52 April 2020 whatcar.com

“Mostofthecarsyou’reconsideringcan

legallytowacaravanwithanMTPLMof1400-

1500kg,buttodosowon’tnecessarilybewhat’s

recommendedforstable,stress-freetowing.

“Abidingbythe85%guideline,theminimum

kerbweightofacarfortowingacaravanwith

anMTPLMof1400kgis1647kg,or1765kgif

you’retowinga1500kgcaravan.

“Inaddition,carcompaniesquotearangeof

kerbweightsforeachmodel,becausetherecan

bebigdifferencesinweightdependingonthe

trimlevelandamountofstandardequipment.

Basedonthelowestkerbweightforeach

modelyou’reconsidering,theSkodaKaroq

2.0TDI4x4DSGcantow1366kg,the

VolkswagenTiguan2.0TDI 150 4MotionDSG

cantow1422kgandthehigher-poweredTiguan

2.0TDI 190 4Motioncantow1465kg.

“Iwouldn’trecommendthe1.6-litredieselor

1.5-litrepetrolversionsoftheKaroqorTiguan

fortowing;theywouldstruggle.The2.0-litre

petrolTiguanwouldmanagebetter,butstill

notaswellastheequivalentdiesel,andfuel

economywillbepoorwhentowing.

“So,althoughtheKaroqisagoodtow

car,we’doptforeitherofthe2.0-litrediesel

Tiguans,becausethey’rebothbetterfor

towingafairlyheavycaravan.”

Does my new tow car

need to be a diesel?

ADVICE

I recently ordered a new car on a personal

contract purchase deal, part-exchanging my

previous car and paying a £500 deposit on a

credit card to start the deal off. I collected the

car on 31 December 2019, and after just one

week the engine malfunction light appeared.

So I phoned the garage and was advised to

wait and see if it happened again.

A week later it did, so I took the car to the

garage and the light came on during an

extended test drive by the service team.

I have since been told that the car requires

a replacement turbocharger. I’m no expert,

but this sounds like a signi cant fault to me,

suggesting that the car is not  t for purpose.

I am within my 30-day limit for rejecting

the car under the Consumer Rights Act. The

garage has had my car for eight days now

while diagnosing the fault, but the  nance

company says I am not eligible to reject the

vehicle, because their contract agreement

states I had only 14 days from signing the

agreement to change my mind.

Do I really have no rights regarding a brand

new car that has a serious fault? Do I just have

to allow the garage to  x it rather than reject it?

Sarah Law

WHAT CAR? SAYS...

You do have the right under the Consumer

Rights Act 2015 to reject any product within

30 days and get a full refund if it’s not of

satisfactory quality or fi t for purpose. And

this sounds like the case with your car.

It seems like the fi nance company is

confusing your Consumer Rights Act rights

with the 14-day cooling-off period you have

to change your mind after buying goods at a

distance or online.

We’d advise you to formally reject the

car in writing to the fi nance company and

dealership, hand back any paperwork and

spare keys, and let them know you require

a full refund within 14 days. Don’t accept

any offer of repair; you don’t have to do this

within the fi rst 30 days.

Do I have the

right to reject a

faulty new car?

I am looking to buy a nearly new car in the

next few months, and I’m also planning on

buying a caravan. The choice of caravan isn’t

yet fi xed, but I do know it will be between

1400kg and 1500kg maximum technically

permissible laden mass (MTPLM, or the entire

weight of the caravan and all its contents).

I would like a Skoda Karoq, and I assume that

to tow a caravan of the weight mentioned, a

diesel would be the way to go. Should I go for

a 2.0-litre diesel model, or would a 1.6 be up

to the job? My other option is a 2.0-litre diesel

Volkswagen Tiguan, which I know is more than

gutsy enough for the task.

Given that diesel engines are now being seen

as the scourge of the Earth, do either Skoda or

Volkswagen do a petrol model that would make

a good tow car?

Nigel Grimwood

WHAT CAR? SAYS...

Our tow car expert, David Motton, says:

“It’s complicated, because there are two sets

of fi gures for cars and caravans: the legal

maximum towing capacity and what the

Camping and Caravanning Club would consider

to be best practice. It recommends that a

caravan should tip the scales at no more than

85% of the tow car’s kerb weight, especially if

the driver is new to towing.

“The legal towing limit is often much heavier

than the kerb weight of the tow car, but it is

based on the car’s ability to tow a certain weight

of trailer up a slope repeatedly. It’s a measure of

the strength of the engine and gearbox rather

than an indication of a safe and sensible weight

to tow at 60mph on the motorway.

‘A caravan should tip

the scales at no more

than 85% of the tow

car’s kerb weight’

Claire Evans

[email protected]

Skoda Karoq is being

considered for towing a

1400-1500kg caravan

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