The best cars you can buy to tow a caravan or trailer in 2020

With more than half a million touring caravans in use in the UK and Britons spending around £2million a year on holidays in them, picking the right car to tow one is vitally important to many motorists.

Fortunately, there’s an expert testing panel who can tell you which vehicles – large and small – are best for pulling light and heavy loads.

The Caravan and Motorhome Club, which has in excess of a million members, has tried all the latest models and determined which are the best in each weight category.

To put all the contenders for the title of Towcar of the Year 2020 through their paces, the test team took 35 models to Millbrook Proving Grounds in Bedfordshire for a number of assessments.

This includes the vehicle’s ability to haul a caravan up a steep incline, measure acceleration and braking with a trailer hitched and performance during high-speed runs on the testing ground’s oval.

These are the models the Caravan and Motorhome Club recommends in each of the different categories – and the overall winner for 2020.

Volvo XC40

Towcar of the Year and 1,400 – 1,500kg caravan category winner

While you might think it would be a big bruising 4×4 that would be crowned the overall winner, it was actually a relatively dinky SUV that was named Towcar of the Year.

The accolade for 2020 went to Volvo’s XC40, having been picked as the top choice in the class of 1,400 to 1,400kg caravan pullers for the second year on the trot.

The model tested was the £38,635 diesel D4 AWD in R-Design Pro spec, which has a relatively low 187bhp but 295 lb/ft (pound-foot) of torque, meaning heaps of pulling power from low down in the revs.

The judges described it as ‘a willing and eager sporty SUV’ and added: ‘There’s one word that can sum up towing with this car and that’s effortless.

‘We score on so many different criteria and you might get a car that scores highly on some and not others. But this one is, across the board, great.’

It was also praised for how controllable it is at low speed, especially reversing, stability at high speeds and for having a strong safety record.     

Jaguar I-Pace  

Under 1,150kg caravan and Best alternatively fuelled vehicle category winner

Being a fully electric model, the I-Pace is limited in terms of what it can tow – an allowance of a maximum trailer weight of 750kg, in fact.

That said, it was still awarded the best tower in the under 1,150kg caravan category, as well as the zero-emissions hauler of 2020.

With a claimed range of almost 300 miles on a full charge, the Caravan and Motorhome Club said the I-Pace 400PS Electric HSE – which costs a whopping £74,995 – can cover up to 115 miles when hitched before it needed to be plugged into a power supply.  

Plenty of boot space and ease of use when it came to hooking up towing mirrors and electrics for a caravan.

Skoda Octavia Estate

1,150 – 1,300kg caravan category winner

The judges described the Octavia as a ‘lively and entertaining little estate’ – though it’s worth arguing that the Octavia is far from small.

So much so that its large boot impressed the testing panel, who also made a point of how helpful information about towing in the owner’s manual was.

Towing mirrors are said to be easy to fit and the detachable electrics were conveniently located, just under the bumper. 

The noseweight and roof load limits of 75kg were deemed reasonable for the £28,480 Sportline 2.0 TDI automatic version tested.

Ford Focus Vignale Estate

1,300kg – 1,400kg caravan category winner 

Despite being smaller than the Skoda Octavia, the Ford Focus Estate was deemed the best for towing a heavier caravan.

The variant put through the test team’s intensive assessments was the 2.0 EcoBlue automatic, a model that costs £31,195.

As well as its adequate pulling performance, the Focus was recommended for having a generous 541-litre boot – ideal for storing towing kit.

The only let down was the lack of a spare wheel, with models coming with tyre sealant as standard, which isn’t suitable to repair a puncture when you have a caravan hitched. 

Volvo V60 Cross Country

1,500kg – 1,700kg caravan category winner 

Revered as being a ‘faultless’ towcar that’s ‘very good in every way’, the V60 Cross Country was the second Volvo to collect an award from the Caravan and Motorhome Club for this year.

The model tested was the diesel D4 AWD Cross Country Plus, costing £40,785, which was deemed a good compromise between performance and fuel economy, offering 295lb/ft of torque from the 186bhp engine and returning an average of 50mpg.

The testgers liked the electrically-retractable towbar – a £1,075 optional extra – and the addition of a spare wheel, which buyers have to fork out another £150 to have.

VW Touareg

Over 1,700kg caravan category winner 

If your caravan is on the large size – and by large we mean over 1,700kg in weight – then the vehicle for you is the Volkswagen Touareg SUV.

It took the prize in this category, with the 3.0-litre V6 diesel 4 Motion automatic in R-Line Tech spec impressing the judges.

With 282bhp and a massive 443lb/ft of torque, hauling heavy loads is no issue.

But the panel also liked the comfortable ride, progressive steering and handling as well as lots of stability at high speeds, even when pulling a twin-axle caravan. 

It’s not cheap, though. This specific example is a pricey £58,295.

Skoda Kodiaq

Best large family towcar 

If hitching a caravan is something you do relatively infrequently and want a car that’s equally as good for the school run as it is camping trips, Skoda’s seven-seat Kodiaq is the choice for 2020.

The version recommended – like most here – is the top of the range. In this case, that means the hot vRS 2.0-litre 4×4 diesel with the DSG automatic gearbox.

This motor produces 236bhp, which is ample for towing a large caravan. But the test team said the £44,065 vRS is refined, smooth and offers plenty of practical space, even when all seven of the seats are being used. 

A 230-litre boot is also handy for shopping trips as well as towing equipment. 

Volkswagen Amarok

Best pick-up towcar  

This is the second year running the Amarok has taken this category award, proving its credentials as the best choice of pick-up for towing – and in general, according to other test reports. 

The Caravan and Motorhome Club tested the 201bhp Trendline 3.0-litre V6 4MOTION diesel with an automatic transmission, which retails for £29,555.

With 368lb/ft of torque, it has plenty of pulling power to lug a caravan of almost any size up to 1,972kg in weight.  

Judges also praised how refined and composed it felt during laden driving, especially by the standards of pick-up trucks, which tend to feel relatively agricultural.