Can You Tow an Electric Car? What Every EV Owner Should Know

Most electric cars should not be towed with their wheels on the road. This guide explains why, what car makers and UK recovery firms do instead, and what to do if your EV breaks down.

Can you tow an electric car? Yes, but not the old way. Most EVs should be transported on a flatbed truck, or lifted exactly as the manufacturer specifies. For some models, that means all four wheels must be off the ground, while others allow a specific wheel-lift or towing-dolly arrangement. Towing with the driven wheels turning can cause serious and expensive damage to the motor on some EVs, as Nissan warns for the LEAF.

That surprises many drivers. With an older petrol car, a rope and a friend often did the job. So can electric cars be towed the same way? In most cases, no.

The reason becomes clearer once you understand how an EV’s drivetrain works. This guide explains why towing an electric car is different, what car makers recommend, what can stop an EV from rolling at all, the UK rules for a short tow, and exactly what to do when your EV stops.

Why Is Towing an Electric Car Different From Towing a Petrol Car?

The short answer: in many EVs, the drive motor is mechanically connected to the driven wheels. That matters when the car is towed because turning those wheels can also turn the motor.

The motor can remain connected to the wheels

In a conventional manual petrol car, selecting neutral disengages the engine from the drivetrain. Many EVs work differently: the electric motor can remain mechanically connected to the driven wheels, even when the vehicle is switched off.

So, on a vehicle with this type of drivetrain, turning the driven wheels can also turn the motor. Every metre of a rope tow can therefore rotate the motor.

What “N” really means in an EV

This is where many owners get confused. Most EVs still have an N (Neutral) position on the selector. Nissan, for example, tells you to put the LEAF in N when it is positioned on towing dollies.

But N does not automatically make an EV safe to tow with its wheels turning. On vehicles where the motor remains mechanically connected to the driven wheels, selecting N allows the vehicle to roll but does not prevent the motor from being turned by the wheels.

So “it’s in neutral” never means “it’s safe to tow on its wheels”. The manufacturer’s towing procedure still needs to be followed.

When the wheels turn, the motor can make electricity

Regenerative braking: the system that lets an EV slow down by using its motor as a generator. It turns movement back into electricity and sends it to the battery.

When you drive, this is useful. It can recover energy that would otherwise be lost as heat during braking. Tesla explains that the motor in the Model 3 generates power when the wheels spin.

Here is the physics in plain words. In an EV that uses a motor capable of generating electricity when its rotor is turned, rotating the motor by turning the driven wheels can produce electrical energy even when the vehicle is not being driven.

That is one reason manufacturers warn against towing with the driven wheels on the ground.

If the driven wheels are turning the motor mechanically, switching the vehicle off does not necessarily stop the motor from rotating or generating electrical energy.

Electrical and heat damage

If an EV is transported in a way that allows its driven wheels to turn, the manufacturer may warn of electrical or thermal damage, depending on the vehicle’s design.

• Electrical damage. Turning the motor can generate electrical energy even when the vehicle is not being driven. Depending on the vehicle’s electrical and motor-control system, this can create a risk of damage.
• Heat. Tesla warns that moving a Model 3 with the tyres able to spin can lead to significant damage and overheating. In rare cases, extreme overheating may cause surrounding components to ignite.

Nissan’s warning is just as clear. Towing a LEAF with the front wheels, or all four wheels, on the ground may cause serious and expensive damage to the motor.

Tesla also states that damage caused by improper transport is not covered by its warranty.

A damaged motor or drive unit is not a cheap repair. So the next question is simple: how do car makers want you to move an EV that will not drive?

What Do Car Makers Say About Moving a Broken-Down EV?

The answer depends on the make and model. There is no single towing method that applies to every electric car. The safest approach is to follow the manufacturer’s recovery instructions and prevent the wheels from turning whenever the manufacturer requires it.

Flatbed first

Flatbed recovery: the car is winched onto the flat deck of a recovery truck, so the wheels do not turn against the road during transport.

For the vehicles covered by the guidance below:

• Tesla calls a flatbed truck the recommended method for transporting the Model 3. Tesla requires all four wheels to be off the ground during transport.
• Nissan recommends transporting the 2023 LEAF on a flatbed, or with its driving (front) wheels off the ground.
• Jaguar I-PACE: the Waymo emergency response guide for the I-PACE recommends a flatbed truck or suitable trailer. It specifically warns against towing the vehicle on all four wheels or with either the front or rear wheels suspended.

The important point is that “flatbed first” is a practical recovery principle, not a universal rule that every EV must follow in exactly the same way. The vehicle’s own recovery instructions determine which alternatives, if any, are permitted.

Wheel lifts and dollies

Dollies: small wheeled platforms placed under a car’s tyres, so the tyres ride on the dollies instead of turning on the road.

Some manufacturers allow wheel lifts or towing dollies when a flatbed is not being used, but the permitted arrangement varies considerably between vehicles.

For the Tesla Model 3, Tesla allows wheel lifts and dollies only when they keep all four wheels off the ground. This method is limited to a maximum of 55 km (35 miles), subject to the dolly manufacturer’s speed rating. Tesla recommends facing the vehicle forwards, with the front wheels lifted and the rear wheels on dollies.

The 2023 Nissan LEAF has different instructions. Nissan allows the front driving wheels to be placed on towing dollies. In that situation, the power switch should be ON, the steering wheel secured straight ahead, and the selector placed in N (Neutral). If the rear wheels remain on the ground without rear dollies, Nissan says to release the parking brake.

This difference is important: you cannot assume that a wheel-lift arrangement that is suitable for one EV is suitable for another.

Tow Mode is for very short moves

Tow Mode (Tesla): a setting that keeps the parking brake released so the vehicle can roll when it is being loaded or repositioned.

Tesla’s Model 3 Tow Mode is not a method for towing the car along the road. Tesla says it is intended for winching the vehicle onto a flatbed or repositioning it out of a parking space. While Tow Mode is active, the tyres may rotate only slowly — below 8 km/h (5 mph) — and for less than 10 metres. Exceeding those limits can cause significant damage and overheating.

There are also conditions that must be met before Tow Mode can be activated:

• The vehicle must not be connected to a charger.
• A key must be detected.
• The brake pedal must be pressed and held.
• The vehicle must have low-voltage power.

If the low-voltage system has no power and Tow Mode cannot be activated, Tesla says to use an external low-voltage power supply where appropriate, or use self-loading dollies or tyre skates if the electrical system remains unavailable.

Why “lift the driving wheels” is not a universal rule

With a petrol car, you may hear the simple advice: “just lift the driving wheels”. With an EV, that can be wrong because the recovery procedure depends on the particular drivetrain and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Look at these three examples:

Note and Sources: Table 1 outlines examples of manufacturer or vehicle-specific recovery instructions for three electric vehicles. Sources: Tesla Model 3 Owner’s Manual; Nissan LEAF (2023) Owner’s Manual; Waymo Jaguar I-PACE Emergency Response Guide.

The comparison shows why there is no single “EV towing method”. The Tesla Model 3 requires all four wheels to be off the ground during transport, while the 2023 Nissan LEAF permits its front driving wheels to be lifted. The I-PACE guidance is different again, recommending a flatbed or suitable trailer and warning against both four-wheels-down towing and suspending either end of the vehicle.

Always check the towing and recovery instructions for your exact make and model before deciding how an EV should be moved.

What Can Stop an EV From Rolling at All?

Before an EV can be towed, pushed or winched, the wheels may need to be able to turn freely. Several things can prevent that.

1. The park lock and parking brake. An EV may remain locked in Park or held by its parking brake. Tesla’s Tow Mode keeps the parking brake disengaged while the Model 3 is being winched onto a flatbed. The I-PACE emergency response guidance also requires the transmission park release to be activated before recovery. Some vehicles have a manual override, but the procedure is model-specific, so check the handbook rather than trying to force the car to move.
2. A flat low-voltage battery. EVs have a low-voltage electrical system in addition to the high-voltage traction battery. If the low-voltage system has no power, the screens and electronic controls may not work, which can prevent the normal procedure for putting the vehicle into a towing or free-rolling mode. Tesla, for example, says the Model 3 needs low-voltage power to activate Tow Mode and may require an external low-voltage power supply if the vehicle has no power.
3. The towing equipment and tow eye. A recovery operator needs to use the correct towing point and loading equipment for the vehicle. On the Model 3, Tesla specifies a properly installed tow eye for pulling the vehicle onto a flatbed and warns against attaching straps to the chassis, suspension or other parts of the body because this can cause damage.

Do this today: find the towing and recovery section in your handbook. Check where the tow eye is stored, how the vehicle is placed in N or its equivalent, and whether your model has a specific park-release or towing procedure.

After a collision: an EV may have damaged high-voltage components that remain energised. Tesla says to assume the high-voltage components are energised after a collision and to follow appropriate high-voltage safety precautions until emergency response professionals have evaluated the vehicle. Do not try to move a crash-damaged EV yourself.

Can You Ever Tow an Electric Car With the Wheels on the Ground?

Only if the manufacturer specifically permits that method, and only within the limits given in the vehicle’s instructions.

There is an important distinction between transporting an EV along the road and moving it a few metres to get it into a safe position or onto recovery equipment.

Emergency moves to clear a blocked road

If your EV has stopped somewhere dangerous, the immediate priority is to get people out of danger and, where it is safe and possible, move the vehicle out of the immediate hazard.

Some vehicles have a specific procedure for this. For example, Tesla’s Model 3 Tow Mode allows the car to roll slowly for a very short distance or to be winched onto a flatbed. Tesla specifies less than 10 metres and below 8 km/h for this limited movement. It is NOT a method for towing the vehicle along the road.

For anything beyond the manufacturer’s permitted short-movement procedure, use professional recovery equipment rather than assuming that a rope tow is suitable.

What We Saw in Our Workshop: A Broken-Down Jaguar I-PACE

Here is a real case from our North London workshop. We include it because it shows why an unusual emergency decision should not be turned into general advice for EV owners.

A Jaguar I-PACE came to us with a charging problem. It would not charge even to 75%. During a short road test, about three minutes from the workshop, it stopped in the middle of the road with a lorry and a queue of traffic behind it.

The dashboard showed a traction battery fault. But it also showed “Ready”, and the power steering still worked. The car simply would not drive.

Our expert technician made the decision to carry out a very slow tow on the towing eye to get the car out of the live traffic situation and back to the workshop.

This was an emergency judgement by a trained high-voltage technician, NOT a recommended towing method for the I-PACE.

The I-PACE emergency response guidance available to us takes a different position. It states that the vehicle should not be towed on all four wheels or with the front or rear wheels suspended, and recommends recovery using a flatbed truck or suitable trailer. Jaguar’s I-PACE recovery guidance also specifies recovery on a recovery vehicle rather than conventional towing or partial loading.

The technician’s decision was based on the circumstances of that particular breakdown and the state of the vehicle at the time. It should not be used to conclude that an I-PACE, or any other EV, can safely be towed with its wheels on the road.

There was also another consideration: electrical risk is not the only concern when an EV’s driven wheels are turning. Heat and other drivetrain risks may also be relevant, depending on the vehicle and fault.

What was the fault?

A software update had not cleared the fault. The battery management system was reading one battery module at -12°C on a warm day. The vehicle therefore prevented driving to protect the battery, even though “Ready” remained displayed.

The repair involved replacing the faulty modules and resealing the battery pack, followed by a full check of the battery cooling system.

This is a useful example of why a vehicle that appears to be powered on can still require specialist high-voltage diagnosis. A car showing “Ready” does not necessarily mean that it is safe or able to drive.

What Are the UK Rules for Towing a Car With a Rope or Tow Bar?

If your vehicle’s handbook allows a short tow and there is no other practical option, UK road rules still apply. Some requirements are set by law, while others are safety advice from organisations such as the RAC.

The 4.5-metre maximum and the 1.5-metre visibility requirement are set out directly in Regulation 86 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.

The RAC also advises the towing driver to never exceed 15 mph and says the towed vehicle’s ignition should be switched on so that the steering lock is disengaged. These are RAC safety recommendations, not a separate 15 mph legal speed limit for rope towing.

Most importantly, complying with UK towing rules does not make a rope tow mechanically suitable for an EV. The law deals with how the vehicles are connected and used on the road; it does not override the manufacturer’s instructions for recovering the particular electric vehicle.

Your vehicle’s handbook therefore still comes first.

Can You Push an Electric Car?

Sometimes an EV can be pushed a short distance, but only when the vehicle’s own instructions allow it and the wheels can be safely released.

The procedure varies between models. An EV may need to be placed in N or a specific free-rolling/recovery mode before it can be moved. Some vehicles also have a manual release procedure if the normal electronic controls are unavailable.

If you only need to move the car a few metres to a safer position or onto recovery equipment, follow the manufacturer’s procedure rather than assuming that selecting N is enough.

There are also practical considerations:

• Keep it short. Push only when necessary to move the vehicle to a safe position or onto suitable recovery equipment.
• Make sure the wheels are released. If the vehicle cannot be put into the required mode, do not force it to move.
• Consider the vehicle’s weight. Many EVs are heavy, so pushing one requires appropriate people and control.
• Do not attempt to push-start an EV. An electric car does not have a conventional engine that can be bump-started.

If the low-voltage system is flat and the car cannot select the required neutral or recovery mode, leave the vehicle for the recovery operator rather than trying to overcome the park lock manually unless the manufacturer’s instructions specifically provide a safe procedure.

What Should You Do If Your Electric Car Breaks Down?

So, can you tow an electric car if it breaks down? The safest option is to use a recovery company that knows how to recover EVs. Before worrying about how to move the car, make yourself and your passengers safe.

Get safe first

The Highway Code says that, following a breakdown, you should get your vehicle off the road if possible and use your hazard warning lights if it is causing an obstruction. On roads other than motorways, it says you can place a warning triangle at least 45 metres behind the vehicle. Never place a warning triangle on a motorway. (GOV.UK)

On a motorway, the Highway Code advises:

• Leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can.
• If you cannot, move into the left lane and, where possible, into an emergency area or onto the hard shoulder.
• Switch on your hazard warning lights.
• Leave the vehicle by the side furthest from traffic, if it is safe to do so.
• Get behind a safety barrier where there is one.
• Do not return to the vehicle once you are in a safe place.
• If you cannot get out safely, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt and hazard warning lights on and call 999.

What to tell the recovery company

When you call, say “electric car” first. Then give the recovery company as much useful information as you can:

• The make, model and year, so they can check the correct recovery procedure.
• Your battery charge level, including whether the vehicle has simply run out of charge.
• Any warning messages on the dashboard, such as “traction battery fault”.
• Whether “Ready” appears, and whether the vehicle can select N or its equivalent.
• Whether the low-voltage system appears to have lost power, for example if the screen, doors or lights are not working normally.
• Whether the key is with the vehicle. Some models have specific requirements before a recovery mode can be activated; Tesla, for example, requires a key to be detected before Tow Mode can be activated.
• Where the vehicle is, including anything that could make loading difficult, such as a slope, narrow access or restricted space.
• Whether the vehicle has been involved in a collision.

The major UK recovery organisations have specific EV capability. The AA says that more than 98% of its patrols are trained to its Level 2 EV standard and that it attended more than 190,000 EV breakdowns in 2025. (AA)

The RAC says its EV recovery capability includes its patented “all-wheels up” recovery system and EV-trained patrols. (Rac)

That means the recovery company should be given enough information before the vehicle arrives, particularly if the car cannot select a normal driving or neutral mode, has lost low-voltage power, has suffered a collision, or has a suspected high-voltage fault.

EV Towing Myths

When a Breakdown Points to a Bigger Fault

Sometimes a breakdown is not just a flat 12V battery or a puncture. An EV can also stop because of a fault affecting the high-voltage battery, charging system, motor or other high-voltage components.

Some problems can be diagnosed or repaired at the roadside. However, repairs to high-voltage components cannot be completed at the roadside. The AA’s EV-trained patrols can make the high-voltage system safe for recovery and further diagnosis.

From our own workshop experience, these are some of the warning signs we take seriously:

• A “battery fault” or “traction battery fault” message on the dashboard
• “Ready” showing, but the vehicle will not select a gear or move
• Charging that repeatedly stops before the level you selected
• A sudden or unexplained loss of driving range
• Warnings relating to the cooling system, charging system or regenerative braking system

If an EV stops with one of these warnings, don’t assume that switching it off and restarting it has solved the problem. The vehicle should be properly diagnosed before you continue driving it. These faults need proper diagnostic tools and a technician trained on high-voltage systems.

If the fault involves the high-voltage system, recovery may be required before the vehicle can be safely inspected or repaired.

A regular EV high-voltage health check can help identify developing faults before they lead to a breakdown or more extensive, costly repairs.

Conclusion

So, can you tow an electric car? Yes, but the way you move it matters. For most broken-down EVs, the safest option is a flatbed recovery vehicle, or another method specifically permitted by the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not assume that putting the car in Neutral, switching it off or lifting only the driving wheels makes it safe to tow.

If the wheels turn, the motor can turn with them. Depending on the vehicle, this can create electrical and heat-related risks, which is why manufacturers provide specific recovery procedures for their cars.

The best time to check those instructions is before you break down. Find the towing section in your handbook and make sure you know:

• how to select Neutral or Tow Mode;
• where the tow eye is stored;
• how to release the parking brake or park lock;
• whether your vehicle has a manual release procedure; and
• what your breakdown cover provides for EV recovery.

If your electric car stops with a battery, charging or drive-system warning, do not improvise a tow home. Tell the recovery company that it is an EV, give them the make and model, and let them use the recovery method specified for your vehicle.

And if the breakdown points to a high-voltage or drive-system fault, recovery is only the first step. The underlying fault needs to be properly diagnosed before the vehicle is put back on the road.