151-185g/km (tax bands G-I): Skoda Yeti

Skoda has strong form as a manufacturer of decent tow cars, and this year the Yeti takes the honours here by some distance.

That’s partly down to the VW Group’s versatile 138bhp 2.0 TDI engine, which powers the winners in five of the seven classes. Like the Jetta, the Yeti was hooked up to a Bailey Olympus 460-2 caravan – and once again this proved a winning combination.

Stability is crucial when you’re towing and the Yeti feels solid and surefooted, while it’ll happily keep pace with other road users on and off the motorway.

Out on country roads, the Skoda really scores, with precise and well weighted steering making it entertaining to drive even with a caravan in tow. And the supple ride means passengers won’t be complaining, either.

The vast boot, with up to 1,580 litres of space, is great for luggage, and when not towing the car’s an ideal family runabout. Lots of kit, 47.1mpg economy and a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating are the icing on the cake.

Our finalists

Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI (140) SE Plus 4x4: £21,977Chevrolet Captiva 2.2 LT 6sp man 7-seat: £28,849Ford Grand C-MAX 2.0 TDCi PowerShift: £25,143Range Rover Evoque SD4 Prestige: £39,780Toyota Avensis Tourer 2.2 D–Cat T4: £25,585*Volkswagen Passat Alltrack 2.0 TDI BMT: £31,503

* On-the-road price without towing extras.