Everyone’s asking the same question: can electric trucks really handle towing, or is it all marketing hype? Yes, they can tow. But there’s more to the story than just horsepower numbers. Electric motors deliver instant torque that makes pulling heavy trailers feel effortless at first. The catch? Your range drops fast once you hook up a boat or camper. We’re talking about real-world performance here, not what the brochure promises. The Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and Tesla Cybertruck all handle towing differently, and what works for weekend warriors might not cut it for contractors pulling equipment daily. Before you trade in your diesel truck, you need to know what these EVs can actually do when the rubber meets the road and you’ve got 8,000 pounds behind you.

• Electric trucks can tow impressive weights, with models like the Chevrolet Silverado EV rated for 12,500 pounds and the Rivian R1T handling 11,000 pounds.
• Range drops by 50% or more when towing, with real-world tests showing some trucks achieving only one-third of their advertised range when pulling near-maximum loads.
• EVs offer smooth, quiet towing with instant torque and regenerative braking, but charging infrastructure limitations make long-distance towing trips a real pain.

The Specs Look Impressive

Walk into any dealership today, and the towing numbers on electric trucks will catch your eye. The 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV leads the pack at 12,500 pounds of towing capacity. Right behind it, both the Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck can handle 11,000 pounds, while the Ford F-150 Lightning pulls 10,000 pounds when you add the Max Trailer Tow package.

These numbers hold up against most real-world needs. An average fully loaded Airstream weighs around 8,000 pounds. Most ski boats with their trailers come in under 6,000 pounds. So boat towing sits comfortably within what modern electric trucks can pull. Gas-powered trucks still edge ahead in raw capacity, with a properly equipped gas F-150 maxing out around 14,000 pounds. But for the typical owner who occasionally hauls a camper to the lake or moves equipment around town, electric trucks pack plenty of muscle.

Where EVs Really Impress

Anyone who’s towed with a gas truck knows what happens when you stomp on the accelerator. The engine screams, the transmission shifts frantically searching for the right gear, and every merge onto the highway feels like you’re asking way too much of your truck. Electric trucks throw all that out the window.

That instant torque feels like magic the first time you experience it. You press the accelerator, and the truck just moves, pulling smoothly without any drama whatsoever. Consumer Reports hooked a nearly 10,000-pound trailer to both the Lightning and R1T and the testers kept using words like “effortless” and “surprisingly smooth” to describe the acceleration. No high-revving engines, no clunky gear hunting, just quiet power.

Regenerative braking adds another win. When you need to slow down with several tons of trailer behind you, the electric motors help control that weight without cooking your brake pads. The Rivian lets you keep using one-pedal driving mode while towing, which gives you way better control than you’d get in a traditional truck constantly riding the brake pedal.

Then Reality Smacks You in the Face

Here’s where the fairy tale ends. Hook up that trailer and watch your predicted range crater. Car and Driver hooked a 6,100-pound camper to three different electric trucks. Every single one managed less than half its normal range. Some real-world tests showed even uglier numbers, with trucks limping along at just one-third of their advertised range when towing near maximum capacity.

MotorTrend really put the F-150 Lightning through hell with different trailer weights. Towing a 7,218-pound camper, the truck squeezed out a measly 90 miles before desperately needing a charge. Even dropping down to a lighter 3,140-pound trailer only bumped that up to 115 miles. That’s not a typo. You get barely over 100 miles of range.

Cold weather makes everything worse. Speed matters a ton. The faster you drive, the faster you drain the battery. Hills eat through your charge on the way up, though you do recover some juice on descents. But count on half your normal range as a best-case scenario when towing anything substantial.

Charging With a Trailer Is Brutal

The charging infrastructure clearly wasn’t designed by anyone who tows. Most public chargers have pull-in parking spots, not pull-through lanes. That means unhitching your trailer every single time you need electrons. Owners report spending 20 to 30 minutes just disconnecting, positioning the truck, charging, and reconnecting at each stop.

Compare that to a gas truck. Five minutes to refuel and you’re back on the road. An electric truck needs at least 30 to 45 minutes at a fast charger, and that’s before you deal with the whole trailer circus. Planning a 300-mile trip while towing? Better budget for two or three charging stops and add a couple of hours to your travel time.

Who Actually Benefits Here

Local towing works perfectly with electric trucks. Taking your boat to the lake 30 miles away? You’ll arrive with power to spare. Moving a small camper to a campground every other weekend? The quiet ride and instant pulling power will spoil you.

Cross-country RV adventures or daily long-haul work trips get messy fast, though. The math falls apart when you factor in charging time and slashed range. A contractor pulling equipment 150 miles each way finds themselves planning their entire workday around where they can plug in for 45 minutes.

The good news? This technology improves every single year. Batteries get bigger, charging networks expand, and efficiency climbs. What feels limiting today might seem totally manageable in just a few years. Early adopters always pay the price of pioneering new territory.

The Bottom Line

Electric trucks absolutely can tow. They do it more smoothly and quietly than anything running on gas or diesel. The pulling power feels effortless, and the driving experience beats conventional trucks hands down. You just need realistic expectations about range and a willingness to adjust your habits.

Plan routes around chargers. Budget extra time for charging stops. Maybe consider a lighter, more aerodynamic trailer. The trucks themselves handle the work beautifully. The infrastructure and range limitations create real headaches right now. If your towing stays within a 100-mile radius of home, an electric truck might actually beat what you’re driving now. For everything else, bring patience and a good charging app.