Just joined as we’re looking at upgrading from a tent to a caravan. Neither of our cars have a towbar and I’m just wondering which one to fit the towbar to.
My wife has a Nissan Qashqai 1.5L diesel about 109bhp. Mine is a Skoda Octavia VRS estate 2L petrol 217bhp. The Skoda has a higher towing capacity so I was thinking of going with that one, but not sure how the petrol engine copes with towing compared to the diesel? Does it affect the life of the engine more or does it not really make a difference?
Sorry if it’s a stupid question! Just trying to get our heads round it all!
In real terms it's not just about the power of the towing vehicle as there are other factors to take into account especially if you are a novice. The kerbweight of the Skoda Octavia is more likely to be greater than the Nissan Qashqai so would be a better match ratio as for beginners as they suggest that the caravan should be no greater than 85% of the weight of the towing vehicle. Although it's not law it's a general guide till you get some towing experience. You also need to find out what the towball down weight limit is of each vehicle which the Skoda Octavia VRS is stated as 85 kgs. to 100 kgs. depending on which model, the year plus if it's a saloon or estate model which the Nissan Qashqai appears to be 100 kgs.
When you have found out the kerbweights then you need to find a suitable caravan in terms of weight which at the bottom of the caravan door is a plate with two figures stamped on. One is the MIRO which is the weight when it leaves the factory and the other is the MTPLM which is the figure you need to adhere to. The MTPLM is the MIRO plus the payload which is the amount of equipment carried on board such as leisure battery, gas bottles, water carriers, cutlery and plates for example so the above information hopefully gives you a rough guide as to what is important.
Thanks for the info. It’s a 2015 model which looks like the towbar down weight is 85kg?
According to the VIN plate on the car, the MaM is 1958Kg and the gross train weight is 3558Kg, so I think it will tow a van with MTPLM up to 1600Kg, which is under 85%.
You really need to find the kerbweight of the car. I’m not sure exactly which model your car is, but for example, the Caravan Club tow matching service suggest that a Skoda Octavia vRS 2.0 TSI 220PS (2015) has a kerbweight of 1367kg. I am not saying this is definitely correct, you need to check out the kerbweight for yourself, but if it is correct, you shouldn’t really tow a caravan heavier than that and the 85% guide for inexperienced towers would be 1162kg mtplm.
The 85% guideline is totally antiquated with modern cars. Kerbweight is meaningless as there is no way the car self drives with no people or fluids in it. Maybe MIRO is a better figure to use. LOL!
I would think that a caravan around the 1500kg mark would be okay especially when the car is loaded with 2 adults, 2 children and luggage plus of course fluids like fuel.
I would think that the main thing you would notice towing with a petrol car is that fuel consumption would increase more than it would with an equivalent diesel. That has been my previous experience anyway. Diesels do tend to cope better with towing than petrols, but having said that most of us who have been towing for decades probably started off with petrol cars, as there were very few decent diesel cars around in the 1970s and 1980s.
Personally I like to have plenty of power in reserve, and like a heavy car for stability, even though I have been towing since the mid 1970s, some of that professionally.
Diesel cars are usually heavier than petrol versions due to the fact that the engine block being manufactured from cast iron rather than aluminium which is installed in petrol cars. The kerbweight that 'Pixie_Hez' has stated for a Skoda Octavia petrol version would be about right as I own a Skoda Octavia myself which according to the data, it confirms that the 'Scout' model kerbweight is 1526 kgs. which 85% of that figure is 1297 kgs. which is the exact MTPLM of what my 2 berth caravan is. I could tow a heavier caravan if I wanted to but after nearly 20 years experience of towing I still like to apply some common sense to the equation plus you have to think of the consequences in the event of a claim whilst the caravan is tow because if the match doesn't satisfy the assessors then the insurance could refuse to pay out. You can take all the advice you like from a forum but you really need to do your own homework and do the maths yourself once you have the basic knowledge as to what is required.
Thanks for all the help and advice. We’ll hopefully be going viewing some caravans this weekend so will keep this in mind. I’ll double check the weights and see what there is around the 85% rule.
Quote: Originally posted by SH87 on 22/3/2024
Thanks for all the help and advice. We’ll hopefully be going viewing some caravans this weekend so will keep this in mind. I’ll double check the weights and see what there is around the 85% rule.
It is not a rule. It is only an antiquated guideline for beginners so do not fret too much about it. You are totally legal to tow up to 1600kg and highly unlikely any insurance company with deny a claim if you are not at fault!
Quote: Originally posted by SH87 on 22/3/2024
Thanks for all the help and advice. We’ll hopefully be going viewing some caravans this weekend so will keep this in mind. I’ll double check the weights and see what there is around the 85% rule.
It is not a rule. It is only an antiquated guideline for beginners so do not fret too much about it. You are totally legal to tow up to 1600kg and highly unlikely any insurance company with deny a claim if you are not at fault!
The OP pointed out specifically that they are moving up from a tent to a caravan so in my view they are beginners so it's best for them to adhere to the 85% rule. The 1600 kgs. is the vehicle's manufacturer specification as to what the pulling capacity is of the towbar and in no way relates to a safe match which is poor advice in my view.
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Determining the towing capacity can be more complicated than simply looking at the quoted max towing capacity! Many cars, mine included (think I have to down-rate towing capacity by 300kg with a fully laden car!), have a "load transfer within the GTW limit" to be taken into account! This is basically offsetting some of the solo cars carrying capacity to enable a heavier trailer whilst staying within the GTW. Put another way, you may not be able to legally fully load your car AND tow a trailer at the max stated tow weight. You need to check your owners handbook for your specific car, and verify what figures apply.
There is also the consideration that some insurance companies refuse to cover trailers at the full towing capacity, insisting that cover only applies at a lesser percentage, that percentage seems to vary from company to company, something to check with your insurer. Don't forget to inform your insurance company you have a tow bar fitted - it's ALWAYS considered to be a modification to the vehicle, it doesn't necessarily increase your premiums though, but can void your cover in a claim if undeclared.
Whilst the aforementioned 85% 'rule' is in no way enforceable, and perhaps antiquated with regard to experienced drivers and modern caravans with features like damped couplings and Active Trailer Control (ATC) systems, there is NO DOUBT that towing safely is an acquired skill only learnt over time and experience. With experience you will have learnt to read the road and traffic ahead to anticipate risks better, you will also learn when problems such as 'snaking' are a risk or beginning to develop BEFORE they become a serious issue, so I'm not so eager to just dismiss the advantages of keeping the trailer weight down until experience gained. A lighter trailer has less influence on the tow car and makes regaining control when things go wrong easier. It's not cast in stone at 85%, up to say 88% is unlikely to make a lot of difference.
Another reason for keeping the trailer weight down is that coupling any given car to any given trailer is a complete unknown on handling - there is no guaranty they make a good pairing! Some outfits with all the numbers 'right', tow like pigs! Others with the numbers looking marginal (as is my outfit) tow like a dream. I've towed the same trailer behind different cars and the variation in handling is like chalk and cheese - it's far more than just matching numbers, if you have a lighter trailer it makes a bad match more tolerable and inevitably safer.
On thing I have always found is that wind can have just as big an influence on a caravan outfit as the weight of the caravan, perhaps even more so. I have towed all manner of different trailers. Small box trailers, large van trailers, car transporter trailers, flat bed trailers, boat trailers, and of course caravans. Wind can have a big influence over a caravan, probably more than any other type of trailer, from head-winds that cause drag to side winds that can cause instability. Head-winds are one of the reasons why I always like to have plenty of power in reserve. The frontal area of even a relatively small caravan like mine is as large as the biggest twin-axle one, and that is very noticeable if you encounter strong head-winds with a car that is towing on its limit.
For stability loading is critical too. I always try and get the maximum allowable weight on my tow-ball. Don't go over it though! I won't forget going to fetch my current caravan from the dealers. Obviously it was completely empty and I just hitched it up and drove off without bothering to check nose-weight as there was little I could do about it. The journey home was only about 10 - 15 miles, and I was glad it was as it wasn't a great tow. Cross-winds, passing vehicles etc caused more sway than I had been used to with my previous caravan. However, once loaded with all my usual stuff and the nose-weight adjusted properly, it towed like a dream. I barely noticed it on the back. As for pulling power, the manual gearbox version of my car is rated to tow more than twice the weight of my caravan and it has the same engine. Only the auto-box down-rates it a bit. I much prefer automatics though, particularly for towing and when in traffic.
When I had to wait for delivery of our new 2.0 Ateca we took my sons ex company car as an interim towing vehicle.
It was a Nissan qashqhai 1.5 diesel and had a towing capacity of 1350 kg and oddly our van weighs 1350 kg.
We used it for 7 months and went the length of the country with it and it never missed a beat although you always felt that you were on the limit with it.
I am fully aware of the 85% guideline but needs must.
The ateca is heavier, has much more power and is nowhere near as much fun to tow with as the Nissan.
But hey ho.
Hi, we’re wanting to go from tenting to a caravan we currently have a NISSAN QASHQAI 1.5 diesel automatic, can someone help with what is the best caravan to tow we are wanting a 5 berth
Thank you
you need to double check the weights using your vin plate, however from what i can see, your looking at an empty weight of 1050 kgs and fully loaded of 1250kg which may prove to be an issue with wanting a 5 berth
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Topic: Which car to use to tow caravan?
via mobile 21/3/2024 at 10:24pm
