With a 12,000-pound trailering capacity, the new full-size Toyota Tundra is an excellent truck for towing. The midsize Toyota Tacoma–on the other hand–is not engineered for towing and maxes out at just 6,800 pounds. Unlike other automakers, Toyota does not build a heavy-duty full-size truck that specializes in towing.

Which Toyota truck can tow the most?

The full-size Tundra can tow almost twice as much as the midsize Tacoma. But not every Tundra is created equal. Order the entry-level SR5 trim, equipped with 2WD and a trailering package to unlock the Tundra’s maximum towing capacity.

If you choose a 4WD Toyota Tundra, you’ll sacrifice up to 1,000 pounds of the truck’s towing capacity. Trucks with a heavier interior, such as the Capstone, may lose up to 500 pounds of towing capacity. But the i-FORCE MAX hybrid drivetrain–despite a heavy nickel battery pack–offers the same towing capacities as the regular V6. One Tundra with an especially low towing capacity is the base Tundra SR trim with its de-tuned V6 engine.

The lowest 2023 Toyota Tundra towing capacity is just 5,000 pounds. That is 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 much can a Toyota Tundra pull?

The maximum towing capacity of a 2023 Toyota Tundra is 12,000 pounds. This puts it very close to its competitors built by the Detroit Three, but it still trails their maximum towing capacities by a few hundred pounds.

Not only does the 2023 Toyota Tundra feature a high towing capacity, but it handles heavy loads with grace. The truck has a solid rear axle, rear coil springs, and is available with auto-leveling air suspension. Toyota even offers the Tundra with trailer backup assist.

You can see how the 2023 Toyota Tundra’s trailering capacity stacks up to maximum towing ratings of other light-duty pickup trucks in the table below:

Make and Model	Max Towing Capacity	Configuration
Ford F-150	14,000 pounds	3.5-liter EcoBoost V6
Chevrolet Silverado 1500	13,300 pounds	3.0-liter turbodiesel, double cab, 2WD, max trailering package, and 20-inch wheels
GMC Sierra 1500	13,000 pounds	3.0-liter turbodiesel, double cab, 4WD, max trailering package, and 20-inch wheels
Ram 1500	12,750 pounds	5.7-liter HEMI V8 with eTorque
Toyota Tundra	12,000 pounds	2WD SR5 with the tow package
Nissan Titan	9,320 pounds	King Cab 4×2

Is a Toyota Tundra a 3/4 ton truck?

The Toyota Tundra has always been classified as a full-size, light-duty pickup truck–also called a half-ton. The third-generation 2023 Toyota Tundra is no different, despite its increased size and capacity.

Three-quarter ton, like heavy-duty, is an advertising term automakers use for their pickup trucks. Technically the Nissan Titan XD, with its heavy springs and high payload capacity, is in the same class as the heavy-duty 3/4 ton trucks built by GM, Ford, and Ram. But because its payload is still nowhere near the other heavy-duty trucks Nissan advertises it as medium-duty.

Confusingly, the 2023 Toyota Tundra’s towing capacity is actually higher than the Nissan Titan XD. But this does not make the Tundra a heavy-duty, 3/4-ton pickup truck. The Tundra is not in the same class as heavy-duty trucks because of its lower gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). It fits neatly into the half-ton truck category, alongside the F-150 and the 1500s from Ram and GM.

Next, find out how Toyota improved the Tundra’s tow rating by 2,000 pounds between the 2021 and 2022 model years or watch the hybrid Tundra’s towing capacity maxed out in the video below: