These 10 SUVs Have the Highest Towing Capacity
You can’t beat a serious pickup for the toughest towing assignments, but many bigger SUVs offer payload and towing capacities that are able to handle more than just modest work or recreational towing needs. When properly equipped, these SUVs offer excellent all-around capability with maximum tow ratings ranging from north of 8,000 pounds to 10,000 pounds, plus plenty of seats and enclosed cargo space.
Related: What You Need to Know Before Towing With an SUV
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Below are the top 10 model-year 2023 SUVs ranked by maximum tow ratings — which is actually a lucky 13 due to ties. The tied vehicles are listed in order from lowest to highest base price. The tow ratings are apple-to-apples comparable among these SUVs (and for most trucks since 2016) because they’ve been rated according to the SAE International J2807 performance standard, a comprehensive protocol for calculating a vehicle’s gross combined weight rating and trailer weight tow rating.
Note that these maximum ratings assume ideal towing conditions and typically require a heavy-duty trailering package and/or other options with a capable hitch, such as a weight-distributing hitch for loads more than 5,000 pounds. But the real-world maximum towing capability for your specific vehicle will be reduced by your passenger and cargo load, as well as possibly by the trim level and additional optional equipment, such as four-wheel drive. There are more details below the list on how to calculate the safe maximum for your situation.
Jeep’s Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer full-size SUVs took over the top of the SUV towing chart with their debut for 2022 and have kept the lead for 2023. There are now stretched L versions as well as two versions of a new twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine for higher trim levels. The Wagoneer and Wagoneer L are rated to tow up to 10,000 pounds with either engine, rear- or four-wheel-drive, and a Heavy-Duty Trailer-Tow Package that includes HD engine cooling, trailer brake control, hitch lineup assist and hitch zoom view. The base Wagoneer still comes with the 392-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8, and others get a new 420-hp, twin-turbo six-cylinder. The more luxurious (and heavier) Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L with standard 4WD are rated for 9,850 pounds in the base trim level with a 471-hp, 6.4-liter V-8 and for up to 9,800 pounds in higher trims with a 510-hp version of the new 3.0-liter six-cylinder.
The Sequoia was fully redesigned for 2023 on a new platform with a new powertrain — both shared with the redone Tundra pickup — and the upgrades have vaulted it to second place thanks to a maximum towing capacity of 9,520 pounds, an increase of 26% over the old model. The SUV now has a hybrid powertrain combining a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 engine with an electric motor for a total of 437 hp and 583 pounds-feet of torque. The maximum rating is for a RWD Sequoia in the base SR5 trim level; 4WD and higher trim levels bring lower numbers that range down to a still hefty 8,980 pounds for a top-trim 4WD Capstone.
Bumped down a spot on the 2023 list by the new Sequoia is Ford’s full-size SUV. Largely unchanged for 2023, the Expedition can tow up to 9,300 pounds with the standard 380-hp, twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6, RWD, and the optional Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package that includes upgraded cooling, a trailer brake controller and additional trailering tech features. Higher trim levels of the Expedition have a 400- or 440-hp version of the V-6, but the rating is the same. The rating drops to 9,200 pounds for the Expedition with 4WD, while both RWD and 4WD versions of the longer Expedition Max with the trailer package are rated for 9,000 pounds.
The aging Dodge Durango rolled into 2023 with few changes; its maximum towing capacity remains at 8,700 pounds. But the Durango added one more version with the top rating: the high-performance SRT Hellcat that was brought back for 2023. Three Durango versions, all with AWD, offer the 8,700-pound rating. They include the Durango in the R/T trim level equipped with the 360-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and the Tow N Go Package of performance, suspension and trailering upgrades; the Durango SRT with a 475-hp, 6.4-liter V-8; and the top-of-the-line Durango SRT Hellcat with its 710-hp, supercharged 6.2-liter V-8.
Lincoln’s Navigator, the upscale cousin of the Expedition, also has gotten only small changes for the 2023 model year. A 440-hp version of Ford’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 is standard for the Navigator and longer Navigator L. Navigators with the Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package and RWD are rated to tow up to 8,700 pounds; with 4WD, that drops to 8,300 pounds. The Navigator L has towing capacities of 8,400 pounds (RWD) and 8,100 pounds (4WD).
The full-size Armada carries over to 2023 largely unchanged. It continues to have a standard 400-hp, 5.6-liter V-8 and a towing capacity of up to 8,500 pounds for all trim levels with RWD or 4WD. An auto-leveling suspension is standard, and all variants but the base S include a trailer brake controller and trailer sway control.
The Infiniti QX80 is the Nissan luxury brand’s corporate cousin of the Armada, and it also is largely unchanged for 2023. The QX80 also has standard the 400-hp, 5.6-liter V-8 and is rated (when properly equipped) for up to 8,500 pounds of maximum towing capacity with RWD or 4WD. A self-leveling suspension and trailer sway control are standard.
Chevy’s full-size Tahoe and its longer Suburban variant have maximum towing ratings of 8,400 and 8,300 pounds, respectively, when equipped with RWD, the Max Trailering Package and the base 355-hp, 5.3-liter V-8. With the 420- or 433-hp, 6.2-liter V-8s that are optional on higher trim levels, RWD and the trailering package, maximum towing capacity is 8,300 pounds for the Tahoe and 8,200 for the Suburban. Maximum towing with the optional 277-hp, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel six-cylinder and RWD is 8,200 pounds for the Tahoe and 8,000 for the Suburban; 4WD subtracts 200 to 300 pounds from these ratings.
GMC’s Yukon and longer Yukon XL are GM corporate cousins of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and offer the same V-8 and diesel engine options on various trim levels. The maximum Yukon trailering rating is the same 8,400 pounds with the base 355-hp, 5.3-liter V-8, RWD and the Max Trailering Package; it’s 8,300 pounds for the Yukon XL with the same equipment. The Yukon AT4 and Denali trim levels with the 420-hp, 6.2-liter V-8, RWD and the trailering package can tow a maximum of 8,200 pounds, and the Denali XL with that equipment is rated at 8,000 pounds. With the optional 277-hp, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine, the maximum ratings are 8,100 for the Yukon and 7,900 pounds for the XL; 4WD subtracts 200 to 300 pounds from these ratings.
The Land Rover Defender was revived for the 2020 model year, and for 2023, the two-door 90 and four-door 110 versions are joined by an extended 130 variant with eight seats. Various versions of the 90 and 110 offer four engine options, including 296- or 395-hp iterations of a 3.0-liter mild-hybrid six-cylinder. Versions of the 90 and 110 with either of the six-cylinder engines have towing capacities of up to 8,200 pounds. Versions of the 90 and 110 with the base 296-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine or the optional 518-hp, supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 can tow up to 7,716 pounds. The longer 130 variant only offers the two versions of the 3.0-liter six-cylinder, and both are rated for towing up to 8,200 pounds.
Like the Defender, the Land Rover Discovery three-row mid-size SUV also boasts a maximum towing capacity of up to 8,200 pounds for versions powered by the available 355-hp, mild-hybrid six-cylinder engine. Models with the base 296-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder are rated to tow a maximum of 5,952 pounds.
The full-size SUVs from GM’s Cadillac luxury division are corporate cousins of the Chevrolet and GMC full-size SUVs. A 420-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 is standard in both the Escalade and the stretched Escalade ESV. The maximum towing capacity with RWD and the Heavy-Duty Trailering Package is 8,200 pounds for the Escalade and 8,000 pounds for the Escalade ESV. Ratings with the optional 277-hp, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine are 8,100 pounds for the Escalade and 7,900 pounds for the ESV; 4WD subtracts 200 to 300 pounds from these ratings. New-for-2023 Escalade V models offer 682 hp of supercharged V-8 high performance but a more modest towing maximum of 7,000 pounds.
Land Rover’s Range Rover flagship was redesigned for 2022 with standard and long-wheelbase versions, and little has changed for 2023 beyond the addition of a new plug-in hybrid powertrain. Models with the 523-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 offer maximum towing capacity of up to 8,200 pounds. Models with the 395-hp, turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder are rated to tow up to 7,716 pounds, while the PHEV has a combined 434-hp output from its hybrid powertrain (the six-cylinder engine plus a 105-kilowatt electric motor) and is rated to tow up to 5,511 pounds.
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The J2807 standard for calculating a maximum trailer weight rating assumes a minimum of added vehicle weight from more occupants or cargo. If you load the SUV up with people and cargo or with weighty options (like a roof carrier), those extra pounds will cut your safe towing capability.
Three steps will help you calculate the safe limit in your specific situation:
1. Determine your SUV’s curb weight, including all accessories. Remember that the SUV’s published curb weights are a starting point, but your SUV’s trim level and specific equipment might differ. A better idea is to use a scale at a local truck stop or your state department of motor vehicles to get a more precise vehicle weight.
2. Subtract the vehicle weight from your SUV’s GCWR, typically found on a label on the driver’s door or pillar or in your manual. The difference is the total combined weight that your SUV can carry and tow — the total available weight capacity.
3. Subtract from that available weight capacity your expected payload weight of people and cargo in the SUV for the trip and the trailer tongue weight (the weight the trailer exerts on the rear of the SUV). What’s left is the actual maximum trailer weight you can safely tow for this trip.
You can shift pounds in either direction, such as by shifting some payload weight to the trailer, but you can never safely exceed either of the SUV’s maximum weight ratings — the maximum towing capacity or the maximum payload.
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