Volkswagen Passat is the TowCar of the Year – wins too for Skoda, BMW, Volvo and more

The Volkswagen Passat R-Line 2.0 TSI 204PS DSG is declared the Tow Car of the Year 2026 by the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

With over half a million Touring Caravans in the UK, and a whole heap of trailers too, buying the right car for what you’re towing is a big deal.

So the annual Tow Car of the Year Awards from the Caravan and Motorhome Club is a sensible place to start when you’re deciding what’s best for your towing needs.

Last year, the seven-year-old Volvo XC60 was the big winner, but this year it’s a much newer model with the new Volkswagen Passat R-Line 2.0 TSI 204PS DSG taking both the overall win and best in the 1300kg-1500kg category too.

The Award Judges commented:

This traditional estate car with a low centre of gravity is a superbly capable towcar. Its ability to positively respond to sudden lane changes and unexpected undulations in the road gave us confidence. The 2.0TSI engine is lively and responsive, delivering plenty of power as and when required.

As well as declaring the overall winner, the judges managed to divvy up a huge array of other winners by Caravan weight and Category.

The Skoda Enyaq won the under 1300 kg category, the VW Passat 1300kg-1500kg, Nissan Ariya 1500kg-1600 kg, Genesis GV60 1600kg-1700kg, BMW X3 M50 1700kg-1800kg, Porsche Macan 1800kg-2000kg and BMW iX xDrive M Sport the over 2000kg.

Category winners were the BMW iX as Electric Towcar, Volvo XC90 T8 as Hybrid Towcar, VW Passat as Family Towcar and Bentley Bentayga as Luxury Towcar.