The likes of VW make excellent tow cars at a mid-market price, while premium buyers are taken care of by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
In fact, some of the best tow cars available are made by the major German brands.
German tow cars are rarely the cheapest of their kind. You can often buy similar cars for less from a Korean or Chinese car maker. German machines are not necessarily the most reliable, either – for trouble-free motoring, we’d look to the likes of Hyundai or Toyota.
However, for driver appeal and towing ability, the best German cars can be hard to beat. Whether you are looking for a hatchback, a crossover, a large SUV or an estate tow car, the big-name German brands will have something to suit your needs.
Here, I’m taking a look at five of our favourite German cars to tow with.
The best German cars for towing
BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport
- Price: £82,260
- Kerbweight: 2495kg
- 85% match: 2121kg
- Max towing weight: 2700kg
Few big SUVs come close to the BMW X5’s towing ability. It makes a superb tow car in all weathers.
Being so heavy helps, of course. The plug-in hybrid version of the X5 weighs just under 2.5 tonnes. Combine that with taut suspension and you have a recipe for excellent stability at 60mph, even towing the heaviest of twin-axle tourers.
The X5 reaches the motorway limit quickly, thanks to a combined petrol-electric output of 489hp. If the battery has a healthy charge, the xDrive50e can happily tow on electricity alone. Being a 4×4, it will cope well with inclement weather.
In everyday driving, the car has an electric range of up to 62 miles. That’s more than enough to cover many drivers’ daily miles without using any petrol.
Inside, the cabin is luxurious and well-made, with plenty of room for the driver and passengers. However, there’s no option for a third row of seats, which can be specified for the non-hybrid versions.
The boot capacity is a respectable 500 litres with the rear seats upright.
The price tag is high, but choose a used xDrive45e (the previous plug-in hybrid X5) and you’ll pay around £46,000 for a 2023 car with 36,000 miles.
Interested in another BMW? Then see what I made of the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Touring when I put it to the test recently.
Mercedes-Benz E 450 d 4Matic AMG Line Premium Estate
- Price: £83,895
- Kerbweight: 2203kg
- 85% match: 1873kg
- Towing limit: 2100kg
If you would benefit from four-wheel drive but prefer estates to SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 4Matic is a great choice.
The E 450 d is a diesel, which goes against the grain these days, but the superb six-cylinder engine is ideal for towing. It has 553lb ft of torque, which makes for effortless progress, even for those who tow heavy luxury caravans.
The engine is remarkably efficient for something so powerful, helped by mild-hybrid assistance. We’ve seen around 50mpg in regular driving, and while towing a twin-axle caravan the Merc returned 25.2mpg.
Stability is very good indeed, rivalling the very best big SUVs.
Leave the van behind and you benefit from composed handling and a superbly comfortable ride, thanks to adaptive air suspension that can be fine-tuned to suit the driver’s preferences.
The interior offers lots of space to stretch out, whether in the front or the back of the car. As you’d expect, luggage space is generous with a capacity of 615 litres, ideal for packing all of those luxury caravan accessories. That increases to 1830 litres with the back seats lowered.
Like most Mercs, this is an expensive car. You could save a lot on the used market: the earlier E 400 d from 2023 will cost around £46,000 with 22,000 miles on the clock.
Take a look at our review of the Mercedes-Benz E 450 d 4Matic Exclusive Premium Plus Estate
Volkswagen Passat 1.5 eTSI 150PS R-Line DSG
- Price: £45,220
- Kerbweight: 1573kg
- 85% match: 1337kg
- Towing limit: 90kg
The Passat is one of our favourite tow cars. We’ve plumped for the 1.5 eTSI, because although there are more powerful models, this one is better value.
Stability is the VW’s greatest strength as a tow car. It tows straight and true, so long as you’re sensible when matching your car to a caravan. Whether you are on a country road or the motorway, the Passat feels at home.
This generation of Passat isn’t available as a diesel, but you won’t miss diesel power too much with the 1.5-litre engine. There’s not a huge amount of performance in reserve while towing, but abide by the 85% matching guideline and the VW is up to the job.
In everyday driving, the Passat makes a great all-rounder. It handles well, rides comfortably, and feels equally at home popping to the shops or racking up huge mileages.
There’s lots of room for people, but it’s the Passat’s luggage space that is really outstanding.
You’ll find 690 litres of space, which means the VW has more room for your bags than many more expensive estate cars.
We’ve seen a 2024 example with 16,000 miles advertised for £27,450. That’s a considerable saving over new for a low-mileage VW Passat model.
Audi Q5 TDI 204PS Quattro S line
- Price: £56,610
- Kerbweight: 2030kg
- 85% match: 1726kg
- Towing limit: 2400kg
Choose an alternative to the Audi Q5 from a more affordable brand, and you can have seven seats and a huge list of standard equipment for similar money. However, if five seats are plenty and you value the driving experience over luxury kit, the Q5 could be for you.
Diesel continues to decline in popularity, but a good diesel still delivers strong performance and economy while towing. The 204hp diesel engine in the Q5 has enough punch to cope well with towing while making each gallon go a long way.
The Quattro part of the name tells you that this Q5 is four-wheel drive, which makes for strong traction in all weathers. Towing away from a grassy pitch shouldn’t pose any trouble. At speed, the Q5 is stable and secure.
Without a caravan, the Q5 is enjoyable to drive. The Audi accelerates with determination and corners keenly without compromising ride comfort.
The cabin doesn’t offer the big step forward in build quality over the VW equivalent that used to be a strong reason for spending extra on the Audi. However, the interior is stylish and reasonably roomy.
Choose the previous generation Q5, and you’ll pay around £23,000 for a 2023 car with 70,000 miles on the clock.
See our full review of the Audi Q5 TDI 204PS Quattro S line.
Volkswagen ID.Buzz GTX 4Motion 7st
- Price: £69,059
- Kerbweight: 2910kg
- 85% match: Above max tow
- Towing limit: 1600kg
When it first went on sale, the electric ID.Buzz was hampered by a very low towing limit. The four-wheel drive GTX model has a much more useful 1600kg capacity as a seven-seater car (rising to 1800kg for the five-seat version).
It also has a lot more power than other models, with 340hp from the twin electric motors. This makes for very strong performance when towing, even with a caravan weighing 1600kg.
The VW is stable, too, which is no great surprise when the car weighs just shy of three tonnes.
Inside, the ID.Buzz is very roomy, with much more space in the third row than you will find in most seven seaters. The finish of the cabin could be better, given the high price, but the interior is almost as stylish as the exterior.
The range of 280 miles is well beaten by some other upmarket EVs, such as the BMW iX3. However, with a maximum charging speed of 200kW a 10-80% top-up can be achieved in as little as 26 minutes.
The GTX is a relatively new model, so there aren’t many available on the secondhand market. The best used car saving we could find was for a 5000-mile 2025 model, priced at £54,490.
Don’t miss my pick of the towing equipment which can help to make your time on the road safer and more enjoyable, either.
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