Toyota RAV4 towing capacity (2019–2026)
Toyota RAV4 towing ranges from 1,500 lb (2019–2025 gas non-Adventure trims) to 3,500 lb (gas Adventure/TRD Off-Road and most 2026 AWD hybrids). The 2019–2025 Hybrid is rated 1,750 lb and the Prime/Plug-in Hybrid 2,500 lb; for 2026 all FWD models and LE AWD are rated 1,750 lb.
Rated range, 2019–2026
1,500–3,500 lb
Depends on engine, drivetrain, and packages — find your exact configuration below.
Toyota RAV4 towing capacity by year
Every model year we have manufacturer data for, newest first. A row spans the configurations rated that year — find your year, then your exact configuration below.
| Year | Rated tow | Payload | What gets you there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rated tow 1,750–3,500 lb | Payload — | 2.5L I4 hybrid (HEV, 6th generation) · AWD highest of 3 configurations rated this year |
| 2025 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,295 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 5 configurations rated this year |
| 2024 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,295 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 5 configurations rated this year |
| 2023 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,295 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 5 configurations rated this year |
| 2022 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,295 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 5 configurations rated this year |
| 2021 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,295 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 5 configurations rated this year |
| 2020 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,125 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 4 configurations rated this year |
| 2019 | Rated tow 1,500–3,500 lb | Payload 1,050–1,125 lb | 2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade highest of 4 configurations rated this year |
We cover 2019–2026 model years. Each row spans only the configurations we have verified against an OEM towing guide for that year — where a year lists one, the rest of that lineup is still being added. Older model years aren't in our dataset yet.
Towing capacity by configuration
| Years | Engine | Config | Max tow | Payload | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.5L I4 hybrid (HEV, 6th generation) | AWD · HEV XLE / SE / XSE / Woodland / Limited | 3,500 lb1 | — | OEM |
| 2026 | 2.5L I4 plug-in hybrid (PHEV, 6th generation, 320 hp) | AWD · PHEV SE / XSE / Woodland | 3,500 lb1 | — | OEM |
| 2026 | 2.5L I4 hybrid (HEV, 6th generation) | FWD · HEV — all FWD grades, and LE AWD | 1,750 lb1 | — | OEM |
| 2021–2025 | 2.5L I4 plug-in hybrid (302 net hp) | AWD · Prime / Plug-in Hybrid (SE / XSE) | 2,500 lb2 | 1,295 lb | OEM |
| 2019–2025 | 2.5L I4 (gas) | AWD · Adventure / TRD Off-Road · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade | 3,500 lb3 | 1,050 lb | OEM |
| 2019–2025 | 2.5L I4 hybrid (176 hp engine, 219 net hp) | AWD · Hybrid (LE / XLE / XSE / SE / Woodland / Limited) | 1,750 lb4 | 1,120 lb | OEM |
| 2019–2025 | 2.5L I4 (gas) | FWD · LE / XLE / XLE Premium / Limited | 1,500 lb5 | 1,125 lb | OEM |
| 2019–2025 | 2.5L I4 (gas) | AWD · LE / XLE / XLE Premium / Limited | 1,500 lb5 | 1,095 lb | OEM |
Ratings as published by the manufacturer for properly equipped vehicles; superscripts link to the source of each figure below.
The payload reality check
Take the 2019–2025 2.5L I4 (gas) rated at 3,500 lb with 1,050 lb of payload. Load a family (550 lb of people, 150 lb of gear) and the honest limit becomes 2,910 lb — limited by payload (tongue weight), computed the same way as our calculator.
What owners actually tow
Owner-community threads on towing with the RAV4, summarized — experiences, not ratings. Your configuration and load decide what's safe.
Hybrid owners near the 1,750 lb rating say small trailers tow easily, but near-max trips into mountains call for extra care — fresh oil, temperature monitoring and cooling breaks on long grades.
Asked whether a 2022 RAV4 Hybrid should pull a 1,500 lb dry Scamp, owners answered yes: one towing ~1,300 lb plus gear said it is barely noticeable. For mountain use, commenters recommended watching engine and transmission temps with an OBD app, noting the hybrid has no auxiliary coolers, and preferring a trailer with brakes.
The 'can a RAV4 tow a camper?' consensus: stay inside the rating, and once past roughly 1,000 lb owners strongly recommend a braked trailer with a brake controller — unbraked campers are a stopping problem.
A 2024 RAV4 Hybrid owner (1,750 lb rating) asked for stand-up campers it could handle. Suggestions centered on small fiberglass and pop-up units around 1,500 lb; an owner who regularly tows 2,500–3,000 lb with a gas '21 TRD Off-Road (the 3,500 lb config) warned against trying that with the hybrid and explained the lower US rating partly reflects US highway towing speeds.
When a trailer's dry weight already exceeds the rating, owners say no amount of accessories fixes it — the advice is a lighter trailer or a bigger tow vehicle, with 20–40% headroom below the rating for campers.
A 2012 RAV4 V6 owner without the tow package asked about a 2,348 lb dry A-frame camper (354 lb hitch weight). Commenters pointed out he was already over his rating before loading, flagged transmission heat on hills as the main risk, and recommended a transmission cooler, a brake controller for the trailer's brakes, and honest payload math on the tongue weight.
Owners towing small teardrop-style campers with the 3,500 lb-rated gas Adventure/TRD trims report a workable but near-limit pairing: enough power on real hills using S mode, with payload and tongue weight watched closely.
T@B 320 owners towing with 2018 Adventure and 2021 TRD Off-Road RAV4s report the combination handles decent hills by locking out top gears in S mode, and one is 'very happy' after two years — while stressing the RAV4 is close to its limit with a loaded ~2,800 lb camper, and a hybrid owner found the same trailer a poor match uphill.
How to read these numbers
Every figure above is the manufacturer's rating for that specific configuration — engine, drivetrain, cab, and package — not a model-wide maximum (see how much to trust OEM tow ratings). Two things still matter before you hitch up: your individual vehicle's door-jamb sticker (options change payload truck by truck), and your real load — on most vehicles, payload runs out before the tow rating. Estimate your trailer's loaded weight with the trailer weight calculator, then check the full picture in the tow-match calculator.
Compare with other SUVs & crossovers
Config-level ratings compiled and sourced the same way as this page.
Where the headline number sits
Of the 8 configurations above, 3 are rated at the advertised 3,500 lb maximum (2.5L I4 (gas) · AWD · Adventure / TRD Off-Road · Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, tow-prep equipment standard on grade); the median configuration is 2,130 lb. We charted that for every model line in the advertised tow rating belongs to one truck, and measured which limit actually binds once the cab is loaded in what actually limits what your truck can tow.
Hitch receiver class
Toyota RAV4 configs in our dataset span Class 1–2 receivers by rated trailer weight: Class 1 (4 configs, 1,500–1,750 lb)Class 2 (4 configs, 2,500–3,500 lb). The receiver is one of four limits — the class caps what the hardware carries, not what the vehicle can pull. Find the class your trailer needs →
Sources
- Toyota USA Newsroom, 'Three...Two...One: Toyota Debuts Amazing All-New RAV4' (May 20, 2025)
- 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Product Information (pressroom.toyota.com), Weights and Capacities
- 2023 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (pressroom.toyota.com); 2019 Product Information (Adventure); 2020 TRD Off-Road press release
- 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Product Information and 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Product Information (pressroom.toyota.com), Weights and Capacities
- 2023 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (pressroom.toyota.com), Weights and Capacities; identical in 2019 and 2021 Product Information PDFs
Cross-checked per our methodology; conflicting sources resolve to the lower figure. Spotted a discrepancy with your towing guide? Send a correction — that's the email we most want. It opens your mail app with the page attached; or just write hello@checkmytow.com.
Before you tow: confirm the ratings for your exact vehicle on the driver's door-jamb label and in the owner's manual or towing guide for its model year. Never exceed any single rating — see the disclaimer.