That's how my previous Volvo worked but was an excellent tow car. I guess it's probably more down to the engine that was used (around 195bhp from memory) didn't actually need any electrical assistance to move it along whereas the smaller engines used in the Kia might do?
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Hybrid car for towing
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My previous car was an XC40, and I found the fuel consumption very disappointing. I wish I had bought a PHEV which has since been discontinued, but only after being loaned a PHEV - which despite being "uncharged" and cold got me back home at precisely half the fuel consumption (42mpg) than my journey to them at 21mpg. I could never get my MHEV to even reach 40mpg... EVER
The Sportage issue is that the MHEV and pure petrol have PPF issues, with cars getting "blocked" PPF warnings every 2-3 months, and Kia not acknowledging the issue. Fuel consumption on these variants is late 20's at best, and Kia have removed them from the range for the 2026 Facelift version
Mine was the V90 mild hybrid and I got around 48mpg on average and around 23mpg towing the caravan. I switched away from Volvo due to various reliability issues. That's disappointing with Kia as I always viewed them as something to consider in the future.
Kia seem to be down a bit in reliabilty and customer satisfaction surveys. At one time my Rio, Xceed and Forester all occupied the top three spots simultaneously. I’ve just resolved the Rios second (minor) fault in nine years 😁
My experience with the Sportage (which is an HEV) is brilliant, better than Volvo which in 2.5 years had 3 major faults, and one still wasn't fixed when I got rid (creaking suspension on going to full lock). The other two faults required rescue and home recovery. The XC40 was a petrol mild hybrid.
Same with my V90. A mate had the V60 diesel mild hybrid and the economy was fantastic but he also suffered similar (software/electrical) issues as did I.
A friend at our seasonal site had a Sportage (Hev) for his caravan he said , it was a fantastic towed car
Bottom end torque of small turbo engines eg sportage 1.6T make them great tow vehicles. My Vitara 1.4T did better job towing power wise than CX5 2.5.
The plus side of going to a PHEV is you can power caravan from it if it has AC outlet. Also battery will help on big hills if you make sure its fully charged before hand.
The plus side of going to a PHEV is you can power caravan from it if it has AC outlet. Also battery will help on big hills if you make sure its fully charged before hand.
I saw that on a YouTube video where the guy plugged his caravan into an EV when on a CL. Has anyone ever seen one of the adaptors for sale?
Adaptors are available for cars with V2L. Bottom of link shows a range of others for different car makes.
Vehicle To Load V2L adapter for Renault - Electric-Star
Power your 230V devices from your Renault electric car Up to 3,5kW For Renault vehicles having the V2L (Vehicle to Load) option V2L-Renault Designed & manufactured in EU
electric-star.com
This video might help.
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Yes Gary, it has to have V2L installed, but as more arrive on the market I suspect many will eventually have it fitted.
AI result for Outlander & Eclipse PHEVs. Which have 20kwhr battery.
- 1500W Power Supply: Equipped with two 220-240V outlets (usually one in the rear cabin and one in the boot), it can power household appliances, camping equipment, or tools.
- Vehicle-to-Home (V2H): Using the CHAdeMO DC fast-charge port, the Outlander can power a home during outages or to mitigate peak electricity tariffs when connected to a compatible bi-directional charger.
We've just bought a BMW X3 PHEV for towing, following good reviews by Practical Caravan, and the bonus is that we can 'save' 100% battery power for when we arrive at the site and use it on pure electric for running around, shopping etc. Then we can re-charge as required from the van's external socket, so probably not using any fossil fuels whilst on holiday.
I tow with a RAV PHEV and it is a superb and very economical tow car. The downside is the low tow weight limit of 1500kg but there are plenty of PHEV’s now on the market with higher limits.
The RAV4 hybrid as opposed to the PHEV can tow 1650kg in AWD model. But you don’t get the benefit of being able to do shorter trips on EV mode only.
That’s a pretty poor solo mpg. I’m disappointed if it’s below 52 mpg even on a motorway where the hybrid effect is reduced.
This is a short trip out on the A4 plus urban roads that I’ve just completed
Plus one a while back on a stormy wet night back on minor A roads across Salisbury Plain.
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I recently bought a 2023 BMW X3 PHEV following a review in the Caravan & Motorhome YouTube channel, which claimed the X3 & X5 were both excellent towing cars, plus being heavier (2065kg) so 70% and well within the 85% range for towing. We're going to try it for the first time over Easter, so will have a better idea then.
I never seen less than 28 mpg towing in a heavy headwind and my foot down 😕
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