Not everyone needs the sort of tug that you could use to pull an ocean liner. You might well have more modest towing requirements.
When you’re looking for a used car for towing a caravan, you might also have more than one eye on the purchase and running costs. But you might still want that extra bit of style that you don’t get quite so much of in most common-or-garden hatchbacks, such as the Ford Focus or the Volkswagen Golf.
In which case, you’re quite likely to be looking at a more compact SUV, such as the small tow car I’m focusing on here, the Peugeot 2008 Mk1.
What’s a Peugeot 2008 Mk1 like inside?
There’s a reasonable amount of space up front. Admittedly, you’re not going to be lounging around, but neither will you feel as though you have to curl up into a ball to fit.
The news is also promising for those consigned to the back seats, because there’s just about enough space for a couple of normal-sized adults. Three would be a squeeze.
The boot offers 360 litres of space when the rear seats are in use, and 1400 litres when the 60:40 split rear seats are folded down, giving you good storage for your caravan essentials. This makes the 2008 comparatively practical when compared with direct rivals, such as the Nissan Juke.

A good amount of kit can be an important factor, whether you’re buying a new car or a used car. Every version of the 2008 comes with a generous amount of standard kit – Access models have air conditioning, cruise control and electrically operated front windows, for example.
Moving up to Active adds DAB radio, a 7in touchscreen and 16in alloy wheels.

Allure gives you 17in alloys, dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, and rear parking sensors.
Top-spec Feline cars offer the benefits of a panoramic glass roof and leather trim.
Add in the best caravan sat nav and a pair of towing mirrors and you’ll be well on your way to an enjoyable experience on the road.
How does a Peugeot 2008 Mk1 drive?
There’s a comprehensive range of powertrains available in the 2008, starting with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with three power outputs, or a 118bhp 1.6-litre petrol. However, we’d recommend the most powerful 1.6-litre diesel, which offered 113bhp before the facelift in 2016, and 188bhp thereafter. These top-end diesel tow cars come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, although a slightly jerky six-speed auto was also added after the 2016 update.
The Peugeot 2008 is designed to get you from a starting point to an end point without doing much that’s memorable in between. So it’s light and easy, but there’s little to engage you. Suspension is important in tow cars, and here, it is soft, which allows too much body roll in corners.

When towing, the 2008 is capable, so long as you remain willing to change up and down the gearbox quite frequently, to make sure that the engine is operating in its sweet spot.
The fairly long gearing also means that you’ll often need a downchange on motorway hills.
As far as the Peugeot’s running costs are concerned, we achieved an average of 34.8mpg when towing a van on a variety of roads.
What to pay for a secondhand Peugeot 2008 Mk1
- High: price: £14,300; model: 1.2 PureTech Allure; year: 2019 Miles 8400
- Sweet spot: price: £8700; model: 1.6 HDi Allure; year: 2017 Miles 31,000
- Low: price: £1500 Model 1.6 e-HDi Active; year: 2013 Miles 164,000
What will a Peugeot 2008 Mk1 tow?
Safely matching a car to a caravan is crucial to help you stay safe and tow legally on the road. The Peugeot 2008 Mk1 has the following spec:
- Kerbweight: 1275kg
- Towing limit: 1300kg
- Noseweight limit: 53kg
- 85% match: 1084kg
Running costs
- Insurance group: 21
- Annual VED: £0
- Average economy: 76.3mpg
- Full service: £221
(Servicing price supplied by Servicing Stop, 0844 324 5262, servicingstop.co.uk)
Trouble spots
Peugeot has recalled the 2008 a few times. Early cars were recalled because of a parking brake that might not operate correctly.
Potentially faulty wishbone mounting bolts forced 5502 examples back to dealers, then 9218 cars were returned because of a fault in the emissions software. Fuel leaks were the source of a couple of later recalls, then 119 cars were recalled for a seatbelt issue. A full list of recalls can be found at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk.
Verdict
The Peugeot 2008 is an almost entirely average tow car that will get on with the job of towing so long as the caravan it’s pulling isn’t too much of a heavyweight. Still, it comes with plenty of standard equipment, looks reasonably attractive, and is acceptably spacious.
However, if you’re on the hunt for a tow car that will make you feel a little smug as you walk up to it, there are better alternatives out there.
Something that can provide good peace of mind when you’re on the road is knowing how to deal with towing emergencies – our expert David Motton is sharing his tips on what you can do to prepare to minimise the impact.
Alternatives to consider

Nissan Juke (2010-2019)
Arguably, the Nissan Juke was the first small SUV that people bought because of its looks alone. It was like nothing else, with lights almost atop the bonnet, and secondary lights lower down. Its interior was styled like a motorbike, apparently. However, beware that space is limited in the rear. It has an odd towing arrangement, too – the towball is at an angle and off-centre.

Vauxhall Mokka X (2013-2016)
The Mokka was Vauxhall’s bid to get in on the burgeoning small SUV market. Buyers enjoyed the chunky appearance and the fact that it was pretty well equipped. Early cars had a noisy 1.7-litre diesel engine, but the later 1.6 diesel, arriving in 2015, made the car stronger, quieter and economical. It’s better driven solo, though, as soft suspension can make it feel a touch wallowy when towing.

Renault Captur (2013-2019)
As with all of these vehicles, the Renault Captur is not one to choose if you have anything other than a small caravan, because it has a maximum towing limit of 900kg. If that works for you, the Captur is a stylish SUV with plenty of space up front and a sliding rear bench to maximise space or load capacity. Fuel economy is also good.
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