The Volkswagen T-Roc has been named Best Car for Caravans up to 1,300kg at the What Car? Tow Car Awards 2026.
The award was presented by experts from What Car? magazine and the Camping and Caravanning Club following a series of tests covering lane changing, towing stability, emergency manoeuvres, braking, hill climbs and reversing. Vehicles were also assessed on practicality, value, safety and running costs.
The winning model was the Volkswagen T-Roc equipped with the 1.5 eTSI 150 PS engine and automatic direct-shift gearbox.
Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, 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.
“The Volkswagen T-Roc is stable at speed while towing and copes brilliantly with emergency manoeuvres. It is longer than the old model with more space inside, which makes it a great choice for families looking for a compact but roomy car. It is comfortable, practical and punches above its weight as a tow car.”
The accolade comes six months after the second-generation T-Roc went on sale in the UK and follows its What Car? Best Small SUV award earlier this year.
Available in Life, Style and R-Line trims, the T-Roc is priced from £31,635 on-the-road. Volkswagen said the model offers increased interior space, new design features, additional technology and driver assistance systems, with a full hybrid powertrain planned in the future.
Since its launch in 2017, more than two million T-Roc models have been sold globally, making it Volkswagen’s second most successful SUV after the Tiguan.
According to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures, Volkswagen was the UK’s best-selling car brand in 2025, registering 178,607 new passenger vehicles and securing an 8.84% market share.
