In September 2010, enthusiasts and experts alike gathered in nervous anticipation for the Caravan Club’s prestigious annual Towcar of the Year Awards.

It took an expert panel of 10 judges from across the industry to decide which cars were worthy of the coveted prizes. With 35 cars being entered across 7 categories by 19 manufactures, the competition was incredibly close.

The Oscars of UK Caravanning

The awards are stooped in history having first taken place in 1978. Since then the profile of the awards has grown considerably, attracting media attention and generating fierce rivalry between major manufacturers as they vie for the ultimate prize.

The awards put industry leading Towcars to the test through a series of tasks, challenges and inspections.

How are the Cars Tested?

The cars are tested across two main areas:

• Car practicality – A Towcar needs to do more than just tow a caravan, it needs to be a good all rounder across a variety of scenarios. These tests take into consideration such things as passenger comfort, boot space, positioning of the towbar and the ease of hitching up a caravan.

• Towing performance – When on the road, it’s important to know that your Towcar is up to the job. In this section each car was put through its paces on a road test to monitor such things as acceleration, breaking, stability and overall handling.

The Winners

With the test conducted and votes counted, the winner of the Towcar of the Year title was the Škoda Superb Estate Elegance 2.0 TDI CR, which was noted for its great performance when towing and its practicality as a family car.

As well as the coveted Towcar of the Year award, prizes were also given across the 7 categories below:

Under £16,000 - Škoda Fabia Elegance 1.6 TDI CR

£16,000 to £20,000 - Fiat Doblò 2.0 MultiJet Eleganza

£20,000 to £25,000 - Volkswagen Golf Match 2.0TDI 140

£25,000 to £32,000 - Škoda Superb Estate Elegance 2.0 TDI CR

Over £32,000 - Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI BlueEfficiency Avantgarde Estate

All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Under 1800kgs - Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 DI-D Juro SST

All-Wheel Drive Vehicles Over 1800kgs - Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE

Overall Winner - Škoda Superb Estate Elegance 2.0 TDI CR

Good News All Round

This year’s awards didn’t just give good news to the category winners; they also demonstrated a sustained interest in the UK caravan market from some of the worlds leading automotive manufacturers including Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors, who all entered cars into the competition.

This is great news for UK Caravanners as such interest in the market could support a continuation of investment in UK caravan by major brands and organizations. If this is the case then we could see plenty of new and exciting developments (such as new equipment and gizmos) across UK caravanning for years to come.