Ford is bringing hands-free driving to people towing boats and campers

For 2027, the F-150 — America's best-selling vehicle — will introduce a version of its BlueCruise hands-free driver-assistance system that will be available while towing a boat, camper, or trailer on compatible highways, executives told Business Insider.

It is not fully self-driving. Drivers must keep their eyes on the road and be prepared to take over, but can remove their hands from the steering wheel and feet from the pedals.

The update helps bring Ford up to speed with its cross-town Detroit rival, General Motors, which added trailering to its hands-off highway system in 2022. Tesla's FSD (Supervised) disables when a trailer is detected.

For Ford, BlueCruise with Towing will be available on more than 130,000 miles of prequalified divided highways, which Ford calls Blue Zones. It will be included on every BlueCruise-equipped 2027 F-150, beginning with the XLT trim.

It's limited by a trailer's type, size, weight, loading, and configuration.

"76% of our [F-150] customers are towing," Greg Christensen, Ford's general manager of North American trucks, said. "We know that our usage of BlueCruise hands-free driving is increasing, and we're offering customers options to really drive that."

The automaker says it tested the assisted towing features over thousands of miles of US roads. Christensen added that the automaker used its Dynamic Driving Simulator to test roughly 800 different trailer configurations.

The truck monitors factors including trailer sway, tire pressure, and speed, and will lock the driver out of certain conditions that persist.

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Ford says it's the latest example of how it's steadily making towing easier with a series of software updates. In 2023, the company launched its Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, which semi-autonomously lines up a truck's hitch ball directly with a trailer coupler. Dan Barbossa, a company spokesperson, joked that the towing system has helped "save so many marriages."

Customers with an active BlueCruise subscription will not have to pay an additional fee to use the towing feature, Ford said.

The 2027 F-150 also adds lower-priced versions of the Raptor and Tremor, two popular off-road models whose prices have climbed alongside the broader truck market.