Real-World 2.5T Caravan Towing Test with BYD Shark 6 Over Mountain Passes: Fuel Economy & High HV Hold (50% SOC)
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G'day mates, just got back from a 1,400km round trip from Brisbane up through Cunningham's Gap and out to Stanthorpe towing our 2,480kg dual-axle off-road caravan behind the 2025 BYD Shark 6 Premium, and wanted to share the hard numbers because there's been plenty of speculation online.
The Setup
- Ute: 2025 BYD Shark 6 Premium (stock 18" alloys, tyre pressures bumped to 42 PSI rear / 38 PSI front cold)
- Van: 2.48T loaded ATM, ~230kg towball weight, Redarc Tow-Pro Elite v3 electric brake controller
- Settings: HEV Mode + High HV Hold set to 50% SOC before leaving the driveway at 98% charge, Regenerating braking on High.
The Secret to Towing Without Running Out of Puff
If you leave the Shark 6 in default Auto EV/HEV mode and let the Blade Battery drop to 25% SOC before hitting a long climb like Cunningham's Gap, the 1.5L turbo Miller-cycle engine has to work overtime screaming at 4,800 RPM to both propel 5+ tonnes GCM and buffer the pack.
Instead, here is what worked flawlessly:
- Lock in HEV + 50% SOC Hold as soon as you hook up the trailer on the flat motorway.
- At 95–100 km/h on the highway, the engine hums quietly at ~2,100 RPM acting as a generator + front axle assist while keeping the battery sitting between 48% and 52%.
- Coming up the 8km climb at Cunningham's Gap, I held 80–85 km/h effortlessly. SOC dipped from 51% down to 36% at the crest — plenty of buffer left, zero power derating, and cabin noise was miles quieter than my old 2.8L Hilux!
Real-World Fuel & kWh Figures
- Flat motorway towing (95 km/h, mild headwind):
13.8 L/100km+2.1 kWh/100km - Hilly/mountain range section:
15.6 L/100km(recovered 9% SOC coming back down the range on High Regen without barely touching the brake pedal!) - Combined 1,400km trip average (with two caravan park 15A overnight plug-ins):
13.4 L/100km
Anyone else towing 2.2T–2.5T with their Shark 6? Keen to hear what SOC Hold target you're finding best!
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Spot on write-up mate! I tow a 2.3T boat trailer down the M1 from the Gold Coast to Iluka and learned the exact same lesson on my first trip. First time out I forgot to switch from EV to HEV until the battery hit 26%, and then tried to overtake a B-double up Sexton Hill — engine revved its ring out. Now I set HEV + 60% SOC Hold the moment the trailer plug goes into the 12-pin socket and it pulls like a freight train.
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Good question on the rear end — with 230kg on the ball and around 120kg of camping gear in the tub (fridge + recovery gear), the rear dropped about 38mm. Because of the independent rear suspension (IRS) with coil springs, the ride over broken bitumen is actually way more compliant than leaf springs, zero chatter. That said, if you're regularly at 240kg+ ball weight + canopy, a set of Pedders or Ironman constant-load 300kg rear coils is 100% worth doing.
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