midsize pickup

Toyota Tacoma towing capacity (2016–2026)

Toyota Tacoma towing ranges from 3,500 lb (3rd-gen 2.7L four-cylinder and 4th-gen SR) to 6,800 lb (3rd-gen 3.5L V6 4x2 Access Cab with the V6 Tow Package). What you can tow is set by engine, cab, drivetrain and — on 2016–2019 V6 trucks — whether the Tow Package is fitted; 2024+ trucks top out at 6,500 lb (i-FORCE XtraCab) and 6,000 lb (i-FORCE MAX hybrid), all rated per SAE J2807.

Rated range, 2016–2026

3,500–6,800 lb

Depends on engine, drivetrain, and packages — find your exact configuration below.

Towing capacity by configuration

Years	Engine	Config	Max tow	Payload	Grade
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE turbo I4 (278 hp)	4x2 · XtraCab	6,500 lb¹	1,405 lb	SAE J2807
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE turbo I4 (278 hp)	4x4 · XtraCab · SR5	6,500 lb¹	1,230 lb	SAE J2807
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE turbo I4 (278 hp)	4x2 · Double Cab	6,400 lb¹	1,445 lb	SAE J2807
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE turbo I4 (278 hp)	4x4 · Double Cab	6,400 lb¹	1,405 lb	SAE J2807
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE MAX hybrid I4 (326 hp)	4x4 · Double Cab	6,000 lb²	1,610 lb	SAE J2807
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE MAX hybrid I4 (323 hp)	4x4 · Double Cab · Trailhunter	5,950 lb³	1,425 lb	SAE J2807
2024–2026	2.4L i-FORCE turbo I4 (228 hp)	SR	3,500 lb⁴	1,230 lb	SAE J2807
2016–2023	3.5L V6	4x2 · Access Cab · V6 Tow Package	6,800 lb⁵	1,540 lb	SAE J2807
2016–2023	3.5L V6	4x2 · Double Cab · V6 Tow Package	6,600 lb⁶	1,370 lb	SAE J2807
2016–2023	3.5L V6	4x4 · Access Cab · V6 Tow Package	6,500 lb⁶	1,275 lb	SAE J2807
2016–2023	3.5L V6	4x4 · Double Cab · V6 Tow Package	6,400 lb⁷	1,120 lb	SAE J2807
2016–2023	2.7L I4	—	3,500 lb⁸	1,380 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 2016–2023 3.5L V6 rated at 6,800 lb with 1,540 lb of payload. Load a family (550 lb of people, 150 lb of gear) and the honest limit becomes 6,600 lb — limited by gcwr, computed the same way as our calculator.

Run your own load in the towing calculator →

Can this Tacoma tow these popular trailers?

Each trailer's published GVWR (fully loaded) run through our engine against the 2016–2023 3.5L V6 Access Cab, loaded with two adults, two kids and gear (700 lb) and a conservative tongue weight — the same math as the calculator.

Trailer	Loaded (GVWR)	Verdict
Casita Spirit 17 compact molded-fiberglass travel trailer · 17 ft	3,500 lb	Yes — 2,100 lb to spare limited by payload (tongue weight)
Grand Design Imagine XLS 17MKE light half-ton travel trailer · 21 ft 11 in	6,395 lb	Yes — 205 lb to spare limited by GCWR
Big Tex 70CH (18 ft) tandem-axle car hauler / utility trailer · 18 ft	7,000 lb	No — over by 1,400 lb limited by payload (tongue weight)
Jayco Jay Flight SLX 263BHS family bunkhouse travel trailer · 32 ft 7 in	7,600 lb	No — over by 1,000 lb limited by GCWR
Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 25MLE larger travel trailer near half-ton limits · 29 ft 11 in	8,800 lb	No — over by 2,200 lb limited by GCWR

Trailer weights are the manufacturers' published GVWR (linked). A “yes” here is a planning estimate for this configuration — your own truck's door-jamb payload and your trailer's real loaded weight decide it. Start from your trailer →

What owners actually tow

Real-world reports from owner communities — experiences, not ratings. Your configuration and load decide what's safe.

A correctly dialed-in weight-distribution hitch with sway control matters more than raw capacity — one owner logged over 15,000 miles pulling a ~4,700 lb travel trailer with a stock 3rd-gen V6.

A 2020 TRD Off-Road Double Cab Long Bed towed a 25-ft Apex Nano (~615 lb tongue weight) through 21 states, including 10,000-ft passes. The owner credits a WDH with sway control, higher tire pressures, cruising near 60 mph, and watching torque-converter temps on long climbs; fuel economy ran 12–13 mpg while towing.

Tacoma World thread
Owners shopping for a trailer put the comfortable sweet spot under about 3,500 lb — teardrops and small fiberglass trailers tow easily, while a loaded 4,000 lb camper can drop fuel economy into the single digits.

In a thread on sub-5,000 lb travel trailers, one owner reported his just-under-5,000 lb camper maxes out payload to the point of removing the spare tire for groceries, another towed a 2,500 lb Casita happily, and a third saw 5–6 mpg with a loaded 4,000 lb camper. Common advice: use a WDH and watch transmission temps with an OBD reader.

Tacoma World thread
Owners who tow regularly say the comfortable ceiling is well below the V6 rating — a mid-3,000-lb trailer is fine at 55 mph but has the truck hunting gears trying to hold 65–70 mph on the highway.

A '17 TRD Sport owner towing a 20-ft travel trailer (3,600 lb dry) called it fine on secondary roads but hard work at interstate speeds, with constant downshifting on any incline. The thread consensus: the Tacoma can tow, but if towing is the primary mission a half-ton is the better tool.

r/ToyotaTacoma thread
Payload, not the tow rating, is what owners tell each other to check first — a 4,000 lb trailer with just a driver is a different load than the same trailer plus four people and a full bed.

In a thread about towing a ~4,000 lb travel trailer with a 2020 Tacoma, the most-upvoted advice was to count tongue weight plus everyone and everything in the cab against the door-jamb payload figure, tow with ECT on in S5, and keep speeds conservative; one owner reported 300 Appalachian miles with a 3,900 lb trailer without issues.

r/ToyotaTacoma thread

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. 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 trucks, 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.

Sources

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.

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.