If you want to tow a caravan without spending a fortune on fuel, look no further. Towing a tourer weighing 85% of its kerbweight, the Kia Cee’d Sportswagon returned a commendable 31.6mpg, beating any other car we shortlisted for this year’s Green Award.

Choosing the Cee’d won’t just save on fuel, it’s an economical all-round buy. Going for ‘2’ spec keeps the list price below £20,000, and from What Car?‘s research it’s clear that buyers should be able to save a healthy amount from the asking price if they haggle. What’s more, Kia’s seven-year warranty should help avoid unexpected repair bills long after most cars’ warraties have expired.

Although fuel economy is what the Kia’s 1.6 diesel engine is all about, it still has enough strength to tow a sensibly matched caravan, accelerating from 30-60mph in 16.4 seconds. That lags behind the punchy Skoda Octavia but it’s more or less on a par with the Honda HR-V.

At the legal limit, the Kia is a stable tow car. Only when we pushed to speeds beyond 60mph did we start to see some slight movement from the caravan in our mirrors.

In an emergency lane-change the Cee’d performed well, always pulling the caravan straight again, even when it stepped out of line.

Having a conventional handbrake put the Kia at a disadvantage in the hill-start test. It had to be pulled on very firmly before it would stop car and caravan rolling backwards on the 1-in-6 slope. Careful balance of clutch and throttle was needed to pull over the top of the hill.

2019
Category Winners
2019 Up to 1400kg

Škoda Octavia

Hatch 1.5 TSI 150PS SE L DSG

2019 1400-1549kg

Seat Ateca

2.0 TSI 190PS FR DSG

2019 1550-1699kg

Volkswagen Arteon

2.0 TDI 150PS Elegance DSG

2019 1700-1899kg

BMW 520d

Touring xDrive M Sport

2019 1900kg+

Land Rover Discovery

3.0 SDV6 HSE

2019 Best Budget 4x4

Dacia Duster

1.5 dCi Ambiance 4x4

2019 Best Plug-In Hybrid

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

P400e HSE Dynamic

2019 Best Ultralight Tow Car

Seat Arona

1.0 TSI 115 FR

2019 Fuel Economy Award

Ford Focus Estate

1.5 EcoBlue 120PS Titanium X

Previous Winners
2018
1700-1899kg

BMW 520d

Touring xDrive M Sport

2017
1900kg+

Land Rover Discovery

3.0 Td6 HSE*

2016
1400-1549kg

Skoda Superb Hatch

2.0 TDI 150PS SE Business

2015
1400-1549kg

Volkswagen Passat Estate

2.0 TDI BMT 150PS SE Business DSG

2014
1400-1549kg

Nissan Qashqai

1.6 dCi (130PS) Stop/Start System Acenta Premium

2013
Up to 1424kg

Skoda Octavia

2.0 TDI CR 150PS Elegance

2012
1725–1899kg

Jaguar XF

2.2D Premium Luxury

2011
1425-1574kg

Volkswagen Passat Estate

2.0 TDI 170 Bluemotion Sport

2010
1900kg+

Land Rover Discovery 4

3.0 TDV6 XS

2009
1900kg+

Volvo XC60

D5 SE Geartronic

2008
1575-1724kg

Ford Mondeo Estate

2.0 TDCi Titanium auto

2007
1575-1724kg

Volkswagen Passat Estate

2.0 TDI Sport 4Motion

ContinueWe use cookies to give you the best browsing experience and to provide you with relevant content and advertising.
By continuing to use our website you are accepting our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy.