The best caravans for sale in the UK are revealed in our top story in the November issue of Practical Caravan. Our annual Tourer of the Year Awards are sponsored by Whale and they give us a chance to assess all the new 2015 caravans we’ve seen at press launches in Britain and Europe and pick out the vans we think will turn heads on any forecourt in the coming year. We pick the best new caravans for couples, families and seasonal pitches, plus one brilliant overall winner! So if you’re lucky enough to be buying a new caravan soon, make sure you read this issue before taking the plunge!

The NEC Birmingham hosts one of Europe’s biggest caravan shows from 14 to 19 October! So in this issue Mike Le Caplain selects ‘Our pick of the showstoppers’ – the new caravans you really must see at The Motorhome and Caravan Show next week. Don’t forget, caravan manufacturers often offer terrific show deals as an incentive to order a 2015 caravan at the show. It’s also a fantastic place to compare all the different makes and models in one place. You’ll find our November issue’s caravan Buyer’s guide handy to check the current prices of new caravans to compare to the show offers while you’re browsing at the NEC. 

Save money on your NEC show tickets with our exclusive ticket offer! Read our new blog, Top 10 things to see at the NEC, for more details. Just quote the discount code PC5 when you order online directly with the show before 11.59pm on 13 October 2014, or buy tickets from them on the phone by ringing 0844 338 7799 and quoting PC5. Buy tickets in advance of the show using this offer and your tickets will cost just £7.50 for adults, £6.50 for seniors (aged 60+). If you leave it and pay on the door, the price will be £10 for adults, £9 for seniors. Accompanied children aged 15 and under go free when accompanied by an adult, but you will need to get them a free ticket when you book. The show does also charge an online booking fee of £1. Sorry no dogs, except guide dogs. 

If you’re looking at adverts for used caravans for sale, you’ll love our Used caravan buyer feature in the November issue. Our pre-owned caravan expert picks out five recommended top-value family caravans for less than £7,000. In our Secondhand shootout we look for double-dinette caravans for less than £10,000 and narrow the search right down to two best buys – a 2008 Swift Charisma 540 and a 2008 Coachman Festival 550/5. Read our expert’s assessments of each to see which caravan wins!

But what’s a caravan without a terrific tow car? Tow car expert David Motton asks ‘Just how fuel-efficient is the crossover Skoda Yeti Greenline II?’ and hitches this brand new car to a Swift Expression 514 to take it for some rigorous testing on our favourite test track in Chobham. Read David’s excellent in-depth review and verdict in the November issue. He also reports on the Mercedes-Benz C220 BlueTEC AMG Line Auto and theAudi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI 190 Ultra S tronic and suggests the perfect caravan partner for each car.

Used tow car buyer looks at the pros and cons of buying a Nissan Murano 2008-2011, and in Talking tow cars we answer your questions on matching the weights of the car and caravan, plus what to buy if you need a tow car for up to £10,000. 

We’ve also got loads of great caravanning advice in this issue, such as how to keep your caravan batteries in good condition even while your van’s in winter storage. We also test 14 new sleeping bags to find out the best.  

In our running reports we assess the performance of our long-term loan tow car, the Ford C-Max Zetec 1.0 EcoBoost and the Adria Adora 612 Rhine six-berth caravan (towed behind a very capable Volvo XC90). 

Our lively travel section features fantastic caravan holidays in East Sussex, Yorkshire and the Lake District. Our Clare and Emma climb Scafell Pike as part of their own Three Peaks Challenge. Alastair Clements takes his family for a fun-filled holiday visiting a terrific castle, a zoo, steam railway and more in Sussex. And Bryony Symes heads for Yorkshire in search of culture, art and great shopping in the South Pennines. She also picks 10 great campsites for foodies – places to stay in Britain where you can sample the freshest and best local produce during your caravan holidays. Seasonal events are featured too.

Don’t forget to enter our Practical Caravan competitions this month – we have brilliant prizes for you! Win a GPS tracker for your caravan, worth £250 (we have two to give away in this month’s prize draw). Win tickets for The Festive Gift Fair at the NEC in Birmingham and get all your Christmas shopping done from 20-23 November (we have 10 pairs of tickets to give away). And win a very nifty gadget – the Air to Spare tyre-valve extension kit that helps you keep your caravan spare tyre topped up in situ (we have five of these kits to give away, worth £20 each). Enter all these competitions from 10 October to 11.59pm on 5 November, 2014. Good luck!

We hope you’ll enjoy reading our November issue – on sale in the shops from 7 October. If you’re not near a big town, why not get it delivered? There’s currently a special Practical Caravan subscription trial offer – Try 3 issues for £3!