If you’re thinking of buying a new tow car, the August issue of Practical Caravan is an absolutely essential read! We’ve 21 extra pages featuring all the cars competing in our Tow Car Awards 2016. In these pages you’ll find out how each of the 41 tow cars performed during rigorous tests!

Tow Car Editor David Motton explains, “Every car goes through the same demanding tests, whether it’s a small hatchback or a huge SUV. We’re looking for cars that tow brilliantly, have practical features to make a tow car-driver’s life easy, and which will be enjoyable to live with every day.” 

In this issue we assess each of the contenders and name the new champions in every weight category. We find the best lightweight tow car out of six up to 1400kg. If you’re only towing a light caravan or trailer, should you choose a Citroën, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Škoda or Suzuki? Find out in our new issue!

Scaling up a little, we find the best tow car out of six from 1400-1549kg, checking out worthy rivals from Volkswagen, Jaguar, Vauxhall, Jeep, SsangYong and Škoda.

Next up we find the best of the tow cars weighing 1550-1699kg, following extensive testing on cars from Škoda, Volkswagen, Mazda, Kia, Jaguar, Ford, Hyundai, Land Rover, Renault, Toyota and Fiat. 

Then we name the best heavyweight tow car out of 11 mighty contenders, from Volvo, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Toyota, SsangYong, Nissan, Lexus and Land Rover. 

And finally we reveal our overall Tow Car of the Year for 2016, plus the Tow Car of the Decade, since it’s our 10th annual Tow Car Awards event. 

Used tow car buyer

For those with more dash than cash, this month’s used tow car buyer feature shines a spotlight on the Land Rover Discovery 4, from 2009 onwards, looking at how to buy the best version you can afford.

If you’re looking for great used cars to use for towing, why not catch up with some of our previous used tow car reviews and videos and the past winners of the 2015 Tow Car Awards and previous years online? 

Holidays in Rome, Hampshire and Cornwall

This month’s travel section is guaranteed to get you dreaming of your next great escape. We join Joe and Elaine Ormerod in their caravan at an idyllic lakeside campsite in Italy, where they choose between shady and sunny pitches, go swimming in the lake and pool and enjoy Italian food. From here they head off in search of ancient Etruscan ruins beside the Mediterranean sea, and then head right into the heart of Rome!  

Our team and readers share tips on how to save money when touring Britain and Europe – four pages of great ideas from those in the know! Where to find cheap fuel, the best cheap campsites and canny tricks with vouchers are just some of the tips on offer.

Then Colin Burdett goes in search of “The other Hampshire“, exploring the nautical delights, museums, restaurants and bars of Portsmouth and Southampton.

DeerShed Festival fun with children in Yorkshire makes a wonderful weekend for Suzanne Asquith and her family. She shares the delights of music, wood-fired pizza ovens, circus acts and theatre. Having the caravan on hand as a comfortable base at the festival makes all the difference – so she says don’t dismiss festivals, just because you have children in tow!

Cornwall is our final destination in the August issue’s travel section. Bryony Symes finds top summer events, things to do and fantastic caravan parks in Cornwall, then shares readers’ favourite Cornish places.

Win a bug screen for your caravan!

Stacie’s super savers gives you a chance to win one of our five easy-fit Snap Screens. Keep those pesky insects out of your caravan with this mesh screen that fits over your windows and attaches via magnets. For a chance to win one, go to our Practical Caravan competitions page and enter our Snap Screen competition online by 13 July. 

We also have two handy special offers in this month’s edition of Practical Caravan. If you’re planning to visit Ireland, you can save up to £220 on ferry crossings. And if you’re off to Europe this summer, make sure you get our 35% discount on a really useful glovebox-sized book. You can buy your copy of The Essential Guide to Driving in Europe for less if you quote the special Practical Caravan reader discount code listed on page 16 of our August issue. 

On test: caravans, tyre gauges and more

This month we bring you our new Xplore 586 review, showcasing a budget six-berth caravan that seems to offer a good spec, a spacious layout and appealing style. Discover our expert’s verdict on this family tourer in our new August issue.

Moving up the price spectrum a little, we bring you our Sterling Eccles 565 review. When the Sterling brand unified its Sport and SE line-ups in the single Eccles range, it still left plenty of space for variety. Nigel Hutson checks out the fixed-twin-bed version.

Next is our Compass Corona 462 review and it’s well worth reading Group Editor Alastair Clements’ verdict to find out just how Explorer has taken a classic end-washroom two-berth and added so much pizzazz. 

If you’re looking for island-bed caravans for four people, don’t miss our new Swift Challenger 580 review! Swift has fused the Challenger Sport and SE ranges into a single line-up for 2016, and now we find out whether this approach has paid off.

If you’re up for something really different, check out our Knaus 480 QL Sport & Fun live-in test. This quirky and colourful little four-berth is aimed at the active, outdoor crowd. Okay, it’s for the young! How will this go down with older couples and young families? Take a guess before you read our review!

On the Practical Caravan test bench this month we’ve compared 10 tyre-pressure gauges. And reviewer James Stanbury explains why the best of the bunch are essential caravan accessories!

Used caravan-buyers

Are you looking for used caravans for sale? In this month’s used caravan buyer’s guide our expert looks at the best – and worst – aspects of the 2004 Vanmaster caravans. Super-luxurious and splendidly spacious, these tourers become incredible bargains when used, says Andy Jenkinson. So, how much should you pay for a used Vanmaster, and what are the flaws to avoid? Read our guide in the August issue!

Meanwhile our secondhand shootout is between two lovely rival twin-axle, island-bed caravans for under £16,500. We put the 2010 Lunar Delta TI versus the 2011 Swift Conqueror 645. Read our in-depth comparison before you head to the classified adverts in search of used caravans for sale.

All this and much more is in our August issue of Practical Caravan – and it’s in the shops from 16 June. Happy touring!