Tesla trailer coupling: The comprehensive guide

A trailer coupling (AHK) is a great thing. For vacation trips with the caravan, weekend trips with the bike rack or picking up a cupboard from your trusted furniture dealer.

If you have a towbar, it's easier in many situations. Of course, you can survive very well without one, and you probably don't need one 360 days a year, but a towbar (just like many of our accessories) is one of those things where "better to have than to need".

Tesla was viewed differently for many years. A Tesla with a trailer hitch was not available for a long time. There were probably too many concerns that the aerodynamically less advantageous trailers would damage the range too much. Or a Tesla towbar was not considered necessary - after all, it is (also) a stylish trend vehicle.

In the meantime, they have changed their mind, a Tesla trailer hitch is now available on almost all models, at least as an option .

Many Tesla customers, especially buyers of a Model 3 or Model S, have purchased their vehicle without a Tesla trailer hitch. Even if their model would generally be suitable for a Tesla towbar, Tesla does not retrofit them. Accordingly, only the third-party market remains, where retrofits are of course offered.

In this Tesla trailer guide we provide you with an overview of the topic of Tesla, towbars and their retrofitting.

Tesla trailer coupling: When do you need to retrofit?

The first Tesla model to have a towbar was a large and heavy gullwing - the Model X. But even the Tesla Model X trailer hitch had to be selected as an option until 2018. If you bought before that, you may have to make do without an AHK and need to retrofit it.

Happily, the device has been included as standard since 2018.

The situation is different for the oldest Tesla still on sale. The Tesla Model S towbar was not offered at all until 2020, so there are probably a lot of vehicles on the road without it.

It is only since the facelift and the introduction of the Plaid variant that Model S customers have had the opportunity to purchase a towbar, regardless of the version selected. However, this must be purchased separately in the Tesla store and cannot be added directly in the configurator.

It was similar at the beginning with the Tesla Model Y. Here, too, the trailer coupling had to be purchased separately for a long time.

However, the change followed in mid-2022; since then, a Tesla Model Y with trailer hitch can also be selected directly in the Tesla Configurator.

The good news is that a towbar is available directly from the Tesla store for all Model Ys,which eliminates the need for retrofitting and keeps the Model Y towbar costs calculable.

Currently they amount to 1,500 €.In addition, a plug-in system makes the Tesla Model Y trailer hitch removable.

Tesla Model 3 trailer coupling

It only gets really complicated when you want to tow a trailer with the Model 3. Before May 2019, there was no Tesla Model 3 trailer coupling, since then it has been available as an extra charge option in the configurator. However, the Tesla Model 3 with trailer coupling could only be ordered if you opted for the Standard Range or Long Range variants.

Nothing has changed in this situation to date.

There is no Tesla Model 3 Performance trailer coupling, and retrofitting it is not easy either, because only the "Base Performance" model, which is available on request and differs from the Long Range model only in terms of more power, is suitable for towing at all.

A full 500 kilograms of towing capacity can be extracted from this Performance variant.

There is also a need to retrofit the Tesla Model 3 towbar, because all customers whose vehicle is older than May 2019, who drive a base performance model or who have simply not selected the Tesla Model 3 Long Range towbar or Standard Range towbar option are probably still driving without a towbar.

By the way: At Teslabs you will find high-quality Model Y accessories.Although not a trailer hitch, but things like high-quality rim protection or roof racks.

Tesla towbar retrofit: Everything you need to know at a glance

Whoever decides to retrofit a Tesla towbar usually asks themselves the following questions: Who offers a retrofit or a retrofit package? Will I get through the TÜV with it? And how much will the fun cost me anyway?

In this section, we want to address these questions.

Tesla towbars from third-party providers

Safety and reliability are also the be-all and end-all on the third-party car market. Last but not least, you lose the Tesla guarantee and the warranty for the relevant parts if youretrofit a system that intervenes as deeply in the vehicle structure and electronics as a complete towbar. In addition, the status of the design before the TÜV inspector is important .

One supplier that installs TÜV-certified matching parts and offers a two-year warranty on the towbar is Kupplung-vor-Ort in Lower Bavaria. You can have a Tesla Model 3 towbar retrofitted there, and they also offer solutions for the Model S and Model X.

Another provider that is often recommended in the tff forum is MisterDotCom . TÜV-approved retrofits for the Model S and Model 3 are also available here, whereby the towing capacity of the installed Model S towbar is even 1,850 kilograms.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance towbar can also be retrofitted at MisterDotCom, although it should be noted that this is currently only technically possible - formal approval is still being worked on with the TÜV.

A large selection of compatible towbars for all Tesla models, from rigid to swivel, as individual parts or complete sets, can be found at kupplung.de. However, not all models are specified here as being TÜV-compliant.

In general, it can be said that the offer on the AHK market is mainly focused on Model 3 and S . Since most Model X and Y were deliverable with AHK, this is not surprising.

Tesla trailer coupling retrofit: costs

The costs for retrofitting towbars can vary enormously. For example, the Tesla Model 3 towbar costs at MisterDotCom are around €1,350 for the parts and another €550 for installation (if required).

You can find solutions at kupplung.de for around €700-800 plus at least €319 for installation.

For the Model S, MisterDotCom requires 1.500 € plus 650 € installation, at kupplung.de the prices range from approx. 900 € to several thousand euros.

Kupplung-vor-Ort only provides prices for all products on request. In addition to the installation and material costs, you must also add the fees for a TÜV inspection, which amount to around €100.

For comparison: The original Tesla Model 3 trailer coupling 2021 (since the facelift) currently costs €1,350, Tesla charges the same for the Model Y. Separately sold hitches for the Model S or earlier versions of the Model Y are available in the Tesla Shop for €790 and €1,500 respectively.

Towing load, drawbar load, price: differences between the Tesla models

A trailer coupling is now available for almost all Tesla models. Nevertheless, there are still major differences in what you can ultimately do with the device. This section provides an overview of permissible trailer and drawbar loads.

Interestingly, the values given here often differ significantly from those given in the USA, for example - so technically, more is probably possible for many models.

Tesla Model 3 2021 trailer hitch

The facelift of the 2021 Model 3 has changed little in terms of the vehicle's trailer specifications. The maximum towing capacity increased from 910 kilograms to 1,000 kilograms, and the permissible Tesla Model 3 tongue load increased from 91 to 100 kilograms.

The latter, however, is reduced to 54 kilograms for vertical loads such as a bicycle rack . If you have 20-inch rims, you only get 20 kilograms of vertical drawbar load.

If you choose the trailer package, Tesla will ask you to pay €1,350.

As already mentioned at the beginning, the "trailer coupling" option is now the only model not available for the Model 3 Performance. Those who decide to choose the "Base Performance" model with trailer coupling can expect a maximum towing capacity of 500 kilograms and a drawbar load of 25 kilograms.

Here, however, the question is whether the low values have a technical or regulatory background.

Given the fact that the Model 3 Performance is not allowed to tow a trailer mainly because of its 20-inch wheels, which the "Base Performance" model does not have, the latter seems more likely.

Tesla Model Y trailer hitch

Tesla is giving the slightly larger Model Y a trailer package with a little more towing capacity - also available for €1,350 directly when configuring. For his money, the buyer receives 1.600 kilograms maximum towing capacity, the Tesla Model Y trailer hitch drawbar load is also 100 kilograms - but only shrinks to 72 kilograms for vertical loads.

In addition, the Performance version of the Model Y is not left out; it has exactly the same specifications as its Standard and Long Range siblings.

Tesla Model X trailer hitch

The Tesla Model X is so far the only Tesla to have the trailer hitch automatically installed at no extra cost - and has been since 2018. It's also the only model with which you can seriously consider towing larger trailers.

This is possible thanks to the 2,250 kilogram (Plaid) or 2,300 kilogram towing capacity and 90 (Plaid) or 100 kilogram drawbar load, which drops to 54 kilogram vertical load.

Tesla Model S trailer coupling

After there was no towbar for the Model S for a long time and numerous professional and semi-professional retrofit solutions had emerged, a towbar was also introduced ex works with the 2021 facelift - or the option to do so. You still have to buy the detachable towbar separately; it is available for €790 in the Tesla Shop.

As with the Model Y, the maximum towing capacity is 1,600 kilograms and the drawbar load is 100 kilograms.

Fitting the Tesla trailer coupling

Just owning a towbar is of little use, it must also be fitted to the vehicle. So how does the installation take place

This of course depends on whether the towbar is fitted ex works or not. With factory-fitted towbars, the ball head can usually be removed or refitted using a simple plug-in mechanism. However, if you want to install your Tesla Model 3 towbar, for example, which you purchased from a third-party supplier, it is advisable to visit a specialist garage.

If you are a handyman, however, fitting it yourself is also an option.

Reliable manufacturers such as those mentioned above provide detailed installation instructions that allow you to install them yourself.

Be aware, however, that fitting a complete towbar is a major undertaking that usually requires the temporary removal of the bumper and other visible parts.

Tesla trailer guide: Conclusion

For a long time, the words "Tesla" and "towbar" didn't really want to go together. Due to a lack of initiative on the part of the e-car pioneer, the first third-party retrofit solutions developed over time, but the majority of customers still had to do without a tow bar.

It was only after Tesla became a competitive mass producer with the Model 3 and later the Model Y and the customer base expanded significantly that the manufacturer itself began to address the issue. At the same time, demand on the third-party market has of course also grown, which has led to greater supply there too.

If you buy a new Tesla today, you will most likely have the option of a towbar - and at a relatively reasonable price compared to the third-party market.

However, the truth is that the possible towing capacity is usually limited, especially if you were previously used to reasonably equipped combustion cars.

Interestingly, the maximum towing capacity of a Tesla can be increased with some third-party devices - TÜV-approved, mind you. In addition, there are also many older Teslas on Germany's roads that did not have or did not choose the option of a towbar.

Both of these factors mean that the demand for retrofitting Tesla towbars continues to exist and will probably continue to exist for some time to come.

On the other hand, the supply of capable towbars from Tesla is expected to increase in the future. Better batteries, expanded charging infrastructure and optimized software will make the range less and less important, even with a large trailer; a Tesla has enough power and weight for this in any case - and if something changes, you are guaranteed to find out about it on our blog .

Does your Tesla already have a towbar or do you still have to get by without one? Tell us about it in the comments below!