Petrol super-minis aren’t the most obvious tow cars, but if you have a lightweight trailer to tow, you don’t necessarily need the extra torque of a diesel.

That’s shown by the 208 1.6 VTi’s lively 30-60mph time of 17.8 seconds. However, once up to motorway speeds we found that the 208 struggled with headwinds.

The Peugeot took the lane-change test in its stride, however. High grip levels and some timely, helpful interventions from the car’s stability control kept car and caravan pointing in the right direction.

You might expect a small petrol car to struggle with hill starts, and it certainly wasn’t the 208’s strongest point. But so long as the handbrake was pulled on firmly, the car and trailer stayed put, and the Peugeot pulled to the top of the slope, provided the driver used plenty of revs.

Leave the trailer behind and the 208 doesn’t make the driver smile like the best super-minis, but it’s smooth and quiet at motorway speeds.

Go for the top-spec Feline model, as tested here, and there’s a long list of standard toys, including part-leather upholstery and satellite navigation. However, whichever spec you choose, the boot is small and the 13-pin electric socket is difficult to reach.