Here are the best cars for towing in 2025

Towing something, be it a caravan, a horsebox, a boat on a rig or even just an open trailer for taking stuff to the tip, is one of the toughest jobs you can ask a car to do. As you're here, we’re guessing that you already know a bit about the rules of towing, but you can find a detailed look at the rules in this article, if you like. Basically though, for any given car the “maximum braked trailer weight” is the important number to look for. That’s the heaviest trailer that the car is capable of towing. A standard UK driving license allows a driver to tow up to a total limit of 3,500kg (car plus trailer), which generally isn’t an issue when pulling a small trailer, but can be if you’re pulling, say, a decadent caravan or the speedboat your dad won on Bullseye.
A good towing car needs to have a high trailer weight rating and, of course, a tow bar option; some fancier cars have tow bars that electrically retract. They need plenty of “pulling power” – torque, that is, which is the notoriously difficult-to-explain twist force. Lots of it makes a car feel “strong” at low revs and accelerate quickly. Diesel engines tend to have lots of torque, and have therefore always been a popular choice for tow cars. EVs usually have lots of torque too, as it goes. Ideally you’ll want something with half-decent economy too, because, as anyone who’s ever gone to Aldi and only realised once they got there that they didn’t have their pound coin to release a trolley and so had to use one of those baskets with a pull handle for the big shop knows... dragging a heavy object along uses a lot of fuel. So here, in no particular order, are our favourite tow cars.

Pick-up trucks make great towing vehicles. They’re big, wide and heavy (so they're stable) and they're usually fitted with four-wheel drive (so they have plenty of traction). One of the best pickups is the Ford Ranger, particularly the latest model, which boasts smart styling, a high-quality interior an a muscular 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel option. Equipped with that, the Ranger has a huge 3.500kg braked trailer limit, so it can haul pretty much anything.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 3,500kg Find a Ford Ranger on Auto Trader

On one hand, the latest Audi Q5’s towing capacity is significantly lower than the old model’s, dropping from 2,595kg to 2,000kg. A used diesel Q5, therefore, is a brilliant choice because it pulls a lot without being HUGE. That said, the latest 2025 Q5 is a far superior car generally – a much more high-tech interior and improved refinement – and its towing limit is more than enough for a decent-sized caravan. So, it’s still a model to recommend.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 2,000kg Find an Audi Q5 on Auto Trader

The Sorento is a brilliant seven-seat SUV that offers a wide array of engines and comes with an industry-leading seven-year warranty. There are hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, but the one which tows the most is fitted with the 2.2-litre CRDi turbodiesel engine. This allows the Sorento to pull 2.5 tonnes of braked trailer, which makes it one of the most capable tow cars out there – even the largest of trailer units should be no problem for it.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 2,500kg Find a Kia Sorento on Auto Trader

The BMW iX is a big, heavy and very luxurious SUV with powerful electric motors and a vast battery, making it an ideal tow car. All models will haul 2.5 tonnes of braked trailer, which makes it one of the most impressive EVs on sale for outright towing capacity. You’re probably best opting for the middle-ground model, the xDrive50 in M Sport trim, which gives you the massive 111.5kWh battery pack and therefore a range of almost 400 miles. Obviously that'll drop significantly if you're hauling a massive caravan, but you still won't have to make too many charging stops on the motorway.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 2,500kg Find a BMW iX on Auto Trader

In car years the Volvo XC60 is basically working past retirement age; car models tend to last seven years and the XC60 has just gone into its eighth. You know what we're going to say now though, right? Yep... still feels fresh. The simple yet luxurious interior is ageing beautifully. The screen looks a little on the small side now, but that might be a good thing for those not into the ENORMOSCREENS dominating modern dashboards. And it's brilliant at towing. So good, in fact, that it won the 2025 Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year award. The T6 Plug-in Hybrid all-wheel drive version, specifically. High praise.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 2,400kg Find a Volvo XC60 on Auto Trader

Superb by name, superb by nature. Skoda's biggest non-SUV is one of the best all-rounders on sale. Positively luxurious, both in space terms and in the way it glides over the road, it has masses of rear legroom and a gigantic 660-litre boot. Specified with the stronger 2.0-litre TDI turbodiesel engine and the four-wheel-drive system, the Superb can haul up to 2,200kg of braked trailer - more than enough for even the largest caravan, or a smaller horsebox.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 2,200kg Find a Skoda Superb Estate on Auto Trader

This fabulous update of the ‘classic’ Land Rover model blends all of the old vehicle’s unbeatable 4x4 skills with true luxury car elegance, making it one of the greatest tow cars of them all. Available in short-wheelbase 90 format (three-door), or as longer 110 (five-seat) and 130 (eight-seat) variants, we’d advocate going down the middle with a 110 in D300 MHEV HSE specification, which means a lovely six-cylinder turbodiesel that allows the Land Rover to haul the maximum 3,500kg of braked trailer.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 3,500kg Find a Land Rover Defender on Auto Trader

The Duster is the most sensible thing on this list, if not the most capable outright. But if you don't need to tow the heaviest of loads it's a great choice. With a starting price below £20,000, a fuel-efficient engine range, a four-wheel drive option, and a decent towing capacity across all its variants, it will suit plenty of people. Go for the TCe 130 engine (the most powerful petrol one) with a 4x4 drivetrain for the full 1,500kg towing capacity. It'll tip the price beyond £20,000 but will still represent amazing value.
Max towing capacity (braked trailer): 1,500kg Find a Dacia Duster on Auto Trader