David Motton whatcar@haymarket.com

An emergency stop is just one of the tests our contenders face

Welcome to the What Car? Tow Car Awards. Over the next few pages, we’ll reveal the top new cars for taking on the unique demands of towing; if you own a caravan, horsebox or boat trailer, you should find your next new car right here.

What’s more, for 2023 we’ve looked back over the hundreds of cars we’ve tested over the years and named the one we’d most recommend for a used car buyer.

We’ve been holding these awards since 2007, working with the experts at The Camping and Caravanning Club. And for the third year in a row, Adria – one of Europe’s top caravan manufacturers – provided a fleet of caravans for us to use in our tests.

Every caravan was ballasted to the equivalent of 85% of the test car’s kerb weight; the club recommends that ratio as a sensible maximum for safe and stable towing. If the car’s maximum towing weight limit was lower than 85% of its kerb weight, the caravan was loaded to match the former figure instead.

This year’s field of 30 cars was divided into five classes by weight, with the heaviest class also split by price. That way, you can easily find a car that’s suitable for towing your caravan or trailer. If a car has a very low towing limit, it might drop down a weight class, with a penalty applied to the score. Many electric cars are now approved for towing, so we’ve tested these in their own class.

Each car is assessed across four categories. The towing score is based on the views of four experienced tow car drivers over a week of testing at the Horiba-MIRA proving ground. Three of the four drivers complete a specially chosen test route, which includes towing on flat, straight roads at high speeds, as well as taking on a low-speed slalom and a hill start on a one-in-six slope.

The fourth driver, a What Car? road tester, carries out more extreme tests, including an emergency lane change and an emergency stop, as well as a 30-60mph acceleration test to simulate pulling onto a busy motorway. Meanwhile, our road test rating informs the solo driving score.

Boot space is tested using a typical load of camping gear, and the ease with which towing mirrors can be fitted, the towing gear’s ease of use and the spare wheel provision also feed into the practicality rating.

Finally, the score for buying and owning takes into account the car’s price, value, safety, equipment and reliability.