The Skoda Superb Estate has been crowned as the best tow car by the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Club said that caravan holidays have never proved more popular, and for this year’s virtual awards, manufacturers submitted 40 different cars for the independent panel to test.

Alongside looking at towing ability, testers also look at ‘caravanability’ – assessing roof load limits, boot space and whether a spare wheel is available or included as standard.

Models were split into categories based on their towing ability, with the Skoda Superb Estate model coming out on top, as well as winning the 1,300-1,400kg category. Testers said “you can’t go wrong with one of these”.

The latest Renault Captur scooped the category for caravans weighing under 1,100kg, meanwhile the Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid not only won the 1,500kg-1,700kg towing category, but also the prize for the best alternatively-fuelled tow vehicle.

The Volvo V60 Recharge T6 PHEV was named as the best tow car for caravans weighing over 1,700kg, while the Nissan Navara was awarded the prize for the best pick-up. It was praised for its multi-link rear suspension, which testers said “equates to a winning combination of towing stability and passenger comfort.

The Seat Leon Estate, Skoda Octavia Estate, Vauxhall Insignia and Volkswagen Caravelle were also praised.