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2025 Toyota Highlander towing capacity

The 2025 Toyota Highlander tows 3,500 lbs to 5,000 lbs depending on how it's built. The top number needs the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder Turbo, FWD/AWD.

✓ From 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Electric Vehicle Product Information, p. 5 ↗Checked 2026-09-272026202520242023202220212020

Toyota Highlander
Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5,000
Max towing, lbs
3,500
Lowest rating, lbs
2
Configurations
7
Model years

Try it

Will it pull your trailer?

Use the trailer's GVWR (on its VIN sticker) if you don't know what it weighs loaded — the dry weight leaves out water, propane and gear.

Yes, in every configuration

Across all 2 configurations in the maker's guide.

▲ top rating 5,000 lbs

  • Tongue weight ≈ 280 lbs. Ford sizes it at 10% of the loaded trailer (no more than 200 lbs up to 2,000 lbs). It counts against your payload, together with passengers and cargo.
  • ✓ up to 90% of the rating · ! 90–100% (little room for cargo, hills, wind — common advice, not a Toyota rule) · ✕ over the rating.

Read this before you buy

Why the numbers differ

  • Engine choice moves the top rating from 3,500 lbs (2.5-liter 4-cylinder Hybrid) to 5,000 lbs (2.4-liter 4-cylinder Turbo).

  • Same top rating as the 2024 model (5,000 lbs).

In real life

What 5,000 lbs means in trailers

Toyota's own guide sorts trailers into four classes. With the right configuration the Highlander reaches:

  1. Class I✓ Yes

    up to 2,000 lbs

    Small folding camping trailers and trailers for small boats, motorcycles and snowmobiles.

    2026 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, p. 4 ↗

  2. Class II✓ Yes

    2,001–3,500 lbs

    Large folding camping trailers, single-axle, small- to medium-length (up to 18-ft.) trailers.

    2026 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, p. 4 ↗

  3. Class III✓ Yes

    3,501–5,000 lbs

    Dual-axle or large single-axle travel trailers.

    2026 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, p. 4 ↗

  4. Class IV✕ No

    over 5,000 lbs

    Largest travel and 5th-wheel trailers made for recreation.

    2026 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, p. 4 ↗

Real trailers

Can the Highlander pull these?

7 heavier trailers the Highlander isn't rated for

Weights are what each trailer maker publishes (retrieved 2026-09-27). We compare the trailer's GVWR — the most it may weigh loaded — with each Highlander configuration's rating, and never a dry weight when a GVWR exists.

Compare

Towing capacity by engine

2.4-liter 4-cylinder Turbo5,000 lbs

1 configuration

2.5-liter 4-cylinder Hybrid3,500 lbs

1 configuration

Orange = the range across that engine's configurations. Bars start at zero.

Fine print, made plain

What the rating assumes

Every rating assumes a 150-lb driver and passenger and no other cargo. Add people, gear or accessories and the trailer you can tow goes down by the same amount.

New to towing?

The five weights, in one picture

Tongue weightLoaded trailer weightPayloadGVWR: the loaded truckGCWR: truck + trailer together
Loaded trailer weight — must stay under the towing rating
The rating “It assumes a towing vehicle with any mandatory options, no cargo, tongue load of 10% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15% (5th-wheel trailer), and driver and passenger (150 lbs. each).” Weight of additional options, passengers, cargo and hitch must be deducted from this weight. p. 7 ↗
Tongue weight — the part of the trailer pressing on the hitch
“For trailers up to 2,000 lbs., tongue load not to exceed 200 lbs. For conventional trailers over 2,000 lbs., tongue load is 10% of loaded trailer weight. For 5th-wheel trailers, king pin weight is 15% of loaded trailer weight.” p. 7 ↗
Payload — people and cargo the truck can carry
“Payload is the combined maximum allowable weight of cargo and passengers that the vehicle is designed to carry. It is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating minus the Base Curb Weight.” And: “When towing, trailer tongue load or king pin weight is also part of the Cargo Weight.” p. 6 ↗
GVWR and GCWR — the two ceilings
“Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the maximum allowable weight of the fully-loaded vehicle (including passengers and cargo).” “Gross Vehicle Weight PLUS Loaded Trailer Weight EQUALS Gross Combination Weight (GCW) GCW must not exceed GCWR.” Your GVWR is on the label on the driver's door jamb. p. 6 ↗

From the maker's table

All 2 configurations

Conventional towing:
EngineDriveMax trailerGCWRSource
2.4-liter 4-cylinder TurboFWD/AWD5,000not listedp. 5 ↗
2.5-liter 4-cylinder Hybrid—3,500not listedp. 4 ↗

Weights in lbs. “Not listed” means the maker printed no GCWR for that configuration — we don't estimate one.

More Toyota towing capacities

Questions people ask

What is the towing capacity of the 2025 Toyota Highlander?

From 3,500 lbs to 5,000 lbs, depending on engine, axle ratio, body and drive. The 5,000 lbs top rating is for the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder Turbo · FWD/AWD.

Does the 2025 Toyota Highlander need a tow package?

Toyota's guide lists no separate package requirement for this model.

How much tongue weight can the 2025 Toyota Highlander handle?

Not listed in the maker's guide.

Citing these numbers?

Can Tow That. "2025 Toyota Highlander Towing Capacity." From 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Electric Vehicle Product Information, PDF modified 2024-09-16. https://cantowthat.com/toyota/highlander/2025

Source: 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Electric Vehicle Product Information (Toyota Motor North America, PDF modified 2024-09-16; retrieved 2026-09-27). Page links open the PDF at the page each number is printed on.

2 ratings checked against the PDFHow we verify