8
Diesel, petrol, hybrid engines and all electric have their advantages for towing. Diesel, petrol, hybrid engines and all electric have their advantages for towing. Benefit from free tow-matching when you Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club join the Club . There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following the 'dieselgate' scandal of 2015, in which Volkswagen was found to have cheated emissions tests in the US, diesel cars have declined in popularity. Petrol power now takes the lion's share of new car sales, and electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are taking a growing share of the market. Although petrol cars account for around 65 per cent of UK new car sales (2019), tow car drivers shouldn't dismiss diesel. This type of engine still has many advantages for towing, and the latest generation of diesels emit much less than older diesels. In the longer term, both petrol and diesel fuels look set to be replaced by battery electric cars (and possibly hydrogen fuel cell vehicles), with a move to hybrids and plugging hybrids bridging the gap between the internal combustion engine and the fossil-fuel free future. Growing numbers of hybrids are homologated for towing, and even some pure electric vehicles. So, how do you separate anti-diesel fact from fiction? Are modern petrols just as capable of towing as their diesel counterparts? And are hybrids and electric vehicles now capable tow cars? Which type of fuel is best for towing? Diesel versus petrol Although alternative technologies are gaining popularity, most tow car drivers are choosing between diesel and petrol. Here is a look at the pros and cons of each. Diesels are almost always more fuel-efficient than the equivalent petrol car, and that can lead to big savings at the pumps. We have taken a basket of three popular cars (the BMW 5 Series Touring, the Kia Sportage, and the Skoda Karoq) and compared the fuel bills of a petrol and diesel model. Our calculations are based on the official combined figure, under the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) standard. The results of these new tests are much closer to the economy drivers are likely to achieve in real-world driving than the old NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) tests. The diesel versions saved between £209.51 and £411.42 for a driver covering 10,000 miles per year, although this must be set against the higher cost of diesel cars: expect to pay a premium of around £1,000 to £2,000. DATA SHEET #23 Choosing a tow car - Which #23 Choosing a tow car - Which Fuel? Fuel? # 23

DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

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Page 1: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

Diesel, petrol, h ybrid en gin es an d all e lectric h ave th eir advan tages for tow in g.D iesel, petrol, h ybrid en gin es an d all e lectric h ave th eir advan tages for tow in g.

B en efit from free tow -m atch in g w h en you B en efit from free tow -m atch in g w h en you join th e C lu bjoin th e C lu b ..

The re have been b ig change s in the ca r

ma rke t ove r re cent yea rs . Fo l low ing the

'd ie s e lga te ' s canda l o f 2015, in w hich

Vo lksw agen w as found to have chea ted

em is s ions te s ts in the U S, d ie s e l ca rs have

de cl ined in popu la rity. Pe t ro l pow e r now

take s the l ion 's s ha re o f new ca r s a le s , and

e le ct ric veh icle s and p lug-in hybrids a re

taking a grow ing sha re o f the ma rke t .

A lthough pe t ro l ca rs a ccount fo r a round 65

pe r cent o f U K new ca r s a le s (2019), tow ca r drive rs s hou ldn 't d ism is s d ie s e l. Th is type o f e ng ine

s t i l l ha s m any advantage s fo r tow ing, and the la te s t gene ra t ion o f d ie s e ls em it much le s s than

o lde r d ie s e ls .

In the longe r te rm , bo th pe t ro l and d ie s e l fue ls look s e t to be rep la ced by ba t te ry e le ct ric ca rs

(and pos s ib ly hydrogen fue l ce l l veh icle s ), w ith a move to hybrids and p lugg ing hybrids bridg ing

the gap be tw een the inte rna l combus t ion eng ine and the fo s s i l-fue l fre e future .

Grow ing numbe rs o f hybrids a re homo loga ted fo r tow ing, and e ven s ome pure e le ct ric veh icle s .

So , how do you s epa ra te ant i-d ie s e l fa ct from fict ion? A re mode rn pe t ro ls jus t a s capab le o f

tow ing a s the ir d ie s e l counte rpa rts ? And a re hybrids and e le ct ric veh icle s now capab le tow ca rs ?

W hich type o f fue l is be s t fo r tow ing?

D iesel versus petro lA lthough a lte rna t ive te chno log ie s a re ga in ing popu la rity, mos t tow

ca r drive rs a re choos ing be tw een d ie s e l and pe t ro l. He re is a look

a t the pros and cons o f e a ch.

D ie s e ls a re a lm os t a lw ays more fue l-e ff icie nt than the equ iva lent

pe t ro l ca r, and tha t can le ad to b ig s avings a t the pumps . W e have

taken a ba ske t o f thre e popu la r ca rs (the BMW 5 Se rie s Touring ,

the K ia Spo rtage , and the Skoda Ka roq) and compa red the fue l b i l ls

o f a pe t ro l and d ie s e l mode l. O ur ca lcu la t ions a re ba sed on the o ff icia l combined f igure , unde r

the new W orldw ide Ha rmonis ed L ight Veh icle Te s t P rocedure (W LTP ) s tanda rd . The re su lt s o f

the se new te s ts a re much clo s e r to the e conomy drive rs a re l ike ly to a ch ie ve in re a l-w o rld driving

than the o ld NEDC (New European Driving Cycle ) te s ts .

The d ie s e l ve rs ions s aved be tw een £209.51 and £411.42 fo r a drive r cove ring 10,000 m ile s pe r

yea r, a lthough th is mus t be s e t aga ins t the h ighe r cos t o f d ie s e l ca rs : e xpe ct to pay a prem ium

o f a round £1,000 to £2,000.

D ATA SH EET#2 3 C h o o sing a to w car - W h ich#2 3 C h o o sing a to w car - W h ichFu el?Fu el?

#23

Page 2: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

It w i l l ta ke many m ile s to make up fo r the h ighe r price in fue l s avings , but the grea te r your

tow ing m ile age the m ore you a re l ike ly to s ave . In 2013, The Camping and Ca ravanning C lub

com pa red fue l e conomy w hen tow ing w ith pe t ro l and d ie s e l ca rs , w o rking w ith P ra ct ica l Ca ravan

and W ha t Ca r? . The re s ea rch show ed tha t e conomy w ors ened fa r more fo r pe t ro l ca rs than

d ie s e ls w hen tow ing a ca ravan.

It is no t jus t tha t d ie s e ls w i l l co s t le s s to run than pe t ro ls . The w ay the eng ine s re spond w hen

the drive r p re s s e s on the a cce le ra to r is a ls o impo rtant . D ie s e ls gene ra l ly have more to rque than

pe t ro ls , and th is is de l ive red a t low e r eng ine re vo lut ions . Th is means tha t d ie s e l e ng ine s

re spond more s t rong ly in the m idd le o f the re v range than pe t ro ls , and a re be t te r ab le to pu l l in

a h igh gea r w hen tow ing.

By cont ra s t , pe t ro l e ng ine s o ften have more pow e r a t the top o f the re v range . Th is means the

drive r needs to ho ld on to a low e r gea r fo r longe r w hen a cce le ra t ing to ge t the be s t from the

eng ine . To ma inta in s peed on h i l ls o r ove rtake w hen tow ing, a drive r w i l l ne ed to change gea r

more o ften w hen driving a pe t ro l ca r.

A lthough th is gene ra l is a t ion s t i l l ho lds t rue in mos t ca se s , the re is a s t rong t rend in pe t ro l

e ng ine de s ign fo r sma ll capacity turbocha rged un it s . By us ing turbocha rg ing to fo rce a ir in to the

com bus t ion chambe r the se eng ine s a re more e ff icie nt and have to rque cha ra cte ris t ics tha t make

them be t te r s u ite d to tow ing than mos t non-turbo pe t ro l un it s .

Fo r e xam ple , the 1.5 TSI 150PS eng ine in the Skoda Ka roq and many o the r VW Group ca rs ha s

250Nm o f to rque . Tha t 's more than Mazda 's non-turbo Skyact iv-X eng ine in the 3 ha tchback and

the CX-30 SU V , w hich ha s 224Nm.

It 's no t jus t tha t the turbocha rged pe t ro l ha s more to rque , it 's a ls o de l ive red low e r in the re v

range . The Skoda 's TSI puts out it s maximum from 1,500-3,500rpm , w he rea s the Mazda eng ine

de l ive rs peak to rque a t 3,000rpm .

How eve r, e ven an e ff icie nt and punchy turbocha rged pe t ro l s t rugg le s to pu l l a s w e l l a s a

turbod ie s e l. The equ iva lent d ie s e l in the Skoda Ka roq range ha s 340Nm o f to rque . Tha t 's a 36

pe r cent incre a se ove r the turbocha rged pe t ro l, e nough to be cle a rly no t ice ab le w hile tow ing.

D iesel versus petro l tow cars: w h ich w eighm ore?As w e l l a s having more to rque , d ie s e l e ng ine s tend to be heavie r than the ir pe t ro l e qu iva lents .

Th is e xt ra w e ight he lps w ith s tab i l i ty w hen tow ing.

Take the BMW 5 Se rie s Touring from our fue l co s t compa ris on. The 520d Touring ha s a

ke rbw e ight o f 1,735kg, w he rea s the 520i Touring ha s a ke rbw e ight o f 1,705kg. Tha t g ive s an

85% m a tch f igure o f 1,475kg fo r the d ie s e l (s e e the Ma tch ing Ca r and Ca ravan Da ta Shee t) , and

1,449kg fo r the pe t ro l.

O ften, d ie s e ls w i l l have a h ighe r le ga l tow ing l im it than the equ iva lent pe t ro l. The K ia Spo rtage

d ie s e l in our com pa ris on ha s a 1,900kg l im it , w he rea s the pe t ro l ha s a 1,600kg maximum. In the

ca se o f the Skoda Ka roq, the d ie s e l 's maximum is 1,800kg, the pe t ro l is 1,500kg. The BMW is

the on ly ca r o f the thre e w ith ident ica l tow ing l im its fo r bo th d ie s e l and pe t ro l mode ls (2,000kg).

Page 3: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

R easons to choose a petro l tow carO n the fa ce o f it , tha t make s qu ite an open and shut ca se fo r a d ie s e l e ng ine , but pe t ro l mode ls

have the ir advantage s . The mos t obvious is p rice . As ment ioned above , the d iffe rence in cos t can

be a s m uch a s £2,000, w hich w il l ta ke many m ile s to make up in fue l s avings .Tha t is one re a son

w hy pe t ro l ca rs can m ake more s ense fo r low m ile age drive rs .

In the pa s t , d ie s e ls have tended to ho ld the ir va lue be t te r than pe t ro l ca rs . How eve r, a s the

popula rity o f d ie s e l ha s w aned, tha t pa t te rn ha s changed. Acco rd ing to W ha t Ca r? , the K ia

Spo rtage pe t ro l in our fue l e conomy compa ris on re ta ins 51% o f it s o rig ina l p rice a fte r thre e yea rs

and 36,000 m ile s , s ome 8% more than the d ie s e l In the ca se o f the Skoda , the pe t ro l hangs on

to 51% , the d ie s e l 46% .

If you a re buying a new ca r, tha t means you bene fit tw ice from choos ing a pe t ro l – no t on ly w il l

you pay le s s up front , depend ing on the make and mode l you may hang on to more o f w ha t you

pa id w hen you e ventua l ly s e l l the ca r on.

Fo r us ed ca r buye rs , it make s d ie s e l a more a ffo rdab le cho ice , a s the price prem ium fo r a new

d ie s e l is e roded ove r t ime .

A lthough s e rvice in te rva ls on many mode rn ca rs a re ident ica l w he the r you choose pe t ro l o r

d ie s e l, s e rvicing b i l ls a re gene ra l ly cheape r i f you ow n a pe t ro l ca r. Then the re is no is e to

cons ide r. Pe t ro l e ng ine s a re gene ra l ly qu ie te r and smoo the r than d ie s e ls .

W hich is m ore realib le petro l or d iesel?Resea rch by the consume r group W hich? s ugge s ts tha t - cont ra ry to popu la r be l ie f - d ie s e l

eng ine s a re le s s re l ia b le than pe t ro ls . In pa rt icu la r the re is one common prob lem w ith

today’s d ie s e ls : they do no t l ike s ho rt journeys . Mode rn d ie s e l e ng ine s a re f it te d w ith D ie s e l

Pa rt icu la te Fi lte rs (DPFs ) tha t remove s oo ty pa rt icle s from the e xhaus t . O nce in a w hile the

DPF burns o ff the pa rt icu la te ma t te r it ha s t rapped, but it needs to re a ch a h igh ope ra t ing

tempe ra ture to do s o . I f your driving mos t ly cons is ts o f b rie f tow n journeys , the DPF can

be come clogged. I f th is is no t cove red unde r w a rranty it may cos t a four-f igure s um to put

right .

Manufa cture rs have been w orking to ge t round th is

prob lem , but it is a draw back tha t ha s no t been

e l im ina ted comple te ly.

Pe t ro l ca rs a ls o have s ome environmenta l advantage s

ove r d ie s e ls . W hile d ie s e ls p roduce le s s ca rbon d ioxide

(CO 2), one o f the ga se s l inked to cl ima te change , they

do no t burn a s cle an ly a s pe t ro ls .

D ie s e ls p roduce m ore s oo ty em is s ions , w hich DPFs a re

de s igned to t rap . I f inha le d , the se pa rt icu la te s can be ha rm fu l to the lungs and hea rt .

O lde r d ie s e ls a ls o produce more n it rogen oxide (NO x), w hich a re a ls o ha rm fu l to human hea lth .

But the be s t b rand new d ie s e ls now produce ve ry l i t t le NO x.

Page 4: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

C leaner d ieselsA ll e ng ine s mus t m ee t ce rta in European regu la t ions , but d ie s e ls a re a l low ed to em it more o f

s ome po l lu tants than pe t ro ls . How eve r, the Euro 6 s tanda rd , w hich came into fo rce fo r new

mode ls in Septembe r 2014 (and e xis t ing ca rs from Septembe r 2015), ha s na rrow ed the gap in

w ha t ’s a cceptab le fo r the tw o fue l type s . U nde r Euro 5 ru le s , d ie s e ls cou ld em it thre e t imes a s

much NO x a s a pe t ro l ca r. U nde r Euro 6, the NO x l im its have s tayed the s ame fo r pe t ro l e ng ine s

but d ie s e l l im its have dropped to jus t a th ird more than fo r pe t ro l ca rs .

U pda te s to the Euro 6 s tanda rd have a ls o pushed manufa cture rs to make cle ane r pe t ro l and

d ie s e l e ng ine s . Since Septembe r 2017 ca rs have been te s ted to the toughe r and more re a l is t ic

W LTP s tanda rd , ra the r than the o ld NEDC s ys tem . So w hile the pe rm it te d le ve l o f em is s ions

hasn 't changed, the te s t me thod ha s .

The W LTP te s ts a re s upp lemented by RDE (Rea l Driving Em is s ions ) te s ts on the road. The se a re

de s igned to che ck tha t ca rs a re no t p roducing s ign if icant ly more po l lu t ion in re a l-w o rld cond it ions

than in the labo ra to ry, and to make it more d iff icu lt fo r a manufa cture r to chea t the te s ts .

To he lp a ch ie ve Euro 6 unde r more s t ringent te s t cond it ions , manufa cture rs have looked a t a

va rie ty o f new te chno log ie s . O ne o f the mos t impo rtant is Se le ct ive Ca ta lyt ic Reduct ion (SCR),

w hich use s a ca ta lys t and a urea s o lut ion ca l le d AdB lue (o r D ie s e l Exhaus t Flu id) to remove NO x

em is s ions from the e xhaus t .

The AdB lue is s to red in a s epa ra te tank and w il l ne ed topp ing up from t ime to t ime .

Vo lksw agen’s Pa s sa t us e s AdB lue in s ome mode ls and VW says a fu l l 13-l it re AdB lue tank shou ld

la s t fo r approxima te ly 5,600 m ile s .The drive r re ce ive s a w a rn ing mes sage on the da shboa rd to

ind ica te the tank is runn ing low . Rep la cement AdB lue is a va i la b le through ca r dea le rs and many

fi l l ing s ta t ions . P rice s va ry, but e xpe ct to pay a round £1.50-£2 pe r l i t re .

W hicheve r te chno logy is employed, the new la te s t gene ra t ion o f d ie s e ls is much cle ane r than

ea rl ie r e ng ine s . How eve r, independent te s t ing by companie s l ike Em is s ions Ana lyt ics s ugge s t

the re a re s t i l l s ign if icant d iffe rence be tw een the cle ane s t and d irt ie s t ca rs , e ven those w hich

mee t the Euro 6 s tanda rd .

Petro l versus d iesel: w h ich is best fortow ing?Fo r the right d rive r, LPG make s a s ens ib le a lte rna t ive fue l and hybrid and e le ct ric ca rs a ls o have

the ir p la ce . Hydrogen pow e r is a ls o on the ho riz on, a lthough fo r the next few yea rs the re s t ricte d

re fue l l ing ne tw ork w il l l im it it s appea l. Fo r mos t tow ca r drive rs , the cho ice s t i l l comes dow n to

pe t ro l o r d ie s e l.

So , the re a re cle a rly pros and cons to bo th o f the ma jo r fue l type s . W hich is be s t depends la rge ly

on how m any m ile s you drive , w ha t you need to tow and how o ften you tow it .

The low e r your annua l m ile age and the l ighte r your ca ravan o r t ra i le r, the more s ense pe t ro l

make s . How eve r, fo r re gu la r tow ing – e spe cia l ly i f you ho l iday in a s ubs tant ia l ca ravan – the

ext ra pu l l ing pow e r o f a d ie s e l e ng ine make s it a be t te r cho ice fo r mos t drive rs . And the be s t

new d ie s e ls em it fa r le s s than the ir 'd irty' re puta t ion w ould have you be l ie ve .

Page 5: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

S hou ld I convert m y tow car to LP G ?A few yea rs ago LPG (l iqu if ie d pe t ro le um gas ) w as touted a s the

next b ig th ing . Le s s e xpens ive to buy than pe t ro l, LPG s eemed l ike

the idea l fue l fo r ow ne rs o f pe t ro l ca rs – e spe cia l ly b ig 4x4s –

looking to keep a l id on the ir runn ing cos ts . The re a l ity is a l i t t le

more com plica ted , a lthough fo r the right tow ca r and drive r LPG s t i l l

ha s a lo t go ing fo r it .

Mos t pe t ro l ca rs can be conve rted to run on LPG. Th is invo lve s

ins ta l l ing a s e cond fue l tank, o ften in the s pa re w hee l w e l l . The ca r

can then run on LPG w he re ava i la b le , o r on pe t ro l i f you s t rugg le to

f ind an LPG f i l l ing s ta t ion. How eve r, a cco rd ing to the d i l l lpg .co .uk w ebs ite , the re a re 1,873

re fue l l ing s ite s in the U K, s o it s hou ld no t be too much o f cho re to f ind one .

The bene fit o f LPG is no t improved fue l e conomy – e ven LPG ’s keene s t advoca te s adm it tha t

fue l e conomy is l ike ly to w o rs en by a round 20 pe r cent – but be cause the price o f LPG is s o

much low e r than pe t ro l, your fue l b i l ls s hou ld fa l l d rama t ica l ly.

Fo r e xample , a pe t ro l-pow e red 4x4 tha t re turns 25mpg fue l le d by un le aded pe t ro l m ight

re turn 20m pg us ing LPG. T rave l l ing 10,000 m ile s fue l le d by un le aded w ould mean a b i l l o f

£2,302 (ba sed on a fue l co s t o f £1.266 pence pe r l i t re ). Driving the s ame d is tance us ing LPG

w ould cos t £1,452.50 (ba sed on 63.9pp l). Tha t is a s aving o f £849.50., o r jus t ove r 8p fo r

e ve ry m ile driven.

O f cours e , the re is the cos t o f the conve rs ion it s e lf to cons ide r. Th is va rie s depend ing on

the make and m ode l and the company do ing the conve rs ion, but is l ike ly to be a round

£1,200 (take a look a t the Drive LPG (w w w .drive lpg .co .uk) w ebs ite fo r a l is t o f approved

ins ta l le rs ). U s ing tha t f igure and the e s t ima ted fue l b i l ls above it w ould ta ke 14,126 m ile s

to m ake ba ck the cos t o f the conve rs ion in fue l s avings . Tha t is i f you a re ab le to drive

exclus ive ly on LPG, s o in pra ct ice the t rue m ile age is l ike ly to be h ighe r.

So , i f you p lan to keep a ca r fo r a w hile an LPG conve rs ion s hou ld pay fo r it s e lf and

u lt im a te ly le ave you be t te r o ff. How eve r, the re a re s ome d is advantage s to be aw a re o f. Jus t

a s mpg w ors ens w hen us ing LPG, s o pow e r is a ls o reduced. Many ow ne rs s ay they can ’t te l l

the d iffe rence , but it is the re .

A ls o , i f your ca r is s t i l l unde r the o rig ina l w a rranty an LPG conve rs ion may inva l ida te it fo r

the re la ted components , a lthough th is is no t a conce rn w ith an o lde r veh icle . Y ou w il l a ls o

no t be ab le to ta ke your ca r through the Channe l Tunne l (a lthough it can be taken on cros s -

Channe l fe rrie s .)

The lo s s o f the s pa re w hee l w e l l is a rguab ly a b igge r is s ue . Drive rs can ca rry a s pa re

se cured in the boo t , but th is le ave s le s s room fo r luggage s o ca rrying the s pa re ove r the

axle in the ca ravan may be an opt ion.

O ve ra l l , though, i f you ow n an o lde r pe t ro l ca r and p lan to hang on to it fo r a good few

yea rs , an LPG conve rs ion cou ld s ave you hundreds o f pounds in the long run.

Page 6: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

T im e to sw itch on to a hybrid or e lectric?Hybrids and e le ct ric ca rs a re no longe r n iche veh icle s , and now a ccount fo r a round thre e pe r cent

o f ca rs s o ld . An incre a s ing numbe r o f hybrids – and e ven s ome pure e le ct ric veh icle s – a re

approved fo r tow ing.

B road ly s peaking , the re a re tw o kinds o f hybrids . Convent iona l hybrids conve rt kine t ic e ne rgy into

e le ct ricity through regene ra t ive braking s ys tems and can a ls o top up the ir ba t te rie s us ing the

pe t ro l o r d ie s e l e ng ine a s a gene ra to r. Th is doe s aw ay w ith the need fo r p lugg ing the ca r in to

cha rge the ba t te rie s , but the d is tance s s uch ca rs can t rave l on e le ct ric pow e r a lone a re re la t ive ly

sma ll. Hybrids o f th is type homo loga ted fo r tow ing include the Lexus NX and RX hybrids ,and the

Range Rove r and Range Rove r Spo rt Hybrids .

Increa s ing ly, manufa cture rs a re turn ing aw ay from convent iona l hybrids in fa vour o f p lug-in

hybrids tha t can be re cha rged from domes t ic s ocke ts o r s pe cia l cha rg ing po ints , a s w e l l a s us ing

regene ra t ive braking o r ta king pow e r from the eng ine . The se t rave l furthe r on e le ct ric pow e r

a lone than regu la r hybrids (more than 30 m ile s in idea l cond it ions , depend ing on the mode l).

Ca rs o f th is type tha t have h igh enough tow ing l im its to pu l l a ca ravan include the M its ub is h i

O ut lande r PHEV and the Vo lksw agen Pa s sa t GTE.

Bo th kinds prom is e good fue l e conomy and ve ry low o ff icia l ca rbon d ioxide outputs . Be cause o f

the w ay the o ff icia l fue l and em is s ions f igure s a re ca lcu la ted , p lug-in hybrids in pa rt icu la r

a ch ie ve e xcept iona l numbe rs in the lab , a lthough manufa cture rs adm it the re a l-w o rld e conom y is

un l ike ly to be qu ite s o good.

The se ca rs a re e spe cia l ly appea l ing i f you have a company ca r, s ince Bene fit -In-K ind (B IK) ta x

b i l ls depend on a veh icle ’s p rice and CO 2 output .

As tow ca rs , p lug-in hybrids a re a t the ir be s t w hen the

ba t te ry is fu l ly cha rged. In te s ts ca rrie d out by The

Camping and Ca ravanning C lub in a s socia t ion w ith

P ra ct ica l Ca ravan and W ha t Ca r? , the Vo lvo V60 P lug-

In Hybrid a ch ie ved 44.9mpg tow ing a tw in-axle toure r

w ith a fu l l cha rge , d ropp ing to 29.6mpg runn ing w ith a

low ba t te ry.

Pe t ro l-e le ct ric p lug-in hybrids a re more common than

d ie s e l-e le ct ric hybrids l ike the Vo lvo , w hich is no longe r on s a le . The se tend to de l ive r poo r

e conom y once the ba t te rie s a re low .

So , the se ca rs m ake mos t s ense fo r company ca r drive rs w ith s ho rt commute s , w ho shou ld be

ab le to com ple te the ir da i ly d riving on e le ct ricity a lone and bene fit from low (B IK) ta x b i l ls .

E le ct ric ca rs approved fo r tow ing include the Aud i e -t ron (le ga l tow ing l im it : 1,800kg), the Jagua r

I-Pa ce (750kg), the Me rcede s -Benz EQ C (1,800kg), the Te s la Mode l X (2,250kg) and the Te s la 3

(910kg).

How eve r, a lthough the range o f e le ct ric ca rs is s te ad i ly improving , the e xt ra w e ight and drag o f a

ca ravan reduce s the d is tance the se ca rs can t rave l on a cha rge . O ur ow n te s ts s ugge s ted a range

o f jus t ove r 100 m ile s fo r the I-Pa ce w hile tow ing.

The d iff icu lty o f re cha rg ing on a long journey is ano the r l im ita t ion. As re cha rg ing s pa ce s a re

s iz ed fo r ca rs , no t ca rs and ca ravans , d rive rs w ould need to f ind s omew he re to s e cure ly pa rk

the ir ca ravan be fo re driving to the cha rg ing s ta t ion.

Page 7: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following

The proce s s w il l e ventua l ly be come le s s one rous a s more u lt ra -rap id cha rge rs a re in t roduced,

w hich can a ch ie ve an 80 pe r cent cha rge in a s l i t t le a s 30 m inute s . In the long-te rm , a s and

w hen e le ct ric ca rs be come more common than pe t ro ls and d ie s e ls , w e 'd e xpe ct cha rg ing po ints to

be added to ca ravan pa rking a rea s a t mo to rw ay s e rvice s ta t ions .

H ow to save fuel w hen tow ingDrive more s low ly. Tow ing a t 55mph ra the r than 60mph on the moto rw ay w il l re duce your

fue l b i l l

A lw ays make sure the tyre s on your ca r and ca ravan a re in f la ted to the co rre ct p re s sure

fo r tow ing

Keep w indow s clo s ed fo r be t te r a e rodynam ics

Leave the a ir cond it ion ing sw itched o ff w heneve r pos s ib le

Ant icipa te gaps in t ra ff ic a t roundabouts and junct ions to reduce the need to s top and

then a cce le ra te from s tands t i l l .

If you ha ve fe e dba ck on our ne w forma t Da ta she e t, p le a se le t us know , using our short

Fe e dba ck Form.

Page 8: DATA SHEET 23 - Camping and Caravanning Club€¦ · Benefit from free tow-matching when you join the Club. There have been big changes in the car market over recent years. Following