Electrified cars have won half this year’s Towcar of the Year awards taking six out of the seven category wins, with five of them being fully electric models.
The BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport was named best electric towcar overall, also winning in the caravan weight over 2,000kg category. Judges commented that the iX “provides smooth, confident acceleration, even with a heavy caravan in tow. The adaptive air suspension kept everything stable, composed and level when hitched, while regenerative braking helped control descents.”
For smaller caravans, the Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x 82kWh 210 kW 4×4 took the award in the caravan weight under 1,300kg category. Its four-wheel drive system was a boon, with judges calling it “remarkably stable when towing” and “natural and balanced”.
The Nissan Ariya e-4orce Evolve 87 kWh won in the caravan weight 1,500kg to 1,600kg, with the Genesis GV60 Sport Plus winning in the 1,600kg to 1,700kg category. Judges described the Genesis as “a wonderful, capable and stylish towcar”.
Porsche’s new Macan Electric took the trophy for the caravan weight 1,800kg to 2,000kg with judges saying that it feels just like the petrol version and praising its stopping power, saying it was “class leading”.
Finally, serial towcar award winner Volvo was named best hybrid towcar with the updated XC90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid AWD Ultra, judges saying, “The XC90 handles superbly with a caravan whilst remaining comfortable and sure-footed.”
The awards judging took place over four days at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, with cars hitched up to caravans ballasted to 85 per cent of their kerbweight or their towing limit. Acceleration and braking were measured, while the cars were tested on Millbrook’s high-speed bowl and Alpine route.
In addition to the driving, ‘caravanability’ judges checked on the practicality of the cars for caravanners, while also checking how easy it is to hitch up the cars to caravans.
Commenting on the number of electrified winners in this year’s awards, Nick Lomas, Director General of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said, “The pace of technological advancement in motoring has been remarkable and the strong presence of electric vehicles in this year’s competition highlights just how far the industry has come.”
