Can you tow a trailer with a hybrid truck? Of course, you can. Automakers build these trucks to handle the heavy-duty work we love to put them through. Even though you can pull a trailer with a truck that uses a hybrid powertrain, there are some things you should know before you hitch up that boat or travel trailer to your fuel-sipping pickup.

1. Hybrid trucks are superior to electric trucks for towing

If you’re at a crossroads between selecting a hybrid pickup like the Ford F-150 PowerBoost, and one of the new all-electric models, you’ll want to consider your towing needs. If you intend to tow a trailer across several miles regularly, the hybrid is the right way to go. Towing with an EV is proven to reduce the driving range significantly, which puts you on the sidelines while you wait for the batteries to recharge.

2. Can you pull a travel trailer with a hybrid pickup?

The type of trailer isn’t the major factor in whether or not you can pull the trailer; the towing capacity is. If the travel trailer falls within your truck’s weight range rating; you can tow it. If not, you can’t. This has nothing to do with using a hybrid truck versus an electric or diesel-powered pickup.

3. How much diving range should you get when towing with a hybrid?

This is where some people get confused. You have the hybrid system; shouldn’t that give you greater driving range? Unfortunately, the answer is no. When pulling a trailer, the hybrid system is typically ineffective or disabled which means you’re only towing with the gasoline engine. The driving range you experience while towing is limited to the range and power of the gas engine.

The exception is the Ram eTorque with its mild-hybrid system that doesn’t add driving range, only a slight power boost to get the truck moving more smoothly.

4. Does the hybrid system increase the towing capacity of a truck?

No, it doesn’t. Because the hybrid system is typically disabled or ineffective in the towing process, you won’t see a higher tow rating for a truck that adds a hybrid system to the powertrains versus one with the same gas engine but no hybrid system.

Unfortunately, most hybrid trucks have smaller engines than those with the highest tow ratings. Automakers build hybrid pickups to help owners save fuel during normal driving, which doesn’t include towing a trailer.

5. How far can you drive a hybrid truck when you aren’t towing?

The driving range varies based on the size of the truck and the efficiency offered. For example, the Ford F-150 PowerBoost, which gives you 430 horsepower, 570 lb-ft of torque, and a tow rating of 12,700 pounds, can drive for more than 700 miles on a full tank of gas. This distance could last many owners more than a week of using this truck for work every day.

Next, learn more about whether or not electric cars are cheaper to drive, or watch the hybrid trucks in the video below: