Tow Car Awards: overall winner 2018

Kerb weight 1810kg Max towing weight 2000kg Towball limit 90kg

At the 2018 Tow Car Awards, the car that came out on top was the 2017-2023 BMW 5 Series Touring. Here's what we said about it at the time:

Some years, it takes a long discussion to decide upon our overall winner. Others, it’s a very short conversation. In 2018, the choice was straightforward.

The 5 Series Touring is an excellent car, and in the specification we tested it’s close to perfect for towing. BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system means the car has good traction in all weathers, and the 520d’s 2.0-litre diesel strikes pretty much the ideal balance between price, performance and economy.

Before it could even be in contention for the top award, though, the 5 Series had to win its class.

That was easier said that done, given the extraordinary strength in depth of the 1700-1899kg category this year. But despite the excellence of cars like the Jaguar F-Pace and the Volvo XC40, the 520d stood out.

Clearly, this is a towing competition first and foremost, and when it comes to pulling a caravan confidently and securely, the 5 Series has few peers.

At high speeds it proved entirely unflustered, and it handled our most extreme emergency manoeuvres with calm composure.

Every year, the lane-change sinks the hopes of many would-be contenders for the tow car crown, and 2018 was no exception. But the 5 Series made this challenging test of a car’s towing prowess seem easy. Even on the fastest of three attempts at the manoeuvre, with the caravan starting to slide behind it, the 5 Series held its line and refused to be pushed off course.

In fact, there wasn’t a single one of our towing tests in which the 5 Series showed any weakness. The stopping distance from 30mph was short, and the hill start was effortless. If there’s a chink or frailty in the 5 Series’ performance we couldn’t find it.

It’s a comfortable and rewarding car to drive every day, and with so much space and such high build quality it’s almost as enjoyable for the passenger as the driver.

Even our practicality testers – notoriously hard to please – were happy with the car’s generous luggage space and comprehensive list of towing friendly features.

So, a first overall win for BMW. But if future models live up to the benchmark set by the 5 Series Touring, it won’t be the last.

Our ratings

Towing 5/5 Solo driving 5/5 Practicality 5/5 Buying and owning 4/5 Overall 5/5

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