Audi Q5 Towbars

All Audi Q5 towbars are type approved, vehicle-specific, this means that they are specially designed, tested and approved for the Audi Q5. Currently, there are two generations of the Audi Q5, 2008-2017 and 2017 onwards.

Audi Q5 Towing Specifics

The Audi Q5 was first introduced in 2009 by the German manufacturer as a compact luxury crossover SUV, featuring plenty of towing abilities. We will cover the towing specifics of both generations below.

Audi Q5 2017 Onwards Towbars

The Audi Q5’s second generation was launched into the market in 2017. If you have a 2017 Audi Q5 it is important you correctly determine which model you have to ensure you get the correct towbar. You can find this information in your vehicle’s logbook.

Audi Q5 2017 Onwards Towbar Electric Kits

It is recommended that all tow bars fitted to an Audi Q5 2017 onwards vehicle are fitted with a dedicated electrics kit. A dedicated electrics kit helps to guarantee modern features such as; trailer stability and parking sensors function correctly, while also helping to ensure that any vehicle warranty is not affected.

Although universal electrics kits are available for the Audi Q5 2017 onwards towbars, these could invalidate any manufacturer warranty you may have and will also require a bypass relay.


New car warranty

Every Audi that leaves our factory comes with a standard two-year unlimited-mileage warranty. In the UK, this is enhanced to a three-year warranty (with a 60,000-mile limit in the third year). It’s also possible to upgrade to a four or five-year warranty, covering a whole range of mechanical and electrical components for even longer. Whichever warranty you choose, it can be transferred with your car if you decide to sell before the warranty expires.

Check your Audi warranty for more information.

Bypass Relays

All towbars for Audi Q5 2017 onwards vehicles that are fitted using a universal electrics kit will require a bypass relay.

A bypass relay works by powering what it is you are towing through transferring power straight from the battery instead of taking too much current away from your vehicle.

A dedicated system works in harmony with your vehicle's ECU and all of its functions.


Fitting a Bypass relay is necessary when fitting a universal electrics kit, to make the towbar electrics function without faults appearing on your dashboard, but we do not fit or sell universal electrics for this vehicle.

The connections would need to be made above the roof lining, this can easily lead to damaging of the roof lining.

The Audi Q5 switches the lights from the bumper to the tailgate when the tailgate is opened, if you were to break down whilst towing and opened the tailgate, the hazard lights on the trailer would not operate.

Coding

This is the coding of the ECU to accept the dedicated system, this updates your vehicle's software to run smoothly with the new towbar. Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured 2017 onwards will require coding.

Bumper cuts

Depending on the towbar, Audi Q5 2017 onwards vehicles may require a bumper cut. A bumper cut is when a fraction of the vehicle's rear bumper is cut in order to fit the towbar. You have a choice of visible, non-visible and no bumper cuts for the tow bars offered with the Audi Q5 range.

Nose weight

Nose weight is the amount of weight pushing down on the tow ball. It is important not to exceed the nose weight set on the individual tow bar, failure to do so could damage the car chassis and/or tow bar mounting points. Any Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured after 2017, have a minimum nose weight of 75kg and a maximum nose weight of 115kg. The tow bar selected will determine your vehicles nose weight.

Towing weight

Towing weight is the weight that the Audi Q5 2017 onwards towbars can tow safely without damaging the vehicle. The towing weight capacity ranges between 1940kg to 2700kg depending on which Audi Q5 2017 onwards towbar you chose.

You will need to check the towing limit for your A5 vehicle model as it may not be able to tow up to the weight limit that the tow bar can tow.

How to identify which generation Audi Q5 you own, when on a change over year.

The first image is the 2008 to 2017 Q5 the bottom of the rear window is curved, the rear lights curve upwards, the second image is the 2017 onwards Q5. The rear lights are more square on the bottom edge, the rear window has a straight bottom edge, the twin exhausts are integrated into the design of the lower bumper skirt.

 

Audi Q5 2008-2017 Towbar Electrics Kits

It is recommended that all tow bars fitted to an Audi Q5 are done so with a dedicated electrics kit, rather than a universal electrics kit. A dedicated electrics kit not only ensures all modern features such as; trailer stability and parking sensors are functional but also helps to keep your vehicle's warranty unaffected.

We offer both universal and dedicated electrics kits for the Audi Q5 2008-2017 towbars, but be aware that universal electrics kits can invalidate any manufacturer warranty your vehicle has and may also require a bypass relay.


New car warranty

Every Audi that leaves our factory comes with a standard two-year unlimited-mileage warranty. In the UK, this is enhanced to a three-year warranty (with a 60,000-mile limit in the third year). It’s also possible to upgrade to a four or five-year warranty, covering a whole range of mechanical and electrical components for even longer. Whichever warranty you choose, it can be transferred with your car if you decide to sell before the warranty expires.

Check your Audi warranty for more information.

Bypass Relays

All tow bars for the Audi Q5 year range 2008 to 2017 will require a bypass relay if universal electrics are fitted.

A bypass relay works by powering what it is you are towing through transferring power straight from the battery instead of taking too much current away from your vehicle.

Whereas a dedicated system works in harmony with your vehicle's ECU and all of its functions.

Fitting a Bypass relay is necessary when fitting a universal electrics kit, to make the towbar electrics function without faults appearing on your dashboard, but we do not fit or sell universal electrics for this vehicle.

The connections would need to be made above the roof lining, this can easily lead to damaging of the roof lining.

The Audi Q5 switches the lights from the bumper to the tailgate when the tailgate is opened, if you were to break down whilst towing and opened the tailgate, the hazard lights on the trailer would not operate.

Coding

This is the coding of the ECU to accept the dedicated system, this updates your vehicle's software to run smoothly with the new towbar. Audi Q5 vehicles made between 2008-2017 will require coding.

Coding is used to update your vehicle's software in order for it to run coherently with the new towbar through the dedicated electrics.

Bumper Cuts

Depending on the towbar, Audi Q5 2008-2017 vehicles may require a bumper cut. A bumper cut is when a fraction of the vehicle's rear bumper is cut in order to fit the towbar. You have a choice of visible, non-visible and no bumper cuts for the tow bars offered with the Audi Q5 range.

Nose Weight

Nose weight is the amount of weight pushing down on the tow ball, it is important not to exceed the nose weight set on the tow bar, failure to do so could damage the car chassis and/or tow bar mounting points. For any Audi Q5 vehicle manufactured between the years 2008 to 2017, the lowest nose weight is 75kg and the highest nose weight is 115kg. Nose weight varies depending on the towbar you choose and are displayed under each tow bar below.

Towing Weight

Towing weight is the weight that an Audi Q5 2008-2017 towbar can tow safely, without any risk of damaging the vehicle. Towing weights are bar specific and displayed below each towbar.

For the Audi Q5 2008-2017 range, the towing weight capacity for the tow bars is 2400kg.

You will need to check the towing limit for your Q5 vehicle model as it may not be able to tow up to the weight limit that the tow bar can tow.