Whether you tow a touring caravan, a car trailer, a glider, or just a load of garden rubbish, you’ll want one of the best cars for towing that doesn’t compromise on the day-to-day usability that marks out the best family cars. You also need to carefully match your car/trailer combination in both power and weight.
Of course, you need a car with the power to deal with the weight of your caravan/trailer. But it also needs to be heavy enough to provide the stability needed for a safe journey. That’s why experienced towers generally abide by the 85% rule – that means the trailer weighs no more than 85% of the car’s weight. Whether you stick to that or not, always make sure you don’t exceed your car’s maximum towing capacity. You also need to stay on the right side of the towing laws.
We’ve rounded up what we think are the best towing cars currently available to buy new. Our list covers a variety of budgets and a range of towing requirements, suiting everything from a small trailer or two-berth caravan right up to a car transporter or massive twin-axle tourer. We’ve focused on diesel-powered cars, because frequent towers still favour them for their torque and fuel economy.
The ultimate towing car
If there was a template for the perfect tow car, the Land Rover Defender would fit it perfectly. Its size and weight provide an extremely stable platform for any size of trailer and the 3.0-litre diesel engines have the power to deal with the car’s maximum 3,500kg towing capacity. Especially the new 350hp one. The five-door Defender 110 is best for towing – the smaller 90 has stability issues and the seven-seat 130 is a bit too big.
There are question marks over the Defender’s reliability, but it’s a hugely capable car with loads of space, storage and charging ports in a carefully thought-through interior. Options quickly ramp up the price but do spec the towing pack, which includes a system that counter-steers for you when reversing.
To find out more, read our full Land Rover Defender review
There are question marks over the Defender’s reliability, but it’s a hugely capable car with loads of space, storage and charging ports in a carefully thought-through interior. Options quickly ramp up the price but do spec the towing pack, which includes a system that counter-steers for you when reversing.
To find out more, read our full Land Rover Defender review
Pros
- Genuinely great family car
- Useful trailer assist system
- Fabulous to drive
Cons
- Can get expensive
- Not cheap to run
A great small tow car for lighter loads
You don’t need a great big SUV or MPV to tow effectively, as the Volkswagen Golf Estate proves. With the 150hp, 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine (now a rare thing in an estate this size) it has a maximum towing capacity of 1,600kg – or 1,300kg if you stick to the 85% rule of thumb, enough for a family-size four-berth caravan. The car itself weighs about 1,500kg and is 4.6 metres long, which makes for a safe and stable journey.
The Golf Estate isn’t short of other merits. It has loads of passenger and boot space – almost as much as a Skoda Octavia – it’s quiet, comfortable and very efficient. Mercifully, the infuriating infotainment will soon be ditched when the updated model arrives later this year.
To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Golf Estate review
The Golf Estate isn’t short of other merits. It has loads of passenger and boot space – almost as much as a Skoda Octavia – it’s quiet, comfortable and very efficient. Mercifully, the infuriating infotainment will soon be ditched when the updated model arrives later this year.
To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Golf Estate review
Pros
- Comfortable and stable to drive
- Strong and efficient diesel
- Loads of space
Cons
- Irksome infotainment
- Unengaging driving experience
Big SUV that’s hugely capable in any role
Mazda raised eyebrows when it followed up the plug-in hybrid CX-60 with an off-trend 3.3-litre, six-cylinder diesel version. But it makes complete sense as a tow car. The 254hp all-wheel-drive model makes very light work of the CX-60’s 2,500kg towing capacity and, despite weighing less than 2,000kg itself, the car is big and stable enough to handle that kind of weight.
There’s much else to like about the CX-60, particularly it’s rather lovely interior, filled with tactile materials and unobtrusive tech. A car this size should have more passenger and boot space, and the ride can bouncy, but comfort is otherwise another strong suit.
To find out more, read our full Mazda CX-60 review
There’s much else to like about the CX-60, particularly it’s rather lovely interior, filled with tactile materials and unobtrusive tech. A car this size should have more passenger and boot space, and the ride can bouncy, but comfort is otherwise another strong suit.
To find out more, read our full Mazda CX-60 review
Pros
- Cracking diesel engine
- Fantastic, high-quality interior
- Excellent value
Cons
- Bouncy ride
- Boot on the small side
Do-anything mid-size SUV makes an excellent tow car
The Skoda Karoq really punches about its weight as a tow car: the 150hp 2.0-litre TDI model with four-wheel-drive and a DSG automatic gearbox has a whopping towing capacity of 2,100kg. That’s more than any other mid-size SUV can manage. However, the car’s 4.4-metre length and 1,600kg weight means towing about 1,400kg is probably more advisable – the Karoq would barely notice it.
It's getting on in years, but the Karoq remains one of the best mid-size SUVs. It’s a great all-rounder, offering the space and practicality of a bigger car, a relaxing drive and a hassle-free ownership experience. More recent rivals are techier, but the Karoq’s less screen-heavy interior does have an appeal.
To find out more, read our full Skoda Karoq review
It's getting on in years, but the Karoq remains one of the best mid-size SUVs. It’s a great all-rounder, offering the space and practicality of a bigger car, a relaxing drive and a hassle-free ownership experience. More recent rivals are techier, but the Karoq’s less screen-heavy interior does have an appeal.
To find out more, read our full Skoda Karoq review
Pros
- Comfortable, flexible interior
- User-friendly tech
- Undemanding to own
Cons
- Ambitious maximum towing capacity
- Feeling its age a little
Big MPV is a great tow car
Diesel MPVs are great tow cars, their size and weight making a very stable anchor for a large caravan/trailer. New diesel MPVs are very thin on the ground and the Volkswagen Multivan is the best by a very long chalk. The 150hp, 2.0-litre TDI diesel version can tow 2,000kg, or about 1,700kg sticking to the 85% rule – equivalent to a two-axle, six-berth caravan.
In many ways, the Multivan is the ultimate family car. It’s seven-seat interior is immensely spacious and has dozens of possible seating configurations, the tower of tables/storage is a work of genius. There’s a deeply appealing sense of adventure to the car, as well.
To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Multivan review
In many ways, the Multivan is the ultimate family car. It’s seven-seat interior is immensely spacious and has dozens of possible seating configurations, the tower of tables/storage is a work of genius. There’s a deeply appealing sense of adventure to the car, as well.
To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Multivan review
Pros
- Seats seven in comfort
- Incredibly flexible interior
- Makes every journey an adventure
Cons
- It’s a very big car
- Top-spec models are pricey
Nothing beats a pickup for work and leisure use
As good as cars can be for towing, they still can’t quite beat a pickup truck – especially if you need to regularly pull really heavy loads. That’s because trucks have a heavy-duty chassis and suspension designed for hard work, with comfort a secondary consideration. The latest Ford Ranger is the best of the pickup bunch, able to pull 3,500kg with the 205hp 2.0-litre and 240hp V6 diesel engines.
The Ranger is a viable substitute for a large SUV, especially in spacious Double Cab form. It’s more comfortable than most other pickups, the interior has a very car-like feel, as does the driving experience. It’s very big, of course, but you can get an awful lot of stuff in the load bed.
To find out more, read our full Ford Ranger review
The Ranger is a viable substitute for a large SUV, especially in spacious Double Cab form. It’s more comfortable than most other pickups, the interior has a very car-like feel, as does the driving experience. It’s very big, of course, but you can get an awful lot of stuff in the load bed.
To find out more, read our full Ford Ranger review
Pros
- Shrugs off heavy trailers
- Surprisingly agile
- Car-like interior
Cons
- Bigger than the biggest SUVs
- High running costs
Brand-new version of the one of the best big estates
A brand-new version of the Skoda Superb Estate – a longstanding Parkers favourite – was launched in March 2024 and it’s shaping up to be as good a tow car as its predecessor. The 193hp, 2.0-litre TDI diesel with four-wheel-drive and DSG automatic gearbox has a maximum towing capacity of 2,200kg and it should easily cope with that kind of weight. The car itself is actually pretty light at under 1,700kg, but its 4.9-metre length should provide good stability.
In the brief time we’ve spent with the new Superb Estate so far, but it made a very strong first impression, appreciably enhancing the model’s hallmark vast space, comfort and ease of use. We look forward to a more extensive test.
To find out more, read our full Skoda Superb Estate review
In the brief time we’ve spent with the new Superb Estate so far, but it made a very strong first impression, appreciably enhancing the model’s hallmark vast space, comfort and ease of use. We look forward to a more extensive test.
To find out more, read our full Skoda Superb Estate review
Pros
- So much space
- Interior still has buttons and knobs
- Deeply comfortable
Cons
- It is very big
- Some iffy interior materials
8
BMW X5
Towing in the lap of luxury
The size, weight and power luxury SUVs generally have makes them ideal for towing, and the BMW X5 is one of the very best. Both the 298hp 30d and 352hp 40d engines barely notice a trailer weighing the full 3,500kg towing capacity, and the car provides a very stable base. The Range Rover Sport is similarly capable but feels a bit more precious – you’ll feel better about making the X5 work for its living.
As you’d expect of a BMW, the X5 feels better to drive than all its rivals, except the Porsche Cayenne. Yet it’s a much more practical proposition than the Stuttgart car and comes more generously equipped as standard. Just try not to go mad with the pricey options.
To find out more, read our full BMW X5 review
As you’d expect of a BMW, the X5 feels better to drive than all its rivals, except the Porsche Cayenne. Yet it’s a much more practical proposition than the Stuttgart car and comes more generously equipped as standard. Just try not to go mad with the pricey options.
To find out more, read our full BMW X5 review
Pros
- Great diesel engines
- Luxurious interior
- Surprisingly good value
Cons
- Price bloats with options
- No seven-seat version
Big SUV takes big trailers in its stride
There are plenty of luxurious SUVs that you won’t feel too bad about making work for their living with regular towing. But the Volkswagen Touareg feels like it positively thrives on hard graft. It can, of course, tow 3,500kg with ease, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine provides plenty of muscle – particularly the 286hp version. Speccing a tow bar also adds VW’s brilliant trailer assist system which helps you steer when reversing a trailer.
The Touareg can’t match the interior quality of it’s premium-brand rivals but its space, practicality and tech are right on the money. That the police are replacing BMW X5s with Touaregs is a great endorsement, as well.
To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Touareg review
The Touareg can’t match the interior quality of it’s premium-brand rivals but its space, practicality and tech are right on the money. That the police are replacing BMW X5s with Touaregs is a great endorsement, as well.
To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Touareg review
Pros
- Can work hard for its living
- Genius trailer assist system
- The police like it
Cons
- Slightly downmarket interior
- Hefty price tag for a VW
This list has been compiled from our experience of testing these cars. If you want to find out more about what that involves, you can read about how Parkers tests cars.
