist you further.
Thanks.
I am looking to purchase a Toyota Vellfire 3.5z 4 wheel drive as have a caravan with weight 1987kg. This Toyota being a Japanese import, I am finding it difficult to get a definite answer, can you help as no one seems to be able to say Manufacturers recommended towing weight or even a max tow all weight. Thanks in anticipation.
Hi Gary,
Unfortunately, we do not have information on imported vehicles so we cannot assist with this query.
We apologise that we cannot help you further.
Thanks.
We have just purchased a 2022 Yaris hybrid registration EK22OGX. Can you tell me if it can tow a small caravan . Eg 450 kgs or any heavier ?
Hi Roma,
Thanks for your comment and congratulations on your new Yaris.
The towing capacity of your Yaris is 450kg.
Thanks.
Hi there i am looking for some help i want to know if the Rav 4 hybrid both FHEV and PHEV are suitable for towing a caravan at 1500kg ? on paper they seem good however i am concerned that i will loose power once the batteries are flat on a long run. any help would be appreciated.
Hi Winston,
Thanks for your comment
The braked towing capacity of the AWD RAV4 Hybrid is 1,650kg.
The braked towing capacity of the RAV4 Plug-in is 1,500kg.
We hope this helps.
Thanks.
thank you for your fast response to my question that does help me however are you able to tell me the engine power alone when the batteries have gone flat ie BHP of the 2.5 petrol engine all i can find is the combined power of 306hp for both EV and petrol together
Hi Winston,
If the batteries have no charge on the RAV4 Plug-in, it will revert to the standard hybrid powertrain.
The maximum power output of the RAV4 Hybrid is 218bhp on the FWD model and 222bhp on the AWD model.
We hope this helps.
Thanks.
Reading all of the above, it would seem I can not tow with my Toyota Auris but you can with a Prius , should you not make sure your dealerships inform potential buyers of this fact. I have bought a car I am unable to use with my light weight trailer
Hi,
Congratulations on your new car. If you asked the centre whether it could tow and they misled you, we recommend contacting the customer relations team here:
https://www.toyota.co.uk/help-centre#/iframe/https%3A%2F%2Fforms.toyota.co.uk%2Fcontact-us
Otherwise, it is the responsibility of the potential owner to ensure the vehicle suits their requirements before purchase.
Thanks
Hi I have a Yaris 1.5 Hybrid 2020 . Can you please tell me what is the maximum weight caravan I can tow . With /without brake’s . Many thanks
Hi Stephen,
Please provide the vehicle registration so we can look into this for you.
Thanks.
Hi I have a Toyota corolla touring sports hybrid (reg:ML19RBX). Can you please tell me what is the maximum weight caravan I can tow . With /without brake’s
Hi Adrian,
Thanks for your comment.
The unbraked towing capacity for your Corolla is 450kg.
The braked towing capacity is 750kg.
Thanks.
Hi, I have a 64 reg Toyota Auris hybrid, can I put a tow bar on it so I can mount a bike carrier?
Hi Wendy,
Please provide your vehicle registration so we can look into this for you.
Thanks.
Hi I am looking at purchasing a Yaris Cross AWD automatic can you advise the towing capacity, I have noticed the RAV4 in AWD doubles it’s towing capacity compared to the 2wd, does this apply to the Yaris Cross, the caravan I am looking at has an MPTLM of 1150kg
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your interest in the Yaris Cross.
The towing capacity is 1350kg for vehicles with towing packages.
You can book a test drive for the Yaris Cross here – https://www.toyota.co.uk/test-drive.
Thanks.
Thank you that’s great, looking forward to arranging a test drive with my local dealership
Hi Dave,
No problem at all.
If there is anything else we can do to help, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Thanks.