What car is best for towing in Ireland? A 2025 guide to petrol, diesel and electric options
Likewise, for businesses, towing can sometimes make a difference.
Here, we're going to check out some of the very best tow cars available today.
Skoda Superb Estate
Skoda Superb Estate.
Skoda's Superb Estate has been a longtime tow car favourite and the latest model looks to continue this.
Inside, you'll find a smart and well-appointed cabin with lots of equipment regardless of which specification you opt for. Skoda's handy 'Smart Dials' allow quick and easy changes of settings such as fan speed and audio volume, too.
But importantly, it's got the right skills when it comes to towing, too. It has an outright towing capacity of 2,000kg when equipped with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, while that engine means that the Superb never feels out of puff.
Kia Sorento
Kia Sorento.
Similar to the Superb Estate, Kia's Sorento has routinely proven to be a big-hitter tow car. The comfortable seven-seater offers a lot of space inside, while Kia's seven-year warranty is a great addition for those who want some added peace of mind.
Its maximum tow weight of 2,500kg is impressive, while the 2.2-litre diesel engine provides enough performance to easily climb steeper inclines.
Volvo V90
Volvo V90.
There was a lot of outcry when Volvo first decided that it would no longer sell its popular estate cars in Ireland, but that decision was quickly reversed to bring both the smaller V60 and this car – the V90 – back to dealerships.
The V90 is a popular option among those who need to tow, while its spacious boot means it's got plenty of space to offer too.
Opt for the current T6 and you'll get a maximum towing capacity of 2,500kg, while high-res cameras can help out when parking.
Nissan X-Trail
Nissan X-Trail.
The X-Trail could be seen as the adventure-ready sister to the popular Qashqai, with this five- or seven-seater's versatility and spaciousness being key plus-points.
It's also available with Nissan's clever e4orce all-wheel-drive technology, which will come in particularly useful when you need to start towing.
It's got a respectable maximum tow weight of 1,800kg, too, which means it should be able to handle most towing jobs.
Kia EV9
Kia EV9.
You may not think that an electric car would be able to handle the demands of towing, but the EV9 goes against this.
It's the largest EV that Kia currently makes and, courtesy of a dual motor setup, it's an electric vehicle with a lot of performance to offer.
It has a maximum tow weight of 2,500kg, so it'll be suitable for all types of tasks. While the 561km headline range is impressive, you'll likely get significantly lower than this when towing – so it's worth bearing in mind.
Volkswagen ID.7 GTX
Volkswagen ID.7.
Another electric tow car option is the Volkswagen ID.7. It's one of the brand's latest EVs and brings with it a well-finished interior with lots of the latest technology.
When you're not towing, the ID.7 also offers a refined driving experience with minimal wind and road noise.
Opt for the dual-motor GTX version and you'll get a maximum towing capacity of 1,200kg, too, which is ideal for smaller caravans and boats. It's more than the 1,000kg capacity you'll get from the non-GTX version, too.
Volkswagen Touareg
The Touareg was Volkswagen's first premium SUV and from the very start, it's a car which has proven its ability to tow.
Famously, back in 2006, a V10 diesel-powered Touareg was used to tow a Boeing 747 simply to showcase the car's towing abilities.
But even if you want to tow something a little more ordinary, the latest Touareg is more than up to the challenge. It's got a maximum towing capacity of 3,500kg.
Read More
Essential electric vehicle tips for Irish road trips and motorway driving
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Skoda Elroq review: Small electric SUV with big range and bigger ambitions
probably not the coolest choice out there, but among the best We should know by now that any new Skoda product is going to be good – just because they are. We know them to be reasonably-priced, beautifully built and endowed with an increasing sense of elan on the design front; they are also reliable (largely), practical and, embarrassingly for parent company VW, better than anything coming out of Wolfsburg. Anything the Skoda people put their hands to, seems to be intuitively on the money and, even when they are thrown a curveball – like designing a new ground-up EV – they seem to be able to make more of the equipment and technology they are allowed access to than anyone else is the VW Group, including Volkswagen itself. That was most certainly the case with the Enyaq EV (actually called the iV under Skoda naming policy), a brilliant design which, aside from embarrassing the original VW ID.4 with its style, capabilities and passenger orientation, has gone on to shift nearly a quarter-of-a-million units since it went into production in November 2020. Now we have the smaller Elroq which, in real terms, is probably a better car than its bigger sibling and one which could be at the forefront of the EV sales revival in the coming months and another huge success for the Czech brand. Despite arriving chez Colley in a vile green overcoat, called 'Timiano green' which was most redolent of duck-egg green, like you used to paint the underside of your Airfix model of the Spitfire. However, I found this mushy-pea green colour to be deeply unattractive. But then – and clearly mirroring the old axiom that 'you never can tell' – numerous female acquaintances remarked that they did love the colour and would be only too happy to have it in their driveway, so from very limited market testing, it seemed that the colour scheme attracted women in particular. I can tell you, though, that irrespective of gender, whoever drives this car will realise from the off that it is one of the best smaller electrics out there. Such as the new Renault Scenic, the Kia EV3 and the Volvo EX30 are all excellent drives, but this is better again. The aim from the people at Mlada Boleslav with the Elroq was to build a smaller, more efficient version of the Enyaq and it is, essentially, a companion car for the Karoq SUV, but without the ICE powerplants that power it. It is part of Skoda's aim to offer electric models alongside some of its most popular diesels, petrols and hybrids. The five-star Skoda Elroq Fittingly for a new model, it is also the car which Skoda has used to launch its new 'modern solid' genre of design. This might sound impressive, but the reality is that they've simply dickied around with the front-end design with a new grille (a gloss black strip replacing the old Skoda grille) and, replacing the company's 'flying turkey' badge with the word 'Skoda' spelt out across the bonnet instead. The rear end is very similar to that of the Enyaq, but that's no bad thing and, all in all, the Elroq is a very smart looking thing rather than being outstandingly beautiful. Indeed, in many ways that sort of thinking – practicality and purpose ahead of unnecessarily fancy-dan stuff – that characterises the car. One of the first things any sensible person looks into when researching an EV is the range and, like its EV sibling, this one is very good – right now. I know I have teased technology coming down the tracks from BMW – I can't fully tell you about it because, under pain of death, it has been embargoed until early next month. However, we have long known that the car companies are working hard on new battery technologies to try and finally put to bed the range anxiety issues that have dogged the EV genre from the outset. That said, Skoda boasts a 576 km range for the Elroq we tested and, as of this moment, that's pretty much as good as it gets. There are actually three variants available – 55-kWh, 63-kWh and 82-kWh – and it was the most potent we tried. The respective ranges for the three are: 373 km; 427 km; and, this one, with the aforementioned 576 km at hand. It will charge to 80% in 28 minutes and a full home charge takes eight hours and, from a performance point of view it has 282 bhp, does the 0-100 km/h dash in 6.6 seconds and the top speed is 180 km/h. All three variants are rear-wheel drive, although there will be a 4x4 when the vRS version arrives. Like most EVs, the official figures for range are easily questioned and with this one I found that the real figure – for heavy-footed me – was actually somewhere around the 490 km mark, but, again, this is pretty good in comparative terms. The Elroq's spacious interior The interior is very nicely put together and the dashboard is particularly attractive, modern and functional; not quite as adventurous as, say, the Cupra Tavascan, but very thoughtfully designed and easy to live with and use. The use of fabric as a primary surface cover is becoming more and more commonplace, but what's been chosen here is very attractive and looks like it will easily withstand daily family abuses. There is a 13' touchscreen for all the infotainment functions and there is also a strip of physical buttons for the climate controls and certain driver assist functions, including the damnable speed warning bonging. It is another example where Skoda gives a clean pair of heels to VW; also, stuff like the ubiquitous umbrella in the driver's door are there, while the orange-coloured seat belts add an unexpected brightness to proceedings. On top of that, the seating is really comfortable, interior space is excellent (for a supposedly small SUV) and the boot space too is generous. And, at 470 litres, the boot is usefully sized. On the road, the Elroq does nothing exceptional, but everything really well. There are no gimmicks here, just good design and engineering; ride comfort is really impressive even on some of our worst surfaces and the handling is well up to what any demanding driver might ask of it. Simply, this is a car that does everything well – it likes the urban environment, is a smoothy on the motorway and takes to open B-Roads with elan. It does tick many boxes. And so we arrive at a conclusion. The Elroq is almost certainly not the coolest choice of cars, but it has excellent driving manners, a truly useable range, a well-built and comfortable interior, oodles of practicality. We have long championed Skoda for making the best cars of any brand under the VW Group umbrella and this is another example of just that. We really liked the Enyaq as an early electric contender, but this car takes all that was good with that model and brings it to a new level of competence. And that's why – even given the questionable colour – we have no hesitation in giving it a five-star rating.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Electric Skoda Elroq vRS is a spicy, mega comfy car with handling that unleashes inner ‘Stig' – but there's a downside
The Czechs will tell you it's the fastest Skoda yet - but they aren't quite right ROQ 'N' ROLL STAR Electric Skoda Elroq vRS is a spicy, mega comfy car with handling that unleashes inner 'Stig' – but there's a downside EVERYONE knows The Stig. He's the chatterbox racing driver from Top Gear. But did you know there's another Stig who makes him look a bit slow? Advertisement 7 Stig Blomqvist is the man who cemented Skoda's motorsport credibility Credit: Supplied 7 The cabin is nicely appointed with microsuede upholstery Credit: Supplied 7 It'll do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds, one second quicker than a petrol Octavia vRS Credit: Supplied 7 What impresses most about this car is the handling Credit: Supplied Stig Blomqvist. Absolute rally god. He won the 1984 World Rally Championship at the wheel of an Audi Quattro. He's also the man who cemented Skoda's motorsport credibility by finishing third on the 1996 Network Q Rally, in the snow, in a front-wheel drive Felicia, up against fire-spitting four-wheel drive Imprezas, Celicas and Sierra RS Cossies. Advertisement Proper giant-killing performance. I remember sitting on a frozen tree stump in Kielder Forest watching the master in full flow. Some bloke called Colin McRae piloted a Fabia WRC in 2005 and, for the last 15 years or so, Fabia has been hoovering up trophies in the second-tier WRC2 and other international championships. The reason I'm telling you all this is because Skoda has properly earned the vRS — victory Rally Sport — badge it sticks on its spicy road cars. It's not a marketing gimmick. Advertisement It has years of motorsport expertise behind it. So we thought we'd try the latest vRS, the pure electric Elroq vRS, at the famous Sweet Lamb rally complex in Llanidloes, mid-Wales. 5 Things you need to know about the new Skoda Elroq It was a lot of fun. We bolted on some all-terrain tyres, added underbody protection (we're not animals), and dialled down the traction control systems and, er, that was about it. Advertisement Pull the pin. Elroq vRS is plenty quick enough off the line. The Czechs will tell you it's the fastest Skoda yet. But it's actually joint-fastest alongside the Enyaq vRS. Two e-motors, one on each axle for all-wheel drive, pump out a meaty 340hp. It'll do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds, one second quicker than a petrol Octavia vRS, and top out at 111mph. Advertisement But what impresses most is the handling. For a heavy vehicle (batteries weight a bit), it corners tidily. The steering is light but accurate. The body is well tied-down, neither rolling on corners or floating when the road crests and dips. We tried the very green Elroq vRS on smoother, less dusty B-roads and it was just as pleasing. Fast or slow. Advertisement It should easily do 280 miles on a full tank and can recharge to 80 per cent in a 26-minute tea-and-pee break. 7 I remember sitting on a frozen tree stump in Kielder Forest watching the master in full flow Credit: Supplied 7 Skoda has properly earned the vRS — victory Rally Sport — badge Credit: Supplied The cabin is nicely appointed. Microsuede upholstery. Lime green stitching. The seats are mega comfy and will warm and rub your back. Advertisement The door pockets are carpeted. So nothing rattles. That 13in touchscreen is fast and easy to use. Mind you, I'm a big fan of the regular £31,510 Elroq, so the all-singing vRS was always going to be good. My only grumble is the price. We're talking £46,560. That's Mercedes CLA money. But at least you can release your inner Stig. Advertisement SKODA unveils an Octavia-sized electric estate called 'Vision O' next month. But it's exactly that, a vision. The real car's still three years away and it will co-exist alongside today's petrol and diesel Octavias for as long as they're allowed to continue. There's a dinky £22k EV called 'Epiq' coming in 2026, followed by a seven-seat EV that's previewed by the 'Vision 7S' concept. 7 Skoda's Octavia-sized electric estate called 'Vision O' Credit: Supplied Advertisement
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Number of new electric cars licensed a third higher than in 2024
Up to the end of July, 17,075 new private electric cars were licensed – just over a third more than the 12,765 licensed in the same period of 2024. The CSO's month-on-month comparison showed a 64pc rise, with 3,973 electric vehicles (EVs) registered in July 2025 compared with 2,421 in the same month last year. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The share of EVs among new private cars licensed from January to July 2025 was 17pc compared with 14pc in the same period of 2024. The number of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) licensed in July 2025 grew by 56pc when compared with July 2024 – 3,080 against 1,974. This has increased the year-to-date share of PHEVs among new private cars from 9pc to 15pc in the same period of 2024. The combined share of petrol and diesel cars among new private cars licensed from January to July 2025 has fallen in comparison with 2024 (44pc vs 56pc). The figures also show that the number of new private cars licensed in July 2025 rose by 8pc when compared with July 2024, from 18,512 to 19,923. Today's figures from the CSO show a 64% increase in the number of electric cars licensed for the first time in July 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024 Damien Lenihan The number of used (imported) cars licensed rose by 17pc, from 5,660 to 6,640 over the same period. Damien Lenihan, statistician in the transport section of the CSO, said: 'Today's figures from the CSO show a 64pc increase in the number of electric cars licensed for the first time in July 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024. 'We also saw growth in the licensing of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. 'There were 26,454 new petrol cars licensed compared with 30,911 in the same period of 2024, a fall of 14pc. 'Comparing the first seven months of 2025 with 2024, the number of new diesel cars licensed decreased by 23pc (16,681 vs 21,624). There were 1,614 used (imported) diesel private cars licensed in July 2025, compared with 1,490 in the same period of 2024, a rise of 8pc. 'Used private petrol cars licensed decreased by 9pc in July 2025 compared with July 2024 (2,799 vs 2,577).' Data also shows that Toyota was the most popular make of new private car licensed in July 2025 at 2,851 vehicles, followed by Volkswagen (2,358), Hyundai (2,142), Skoda (2,093), and Kia (1,524). Together, these five manufacturers represented 55pc of all new private cars licensed in July 2025, the figures show. The most popular brand of new electric car licensed in July 2025 was Volkswagen ID.4 (343), followed by Hyundai Inster (325), and Kia EV 3 (272).
