TOWCAR of the Year 2017 Under £20,000

Citroen Mazda CX-3 C4 Cactus 2.0 2WD Rip SE-2 Curl Nav Bluehdi 100 MG GS Excite Ssangyong Korando SE Ssangyong Tivoli ELX

THIS is always one of the hardest categories to judge. You take it for granted that pricier cars will easily haul a caravan, but smaller, less powerful models can throw up some surprises – and this year was no exception.

The winner of this class was Citroen’s C4 Cactus Rip Curl special edition. Not only does it look good, it tows well, and it was hitched to the lightweight Trigano Silver 310 two-berth caravan for its Millbrook test.

The Cactus scored well on most of the driving elements. The 1.6-litre Bluehdi diesel pulled more keenly than we expected around the high-speed bowl, even with the extra weight it was carrying. Plus, it proved stable at speeds of up to 70mph.

On Millbrook’s Alpine route, the Citroen effortlessly dealt with the course’s hairpins and swoops. You have to work the five-speed box to keep the engine on the boil, but it has a smooth shift so this is no hardship. And while the ride can fidget over rough surfaces, the Cactus is mostly soft and refined. It also accelerated reasonably well, with a 40-60mph overtaking time of 13.0 seconds when hitched. However, the brakes felt a bit spongy and took 29.8 metres to slow the car from 40mph to 10mph.

It’s comfortable; the light, airy, minimalist cabin is practical, and it’s set apart by orange trim on the seatbelts and speaker surrounds. But the small 358-litre boot (rising to 1,170 litres) meant the car couldn’t take all our kit.

Still, it claims 78.5mpg fuel economy and 95g/km CO2 emissions when running solo, so shouldn’t cost a lot to run. Plus, Citroen’s Gripcontrol system lets you fine-tune the traction control for various surfaces – which is handy if you’re towing out of a wet field.