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
Can I fit a tow bar to a auris hybrid 2015
Just need it for a bike rack as I use a roof box thanks del
Hi Del,
Whilst your car is not homologated to tow, a bike carrier can be fitted, without a tow bar, using the Easyclick system. Please contact your nearest Toyota centre for more information.
Thanks
Hi – I’m looking at the 2021 RAV4 PHEV and am intrigued that on the self configure website options the detachable towbar pack appears to only offer 7 pin electrics as standard in the towing pack. Is this right? For a £50K brand new car this would be a deal breaker for me as I am not going to go to the further expense of fitting 13 pin electrics…
Hi Roger,
Thanks for contacting us, and apologies for the delay whilst we’ve looked into this for you.
Both 7 and 13 pin electrics are available on the RAV4 PHEV, and this should have been made clearer on our website.
Your nearest Toyota Centre will be able to talk you through all of the options available to help you make an informed purchase decision.
Thanks.
How can I prevent the rear proximity warning from sounding when I am backing a trailer ?
Hi Tim,
Thanks for getting in touch.
Please could you provide us with your UK reg, and we can then look into this for you.
Thanks.
Fresh Import Toyota Alphard Estima 8 seater MPV 2.4 Hybrid Electric/Petrol what is the towing capacity my caravan is 1500kg thanks
Hi Kenneth,
As the car is an import, we don’t hold technical specification info.
Sorry about that.
Thanks
Will Toyota be producing a towbar for the new 2021 Yaris hybrid? I would want to carry a towbar mounted bike rack for 2 bikes with a combined weight of about 30kg.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comment.
For new Yaris, a Horizontal Detachable Towing Hitch with part number PW9600D002 should be available.
However, the only genuine Toyota bike rack that we currently produce for new Yaris is roof-mounted, with a maximum bike weight of 20kg.
If a towbar bike rack is essential, there will probably be aftermarket options available.
Thanks.
Thank you for your help with this, as a result of which I have been able to get one ordered and it should be fitted to the car when it’s delivered.
That’s great news, Paul!
We hope you’ll love your new Yaris when it arrives.
Thanks.
Hi. I have a 2007 Estima 4wd Hybrid. As far as I can tell it doesn’t have any towing capacity. Can you confirm? Thanks
Hi Eddie,
Thanks for your comment.
We can only provide information on UK specification vehicles, so we would recommend contacting Toyota in your region for further assistance.
Thanks.
Is there a Toyota approved detachable tow bar for a 16 reg Rav 4 Hybrid and do Toyota dealers fit them.
Thanks Charlie
Hi Charlie,
Thanks for getting in touch with us.
Could you please provide us with your reg? We can then look into this for you.
Thanks.
I am looking at purchasing a used 4th generation Yaris hybrid (approx 8 months old). Section 1) of this web page states that the latest generation Yaris can tow, therefore I assumed a tow bar and tow bar bike rack could be fitted. However, the toyota dealership are advising that this is not possible and only a roof mounted bike rack can be fitted. Please can you confirm if this is correct. If it is not correct please can you confirm the relevant part number for the tow bar bike rack. Many thanks
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for your comment.
There is a Horizontal Detachable Towing Hitch available for the 4th generation Yaris, with the part number PW9600D002.
However, your Toyota Centre is correct in saying that there is no official Toyota towbar bike rack available for this vehicle. The only official bike rack produced for this vehicle is indeed a roof rack.
There is however the option to consider an aftermarket accessory.
Thanks.
Having just taken delivery of a 2021 RAV4 AWD hybrid, I’m concerned that the towball height is way too high on the factory fitted detachable towbar. The rules are governed by EC directive 94/20/EC, which states that the middle of the towball should be at a height between 350mm and 420mm with the vehicle laden. In the unladen state mine is at 490mm. Fully laden it might possibly sag to 420mm but I very much doubt it. Even if so most people will not be driving fully laden plus a trailer. I certainly don’t, so most of the time the hitch will be too high and the back of a trailer or caravan will risk grounding and damage.
The dealer says it’s fitted correctly and that they have not heard of anyone else finding it too high. They’ve passed me on to Toyota Customer Services and I await a response.
I’d be happy to have any clarification of the position on this, and to know whether anyone else is experiencing similar issues.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for getting in touch with us.
We can see that you have been in touch with our Customer Relations team and that they are looking into your case.
We have passed your comments on.
Thanks.
Hi,
Did this issue ever get resolved as I seem to have exactly the same issue with my 2021 RAV4 AWD.
Regards
Patrick
Hi there!
I have just purchased a 2010 Toyota Estima Hybrid from Japan.
The car is on it’s way to the UK and I will have a tow bar fitted for a purpose of carrying a bike rack
but wonder what is a towing capacity of that car.
I was trying to find information online but unfortunately with no luck.
Hope you will be able to help
THanks in advance
Peter
Hi Peter,
Towing capacities for European vehicles sold in the UK are determined using a homologation process that does not apply to vehicles from outside of Europe.
As the vehicle has never been sold in the UK, we don’t have specification information, including towing capacity.
Sorry about that.
Thanks