Volkswagen T‑Roc, the What Car? Best Tow Car for Caravans up to 1,300kg

The Volkswagen T‑Roc has been named the Best Car for Caravans up to 1,300kg in the prestigious What Car? Tow Car Awards 2026. The accolade comes just six months after the all-new Volkswagen T‑Roc went on sale in the UK and adds to its other What Car? award this year: Best Small SUV.

What the judges said

• “The new Volkswagen T‑Roc arrived just in time for this year’s tests. After our judges spent time with the vehicle, it became clear that Volkswagen had set a new benchmark for small tow cars.”
• “If buyers have a lightweight caravan to tow, they will be particularly impressed. The T‑Roc over-delivers as a tow car, especially when it comes to stability.”
• “In the emergency lane change test, the T‑Roc was secure at all three speeds. It stopped well, too, needing just eight metres to come to a halt from 30mph while towing a Swift Basecamp.”
• “Hill starts can be a struggle in some smaller tow cars, but the T‑Roc’s turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine and auto gearbox made them easy in the dry weather we had for our test week.”
• “Without a caravan, meanwhile, the T‑Roc is a pleasure to drive, especially with the optional adaptive chassis control fitted to our test car.”

The What Car? Tow Car Awards are judged by experts from What Car? and the Camping and Caravanning Club. These experts put vehicles through a series of rigorous tests that include lane changing, towing stability, emergency manoeuvres, braking, hill climbs and reversing. Cars are also scored based on their overall practicality, value, safety and running costs.

As What Car? Editor Steve Huntingford said: “It’s clear the Volkswagen T‑Roc is the new benchmark for small tow cars; anyone with a lightweight caravan or trailer to tow will be delighted with the T‑Roc.”

Towing capacity and nose weight

The T‑Roc has a maximum towing capacity of 1,500 kg, and the towing bracket offers you a nose weight or drawbar load of up to 80 kg.

Stability under tow

The T‑Roc is stable at speed while towing and responds brilliantly to emergency manoeuvres like lane changes and rapid stopping, taking just eight meters to stop from 30mph while towing Swift Basecamp caravan. For smaller tow cars, hill starts can be quite difficult to manage, but the T‑Roc’s turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine and auto gearbox makes it look easy.

If you’re unsure whether your car can tow your caravan, you’ll want to check the VIN plate or sticker on your car. The top number will be the gross vehicle weight which is the maximum legal weight of the fully loaded car. The second number will be the gross train weight (GTW) which is the maximum legal combined weight of the loaded car and loaded caravan.

Kerb weight, gross train weight and the 85% rule

The gross train weight of your vehicle is the maximum combined weight of your car and caravan when fully loaded. Exceeding this limit is highly illegal, can invalidate your insurance, and can stress your brakes, suspension, and engine.

The kerb weight or unladen weight of your vehicle is the total weight without any cargo or passengers. This is the number that will be used to determine if your vehicle is heavy enough to anchor the caravan behind it.

The 85% rule: your fully loaded caravan should weigh no more than 85% of your car’s empty kerb weight. This rule bridges the gap between your car’s legal limits, and what’s safe. Doing so ensures better stability and steering control, especially for anyone less experienced with towing.

What a 1,300kg limit means in practice

In practice a 1,300kg limit means it is illegal to tow more than that with your vehicle. But the safest option is to follow the 85% rule, especially if you’re inexperienced with towing.

Driving licence rules for towing in the UK

It’s also important to verify your driving entitlements on the GOV.UK Driving Licence Info to ensure your combined weight configuration is permitted under the specific issue date of your licence.

Trim levels and pricing

The new T‑Roc is available in the UK with Life, Match, Style and R-Line trims, and the on-the-road recommended retail price including VAT starts at £31,635.

The Life trim is our entry level trim, but it comes surprisingly well equipped with LED headlights with High Beam Assist, 17-inch alloy wheels, an eight-inch digital cockpit, wireless phone charging and a range of driver assistance systems including Front Assist, Lane Assist, Hill Start Assist and Side Assist.

The Match trim adds a more premium touch to every journey with 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats and steering wheel, rear privacy glass, 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro, navigation and IDA voice assistant with ChatGPT.

The Style trim features LED Plus headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, silver roof rails, rear tinted windows and carpet mats front and rear.

The R‑Line trim brings a sporty look with distinctive styling, 18-inch alloy wheels, R-Line body-coloured bumpers, sports comfort front seats, sports suspension, driving profile selection, plus features from lower trims.

Boot space and practicality

When it comes to boot space and practicality, the new T‑Roc delivers with generous legroom in the second row of seats, and a boot capacity of 475 litres. When you need extra space, just fold the seats down and that becomes 1,350 litres of boot space, which is plenty of space for everyday life and leisure.

Tiguan

If you’re looking for a towing car with a greater towing capacity, the Tiguan has a maximum towing capacity of 2,000kg, which means it can easily handle larger caravans or horse trailers. It features an optional towing bracket with a general drawbar load of 100kg, which is concealed under the rear. The towing bracket can also be semi-automatically folded down at the press of the button. Plus the optional Trailer Assist system can steer for you when reversing, to help make it easier to manoeuvre with a trailer.

Tayron

If you’re still looking for even more towing power, the Tayron with 4MOTION can tow up to 2,400kg. The optional towing bracket has a drawbar load of 100kg and can be semi-automatically concealed under the rear with the press of a button. Optional Trailer Assist also makes manoeuvring your trailer easier, simply select the direction you want the trailer to go, and Trailer Assist will handle the steering while you reverse.