If you are loading up bikes, a small trailer, or a camper for a summer road trip, you need a tow hitch first. Tesla sells factory tow packages for most of its lineup, and a hitch is also required for accessories like a bike rack, not just for pulling a trailer. Here is what each model supports, how much it can tow, what towing does to your range, and how to decide between Tesla’s own hitch and an aftermarket one.
Which Tesla models offer a tow hitch
Tesla sells an optional Model Y Tow Package for $1,300, which adds a steel tow bar with a 2-inch hitch receiver, a 7-pin trailer connector, a wiring harness, and the software for Tow Mode. It works on all Model Y trims. A similar Model 3 Tow Package is also $1,300 and uses a 4-pin connector, but it only fits rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive Model 3 cars built in 2024 or later.
Model X also requires the optional towing package to pull a trailer or mount an accessory carrier, according to Tesla’s Model X owner’s manual. Cybertruck is the exception: every Cybertruck comes with a built-in 2-inch hitch receiver, per the Cybertruck owner’s manual, though you still need to buy a ball mount separately. As of this writing, Tesla does not sell a factory tow package for Model S, so owners who want to tow have to go the aftermarket route.
Towing capacity by model
- Model 3: up to 2,200 lbs with the tow package installed.
- Model Y (5-seat): up to 3,500 lbs on any wheel size, with a 350-lb tongue weight limit, per the Model Y owner’s manual. The 7-seat Model Y Premium drops to 2,000 lbs when all seven seats are occupied.
- Model X: up to 5,000 lbs on 20-inch wheels, or 3,500 lbs on 22-inch wheels, with tongue weight limits of 500 lbs and 350 lbs respectively.
- Cybertruck: up to 11,000 lbs on the Tri Motor with a 1,100-lb tongue weight limit, or 7,500 lbs on the Long Range dual-motor version with a 750-lb tongue weight limit.
Tongue weight (how much the trailer pushes down on the hitch) matters as much as total capacity. Loading a trailer wrong, even one under the max rating, can cause sway or reduce your car’s handling.
What towing does to your range
Towing cuts your range more than most drivers expect, mainly because of aerodynamic drag rather than the extra weight alone. In a real-world test covered by InsideEVs, a Model Y towing a 3,000-lb boat for 98 miles ran at about 45 percent efficiency, meaning the driver used up a little over half his expected range. A separate InsideEVs test of a Model 3 pulling a much lighter 750-lb trailer still saw roughly a 40 percent efficiency loss. Tesla’s own product page for the Model Y Tow Package also warns that towing reduces range and that Trailer Mode must stay on whenever a trailer is attached. In practice, plan for 30 to 50 percent less range on tow trips, more if you are hauling a tall or boxy load at highway speed, and plan your charging stops accordingly.
OEM versus third-party hitches
Tesla’s own tow packages are installed at a Tesla Service Center and integrate directly with Tow Mode, which adjusts stability control and braking for a trailer. That integration is the main reason to choose the factory option, especially for Model Y and Model 3 owners who also want a bike rack, since Tesla’s own hitch-mounted bike rack requires a Tesla-installed hitch receiver. Third-party hitches from established trailer-hitch makers can be less expensive and, in some cases, less visually intrusive when not in use, but they will not always come with Tesla’s Tow Mode software integration, and installation quality varies by shop. If you only need a rack for two bikes and never plan to tow a loaded trailer, a lower-capacity third-party hitch may be enough. If you plan to tow near your vehicle’s rated capacity, the factory package is the safer, simpler choice since Tesla designs and tests it against the car’s own specifications.
Photo by Vadim Bostanzhy.