Tow poles tested

If you’ve been tempted to skimp a few pounds on roadside rescue cover, the savings could be wiped out the first time you need to get your broken car to a garage – but not with a tow pole.

These products are safer than a tow rope, as they help keep the vehicles apart. Plus, a pole or bar is a fraction of the price of a recovery truck call-out fee. Keep it in the boot or garage, and it can provide a cost-effective way of getting your car to professional help.

Most poles on the market are three-piece units with locking shackles, to prevent unhooking while in use. The choice is between rigid designs or ones with a spring damper in the centre, which gives a smoother ride and less strain on the towing eyes.

So which is the best one to pull you out of trouble?

We tried eight to find out.

The test
There is very little to choose between the basic designs, so rating the overall package became central to our test.

While we checked fittings and ensured the bars could cope with a mix of horizontal and vertical towing eyes, we also looked at how much weight they handled, plus extras such as instructions.

All bar the heavyweight Sealey came in a bag, and kept cars 1.8 metres apart. The rigid poles packed down to 65cm long and the rigid versions to 86cm.

Rigid tow poles
1. Draper FTB3
2. Silverline 633975

Sprung tow poles
1. Clarke TB-2S
2. Sealey 2522

Verdict

The rigid Draper ticks all our boxes, so the firm repeats its Issue 1,017 victory. Second was the Silverline. Among the sprung bars, the Clarke takes the spoils on price.