
With a towing capacity of 12,000 pounds, the new full-size Toyota Tundra It is an excellent truck to tow. The midsize Toyota Tacoma, on the other hand, isn’t built for towing and weighs just 6,800 pounds. Unlike other automakers, Toyota doesn’t build a heavy-duty full-size pickup that specializes in towing.
Which Toyota truck can tow more?
The full-size Tundra can tow almost twice as much as the midsize Tacoma. But not all Tundras are the same. Order the base SR5 trim, equipped with 2WD and a towing package to unlock Tundra’s maximum towing capability.
RELATED: 2022 Toyota Tundra Reveals What Dated 2022 Tacoma Trucks Really Look Like
If you choose a 4WD Toyota Tundra, you’ll be sacrificing up to 1,000 pounds of the truck’s towing capacity. Trucks with heavier interiors, like the Capstone, can lose up to 500 pounds of towing capacity. But the i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain, despite a nickel-heavy battery pack, offers the same towing capabilities as the regular V6. An especially low towing Tundra is the base version of the Tundra SR with its detuned V6 engine.
The 2023 Toyota Tundra’s lowest towing capacity is just 5,000 pounds. That’s actually less than some Tacomas. A midsize Tacoma equipped with a naturally aspirated V6 engine has a maximum towing capacity of 6,800 pounds.
How far can a Toyota Tundra pull?
The maximum towing capacity for a 2023 Toyota Tundra is 12,000 pounds. This puts it very close to its Detroit Three-built competitors, but still falls short of their maximum towing capacities by a few hundred pounds.

RELATED: 1 in 200 Texas Workers Owe Their Jobs to the Toyota Tundra
The 2023 Toyota Tundra not only boasts high towing capacity, but also handles heavy loads with grace. The truck has a solid rear axle, rear coil springs, and is available with self-leveling air suspension. Toyota it even offers Tundra with Trailer Backup Assist.
You can see how the 2023 Toyota Tundra’s towing capacity compares to the maximum towing ratings of other light-duty trucks in the chart below:
Brand and model | Maximum Towing Capacity | Setting |
ford f-150 | 14,000 pounds | 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 |
silver chevrolet 1500 | 13,300 pounds | 3.0L Turbo Diesel Crew Cab 2WD Max Tow Package 20in Wheels |
gmc sierra 1500 | 13,000 pounds | 3.0L Turbo Diesel Crew Cab 4WD Max Tow Package 20in Wheels |
ram 1500 | 12,750 pounds | 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with eTorque |
toyota tundra | 12,000 pounds | 2WD SR5 with towing package |
nissan titan | 9,320 pounds | King Cabin 4×2 |
Is the Toyota Tundra a 3/4 ton truck?
The Toyota Tundra has always been classified as a full-size light-duty pickup, also called a half-ton. The third-generation 2023 Toyota Tundra is no different, despite its larger size and capability.

RELATED: Base-Engine 2022 Toyota Tundra Beats Ford Raptor in Drag Race
Three-quarters of a ton, as heavy duty, is an advertising term used by car manufacturers for their trucks. Technically, the Nissan Titan XD, with its heavy springs and high payload capacity, is in the same class as the 3/4-ton heavy-duty trucks made by GM, Ford, and Ram. But because its payload still doesn’t come close to that of other heavy-duty trucks, Nissan advertises it as medium-duty.
Confusingly, the towing capacity of the 2023 Toyota Tundra is actually higher than that of the Nissan Titan XD. But this doesn’t make the Tundra a heavy-duty 3/4-ton pickup truck. The Tundra is not in the same class as heavy-duty trucks due to its lower GVWR. It fits neatly into the half-ton truck category, alongside the F-150 and 1500s from Ram and GM.
Below, find out how Toyota improved Tundra’s tow rating by 2,000 pounds between the 2021 and 2022 model years, or see the Tundra Hybrid’s tow capacity maxed out in the video below:
RELATED: 2022 Toyota Tundra Road Trip: Real World Fuel Economy and Reliability