Last year’s class winner very nearly did it again. It remains one of the best tow cars on sale.
It may not be the biggest estate (take a look at the Mercedes-Benz E-Class if you empty your house for a fortnight away), but only one item of holiday luggage wouldn’t fit. The BMW 5-Series picked up more marks from the practicality team for its trailer stability program and self-levelling suspension.
The BMW did more than tick the right boxes, though. It was absolutely unflustered at high speed, and barely broke a sweat in the lane-change test. The hill start was also straightforward, whether going forwards or in reverse.
While the 5 may not be cheap to buy, it is surprisingly affordable to run – 55.4mpg is very impressive for such a quick car, and carbon dioxide emissions of 133g/km keep VED bills low. Resale values are strong, so you’ll get back much of what you paid a few years down the road.