Video: I Tow a 7,500-Pound Travel Trailer with a Tesla Cybertruck & It’s Better Than I Thought

It took a bit to get used to it.

2024 tesla cybertruck travel camper trailer towing review first

It’s time to take the new Tesla Cybertruck on a first big and heavy towing test. While other reviewers have pulled other trailers with the Cybertruck, this 33-foot travel camping trailer has a large surface area and a hefty weight (around 7,500 lbs).

I expected the Cybertruck to have plenty of power and maneuverability. Tesla claims the dual-motor Foundation Series has up to 600 horsepower. The truck is equipped with four-wheel steering and a height-adjustable air suspension. However, I was skeptical about the position of the hitch, ease of connecting to a trailer, ease of trailer brake controller use, ride quality, regenerative braking, and efficiency.

The Cybertruck pleasantly surprised me on most counts, but it took me a while to get used to the squarish steering wheel and the variable-ratio steer-by-wire system.

It was easy to back up the Cybertruck to the trailer tongue. The rear camera resolution is high and the image is large on the center screen. The air suspension adjusted quickly to the added weight of the trailer tongue (around 800-900 lbs).

The Cybertruck has a maximum payload capacity of 2,500 lbs and a maximum towing rating of 11,000 lbs. The dual-motor Foundation Series Tesla Cybertruck has a curb weight of just under 6,700 lbs. It’s approximately 400 lbs lighter than a Rivian R1T quad-motor electric pickup truck.

As soon as we plugged in the trailer’s 7-pin cable, the towing screen came up to allow for brake gain adjustment. Manual trailer brake actuation can be done via the central screen or a scroll wheel on the steering wheel.

Cybertruck’s ride is comfy whether it’s empty or loaded. This is impressive. The electric motor sounds are very noticeable in the cabin while driving. The mechanical feedback from the powertrain is on the border between “Oops, we didn’t add enough sound insulation” and “Oh yeah, this motor sound is very satisfying”.

After some city driving and a short highway stint, we came back after a 22-mile trip with 20 kWh used. I made a mistake in the video while calculating the average energy usage. It was 1.1 miles/kWh. This is a relatively good result for a large trailer like this.

However, this was NOT our Denver-100 efficiency loop where we consistently drive at interstate speeds. This is also NOT an Ike GauntletTM towing test. We cannot directly compare this towing efficiency result against other electric pickup trucks that we tested (Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer EV, and Chevy Silverado EV).

The Cybertruck has a 123 kWh battery capacity. It means it can pull this travel trailer about 135 miles if you are willing to use all 100% of the battery. Since owners are unlikely to use 100% of the battery on a road trip – a more realistic towing range of the Cybertruck is closer to 115 miles (based on this first towing test).

Please join me in the video below.