Volvo showing its pulling power by winning four awards in the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2019 competition.

The Volvo XC60’s winning streak continues with the current world and UK car of the year title-holder’s towing ability now recognised.

The XC60 D5 PowerPulse AWD R-Design won the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2019 competition overall trophy and two categories.

The 36th staging of the premier towcar competition features significant changes to previous years to provide the most relevant information for those looking to buy a towcar.

Vehicles were put in caravan weight categories, rather than listed by price, to show which cars could tow which caravans. Cars were hitched up to caravans ballasted to 85pc of their kerbweight or towing limit if lower. New best family towcar and best large family towcar categories were also introduced.

Caravan weight Under 1,100kg – Volkswagen Polo SEL 1.0 TSI 115PS DSG.

Caravan weight 1,100kg-1,350kg – Peugeot 3008 Allure BlueHDi 180 EAT8.

Caravan weight 1,350kg-1,500kg – Volvo XC40 D4 AWD First Edition.

Caravan weight 1,500kg-1,700kg, best family towcar and overall winner – Volvo XC60 D5 PowerPulse AWD R-Design.

Caravan weight more than 1,700kg – Volkswagen Touareg R-Line Tech 3.0 V6 TDI SCR 4MOTION 286PS Tiptronic.

Pick-up – Volkswagen Amarok Highline 3.0 V6 TDI 4MOTION 258PS Auto.

Best large family towcar – Skoda Kodiaq Edition 2.0TDI 190PS 4x4 DSG.

The competition attracted 35 entries and each car was put through testing driving environments at Millbrook Proving Ground, near Bedford.

The club’s technical team checked each vehicle before caravanability judges tested whether a car’s boot could swallow the bulky accessories normally needed on a caravan trip, measured the towball height – solo and hitched up – and checked the towing information in the manufacturer’s handbook.

The cars were then hitched up to caravans for technical judges to measure their acceleration and braking capabilities before driving judges put them through their paces.

The cars were tested at up to 55mph on the Alpine route, culminating in a 17pc hill start and 26pc downhill brake test. The ability to join fast traffic from a standstill was also assessed before they were taken on to the high-speed bowl to assess their capabilities at speeds in excess of UK legal limits and, in the safety of a controlled environment, judges could induce some instability at 60mph to see how the cars reacted. The vehicles were also put through reversing tests and driver and passenger comfort and visibility assessed.