How do I know if my vehicle can tow a trailer?

Check the trailer against every rating at once, not just the advertised tow rating: the tow vehicle’s payload (GVWR − curb weight), combined weight (GCWR), rear axle rating (GAWR), and the hitch’s trailer- and tongue-weight ratings. The setup is safe only if it clears all of them. Enter your numbers above to check.

Does tongue weight count against payload?

Yes. Tongue weight rests on the tow vehicle through the hitch, so it comes out of payload along with passengers and cargo. Available payload for people and gear = payload capacity − tongue weight.

Can I tow this?

The advertised "tow rating" is only one of several limits — and rarely the one you hit first. Enter your tow vehicle's ratings and your trailer's weights, and this checks them all at once, then tells you the limit you're closest to.

Written by Hemant RawatLast reviewed July 2026How we verify

Tow vehicle

From the door-jamb sticker & owner's manual. Fill what you have.

GVWR

Curb weight

GCWR

Occupants + cargo

Hitch max trailer wt

Hitch max tongue wt

Trailer

Loaded trailer weight

Tongue weight

Why the tow rating isn't the whole story

Manufacturers advertise a big maximum tow rating, but you usually run out ofpayload or hit the rear axle rating long before you get there — because your passengers, your cargo, and the trailer's tongue weight all pile onto the tow vehicle first. A safe setup stays under every rating simultaneously:

Payload (GVWR − curb weight): occupants + cargo + tongue weight must fit.
GCWR: the whole rig — loaded vehicle + loaded trailer — has a ceiling.
Rear GAWR: tongue weight loads the rear axle hardest (it sits behind it).
Hitch & ball ratings: the trailer and tongue weight can't exceed the hitch.
Tires: don't exceed the load rating stamped on the sidewall.

Where to find your numbers

You don't need a lookup database — the numbers are on your vehicle:

GVWR and GAWR (front and rear) are on the certification sticker in the driver's door jamb.
Payload is on the yellow "cargo/occupants should never exceed…" sticker, also in the door jamb.
GCWR and your specific tow rating are in the owner's manual or towing guide for your exact configuration.
Curb weight is in the manual, or weigh the empty vehicle at aCAT scale.
Hitch ratings are stamped on the hitch or on its label.

Then dial in the trailer

Once you know you're within limits, get the tongue weight into range, use theload-placement tool to see where to pack, and check whether you need a weight distribution hitch.

Sources

CURT Manufacturing — Towing capacity & payload
Blue Ox — Towing guide — chapter 5: towing capacity
U.S. eCFR (Cornell LII) — 49 CFR 571.3 — definitions (GVWR, GAWR)

Values are summarized from public references and were last verified July 2026. See ourmethodologyfor how we source and verify; manufacturer rating labels and your owner's manual always take precedence.