What are the best cars for towing?

The 2018 Tow Car Awards are here to help you find out...

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Best Petrol Tow Car

Kia Stinger 2.0 T-GDi GT-Line

You'll notice that most of the winners of the Tow Car Awards categories happen to be sporting diesel engines, which make good luggers thanks to their hefty torque figures. But that doesn't rule out petrol engines entirely – according to the towing experts that made up the panel, the Stinger was the car that proved you don’t need a large – diesel-engined – estate or SUV to go caravanning.

Best Family SUV

Volvo XC40 D4 AWD R-Design Pro

The XC40 has already been voted European Car of the Year in 2018, but it's added a minor accolade to that win here. The panel said the Volvo proved it had the 'power and stability to make a suitable match for a broad range of caravans and trailers'.

Up to 1,400kg

Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L DSG

The Octavia is a regular round these parts, winning this category every year but one since 2013. It impressed the judges with its stability, interior space and all-round performance, and as an added bonus the panel says that the car can easily be found with solid discounts.

1,400-1,549kg

Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L Executive

The overall winner in 2016, the Superb is another reliable contender from the Czech carmaker, impressive judges with its interior space and quality, as well as its value for money. 'It puts a big tick in just about every important box,' according to the panel.

1,550-1,699kg

Peugeot 5008 2.0 BlueHDi EAT8 SandS GT

A newcomer to the awards, this upgraded 5008 is a 'practical seven-seater with impressive towing stability at speed', according to the Tow Car Awards judges. They also said that the 5008 impressed in the emergency lane-change manoeuvre thanks to trick traction control that makes the most of the available grip.

1,700-1,899kg – and overall winner

BMW 520d Touring xDrive M Sport

The 5 Series was the panel's overall winner in the Tow Car Awards competition.

David Motton, tow car editor of Practical Caravan magazine, described the overall champion as 'a clear winner,' after fending off some tough competition in its weight class, such as the Jaguar F-Pace and Volvo XC40.

'Clearly, this is a towing competition first and foremost, and when it comes to pulling a caravan confidently and securely, the BMW 5 Series has few peers. There wasn’t a single one of our towing tests in which the BMW showed any weakness.'

1,900kg+

Land Rover Discovery Td6 HSE Main

The Discovery won a lot of praise from the judges – 'imperious', 'relaxing', a 'compelling all-round car'. Indeed, it fought off some impressive competition in the form of the Range Rover Velar, Mercedes GLE and new Volkswagen Tiguan, but the Discovery's seven-seat cabin and range of capabilities sealed the category win.

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18 June 2018 at 13:19

Sam Burnett

By: Sam Burnett

You can stop holding your breath now – the results of the 2018 Tow Car Awards are just in.

With a panel made up of representatives from What Car? and Practical Caravan magazines, as well as the Camping and Caravanning Club, judging for the 12th annual awards took place recently in the Midlands, with a rigorously scientific test setup at the Horiba Mira proving ground near Nuneaton. Using the same facilities used by manufacturers to test their cars out, the panellists performed hill starts, emergency lane changes, acceleration and braking tests, as well as high-speed stability checks.

Each car was matched to a caravan from a fleet supplied by the UK’s biggest caravan manufacturer – the Swift Group – or a trailer, ballasted to the recommended maximum of 85 per cent of its kerbweight (or less if the manufacturer’s towing limit is lower). Cars were also assessed by the judges for value for money, ride comfort, running costs, refinement and passenger space, as well as the practicality for carrying a typical load of camping or holiday gear.

With 44 cars entered this year, the organisers of the Tow Car Awards say that they now have verdicts on over 500 cars that have been tested since the first year of the competition back in 2007.

The awards are divided into nine different categories, with some based on weight, but extra plaudits for the most economical car, the best petrol-engined towing option and the best family SUV, among others. The 10th category is the overall award, reserved for the car the offers the best all-round towing experience.