2026 model year · Fourth generation (XU70)

Toyota Highlander towing capacity

Max towing, 20265,000 lb

Maker2,268 kg

The 2026 Toyota Highlander tows up to 5,000 lb (XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder, per Toyota’s 2026 Highlander Product Information).

The lowest rating is 3,500 lb, for the XLE, Limited and Platinum 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid.

2026 Highlander (gas) Product Information

Configurations: 7
GCWR: 10,600 lb

2020 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD, front three-quarter view — Photo: Kevauto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

01 / Ratings

Every 2026 Highlander configuration

7 configurations Toyota sells, each with the ratings Toyota publishes for it. A package that changes a rating gets its own row. All have the All-wheel drive.

2026 Toyota Highlander

Makerin pounds

2026 Toyota Highlander towing capacity, GCWR, payload and tongue weight by configuration, in pounds
Configuration	Max towing^{source 1} lb	GCWR^{source 2} lb	GVWR^{source 1} lb	Unbraked^{source 2} lb	Axle^{source 1} ratio	Tow check
2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder
XLE · XSE · Limited · Platinum Most	5,000	10,600	5,970	1,000	3.329	Check load →
2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid
XLE · Limited · Platinum	3,500^{source 3}	not in our data	6,000^{source 3}	not in our data	3.638^{source 3}	Check load →

“Not published”: the maker doesn’t print it. —: not in the documents we hold yet. A number by a column’s name is the source of its figures that have none of their own. Scroll the table sideways for every rating.

SourcesMakerThe small number by a figure says which document it is from.

Documents last checked Oct 7, 2026. How we read them and what the marks mean: how we source the numbers. A figure doesn’t match its document? Report a wrong number.

2026 Toyota Highlander specs: payload, dimensions, ground clearance and weight beside the towing ratings.

The Highlander, generation by generation: clearance, angles, weights and every configuration.

Toyota Highlander XU70 (2020–present): full specs

02 / Why

Which one tows the most, and why

Each figure below is the gap between two of Toyota’s own ratings for configurations that differ in one thing only.

What moves the rating

Maker

Tows the most: 5,000 lb

XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder.

Best rating by engine

2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder5,000 lb
2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid3,500 lb

The line is the highest rating on this page. Each bar is that engine’s best configuration.

03 / By year

Highlander towing by model year

The highest rating each model year, from that year’s documents. Years rated the same in every configuration share one page.

04 / Next

Check it against your load

Towing calculatorPut your trailer and cargo against a 2026 Highlander’s ratings and see what’s left.Check my load GVWR, GCWR & payloadWhat each rating limits, and why the trailer number alone isn’t the answer.Read the guide Highlander specsClearance, angles, weights and the rig builder for every configuration.Open the spec plate Highlander tire sizesStock tire and wheel sizes by trim, and what bigger tires change.See tire sizes All towing capacitiesEvery truck and SUV we cover, side by side, sortable.Compare vehicles

05 / FAQ

Questions people ask

Which 2026 Highlander configuration tows the most?

The XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder, at 5,000 lb.

What is the GCWR of the 2026 Toyota Highlander?

10,600 lb for every configuration that publishes it. GCWR is the most the loaded vehicle and its loaded trailer may weigh together.

Has the Toyota Highlander’s towing capacity changed by year?

Highest rating by model year: 2026, 5,000 lb; 2025, 5,000 lb; 2024, 5,000 lb; 2023, 5,000 lb; 2021–2022, 5,000 lb; 2020, 5,000 lb.

Does the engine change the 2026 Highlander’s towing capacity?

Yes. Best rating by engine: 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder, 5,000 lb; 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid, 3,500 lb.

Which 2026 Highlander configuration tows the least?

The XLE, Limited and Platinum 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid, at 3,500 lb.

What is the GVWR of the 2026 Toyota Highlander?

5,970–6,000 lb by configuration; the most is 6,000 lb, for the XLE, Limited and Platinum 2.5L 4-cylinder hybrid. GVWR is the most the vehicle may weigh with its people, cargo and the trailer’s tongue weight aboard.

These are Toyota’s published ratings, not a weighbridge. Your own vehicle’s GVWR and axle ratings are on its certification label, and only a scale tells you what your loaded rig weighs. Found a figure that doesn’t match the document? Tell us.