Our Xplore touring caravan range is one of the most lightweight on the market – perhaps the perfect choice if you’re going to be towing with an electric (or hybrid) car.

Andrew Ditton is a freelance journalist and content producer with over 20 years of experience, specialising in Caravan, Camper Van, and Motorhome content. He knows his stuff!

“With an eye on sustainability, I have recently acquired a Battery Electric Vehicle (EV), and am the first UK journalist touring with a caravan and an EV in the real world.”

Indeed, in 2022, Andrew bought an Xplore Active 304 (a Retailer Special Edition of our multi-award-winning, standard Xplore 304), which he tows with a fully-electric Kia EV6 GT Line.

And tow he does!,. Andrew has thoroughly put this new combo through its paces, travelling from his Outer Hebrides home to London is par for the course.

Andrew is keen to share his EV advice and experience, with his legion of followers and caravanners looking to make the switch to electric.

Andrew writes, blogs and vlogs regularly about the reality of electric touring:

The Advantages of Towing with an EV

There are so many advantages of towing with an EV:

1. Stress-free driving experience
2. Quiet, calm experience in the cabin
3. Powerful, instant torque
4. Serene manoeuvring on site
5. Convenience of charging at home (if you have off-road parking)
6. Lower overall running costs (at least for now)
7. Lower whole-life carbon emissions
8. V2L - some EVs can be used as Electric Hook-ups for your caravan

“It’s hard to put into words just what an awesome experience it is towing with a Battery Electric Car. You just put your foot down, and you silently move off almost as if the caravan or camping trailer isn’t there. The cabin is silent, bar the roll of the tyres on the tarmac. Manoeuvring on site is stress-free with zero engine noise and zero revs. At the moment, running costs of an EV are cheaper than those of an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle.”

The Disadvantages of Towing with an EV

1. Purchase Price is higher than the ICE equivalent
2. Public Charging Network is not set up for cars that are towing
3. You need to plan trips and charging stops very carefully
4. Some people may get defensive about your decision
5. “Even if you were planning on spending over £40k on your new car, an EV is still more expensive to buy than the petrol or diesel equivalent. Only a handful of EVs on the used market are able to tow - and these tend to be at the executive end of the market, negating any saving on buying a new Kia, Hyundai, or Skoda.

“Sadly, the charging network in the UK is not as reliable as it could be, and in over 90% of cases is not trailer-friendly - you’ll need to detach the caravan in order to charge the car.

“If you’re going to tow over 120-150 miles, you’ll need to plan your route and plan your charging stops. Part of that planning process is checking out motorway service areas on Google Maps to make sure that you won’t get caught up in a rigid one-way system that doesn’t allow you to get back to the chargers after dropping the caravan/camping trailer, or vice versa.”

Is an EV for me?

“I am not sponsored by motor manufacturers. I’m not a huge organisation that’s in bed with the car industry, so I can speak freely and without prejudice.

“If you are in the market for a £40k+ car, and you normally tow shorter distances or are willing to accept the current faff of detaching the caravan to charge the car, then I’d suggest you seriously consider an EV, because they deliver, in my opinion, a far superior towing experience than a fossil-fuelled car.

“If you are not prepared to accept the faff of detaching the caravan to charge, then consider a plug-in hybrid. You’ll benefit from some of the advantages of an EV, especially solo for shorter distances, with the back up of a combustion engine for towing. However, you have the additional weight and running costs of both systems on board.”

Of course, Andrew bought his new Kia EV6 GT Line specifically to tow his lightweight Xplore.

If you’re already running an EV or Hybrid and looking for the perfect, lightweight caravan for your adventures, it’s time to check out Xplore!