If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 112 first. Ring us once everyone is safe.

An electric car that will not move is not like a petrol car with a flat battery. Many cannot be towed with their wheels turning on the road without risking damage to the motor or the drive system. Most makers say the same thing in the handbook: move it with the wheels off the ground. That is how we do electric car towing in Dublin: the EV goes up onto the flatbed and travels with all four wheels on the deck.

Electric car strapped down on a flatbed tow truck on a tree-lined Dublin street, EV towing — EV towing: all four wheels on the deck. Number plates blurred.

What to tell us when you ring

The make, model and year
Whether it is fully electric or a hybrid
Whether it will go into neutral, or whether the wheels are locked
Whether the screens come on at all
Any warning messages, and whether there has been a collision

A white flatbed tow truck carrying an electric car along a Dublin industrial estate road — An electric car on its way on the flatbed. Number plates blurred.

When the car will not wake up

If the doors will not unlock or the screens stay black, the small 12V battery is often the cause, not the big one. Tell us what you are seeing. Some cars need a particular method to release the parking lock before they can be moved.

Where it can go

Home, a dealer, your garage or another address. You choose. A standard call-out starts from €150, plus €2 per km depending on the destination, agreed on the call before the truck sets off.

A hybrid car loaded on the tilted bed of a tow truck, hybrid and EV towing in Dublin — Hybrids too: many need the drive wheels off the road. Number plates blurred.

After a crash

Do not touch the battery area. If there is smoke, a burning smell or a hissing sound, get everyone well away from the car and call 112.

Read more in our note on towing an electric car.

Electric and hybrid cars on the flatbed

A black electric car secured on the tilted deck of a recovery truck beside a tree-lined Dublin road — Electric car towing: wheels off the road, on the flatbed.

A silver hybrid hatchback strapped onto a flatbed tow truck for car recovery in Dublin — A hybrid strapped on the ramp.

Real Recovery CC jobs. Number plates and other firms’ names blurred.

Questions about this

Can an electric car be towed on a rope?

Only if the handbook allows it, and most do not. The safe default is a flatbed with the wheels off the road.

Can you take it to a charger?

Yes, give us the address of the charger or dealer you want it taken to.

Is a hybrid treated the same?

Tell us it is a hybrid when you call. Many hybrids also need to be moved with the drive wheels off the road.

Electric car towing in Dublin