When it comes to trucks, towing capacity is one of the most important things to consider. That said, trucks are generally expensive, and for many Americans, there’s a tough choice between getting better towing or a cheaper price tag when it comes to buying a new truck. Here’s a look at the 2020 Chevy Silverado, and whether or not its towing capacity is worth it.

The 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 has the most towing capacity

Like U.S. News wrote, in terms of regular cars and trucks, the Silverado has the highest towing capacity of them all as it can, in its ideal configuration, tow up to 13,400-pounds of stuff. Of course, heavy-duty trucks like the Silverado 2500 or the F-250 can tow more, but in terms of regular cars, the Silverado 1500 simply edges out the competition. 

The F-150, for instance, had a relatively similar max towing capacity as it can tow up to 13,200-pounds, according to U.S. News. The Ram 1500 was in third place, as it can, in ideal conditions, tow up to 12,750-pounds.

That said, all of these trucks’ max towing capacity can only be reached by choosing the right options, and that means spending more money on the truck. 

A price comparison between the three big trucks

U.S. News wrote that the Ram 1500 is significantly more expensive than its rivals, as it starts at about $32,000, while the F-150 and the Silverado both start at about $28,000. At those price points, these three trucks offer significantly less towing capabilities. 

For example, according to Chevy, the Silverado, with its standard 4.3-liter V6 engine, can tow about 7,400-pounds with a standard configuration. Ford said that the F-150’s standard 3.3-liter V6 can tow about 5,000-pounds with a standard configuration. Similarly, Ram said that the Ram 1500’s standard 3.6-liter V6 can tow about 4,500-pounds with a standard configuration.

This seems like a slam dunk for the Silverado, however, it’s more complicated than that. Ford and Ram listed the effects that changing your truck’s axle ratio will have on its towing capacity, while Chevy didn’t. Like Edmunds wrote, a higher axle ratio will lead to better towing capacities, but at the cost of lowering the truck’s fuel economy. 

With higher axle ratios, the regular Ram 1500 and the regular F-150 have comparable towing capabilities as the regular Silverado does. So, at the end of the day, in terms of their standard configurations, all three trucks are relatively similar in terms of towing capabilities. But of course, the Ram 1500 still costs more. 

What do you actually want in a truck?

That’s why it’s simply more important that customers ask themselves what they want in their truck to begin with. There aren’t many things that a regular person needs to tow that weighs over 10,000-pounds to begin with. As a result, by and large, full-size trucks like the Silverado, the F-150, and the Ram 1500, are all good enough without needing major engine upgrades.

And then there’s everything else to consider. While towing and price are important, many people use trucks for daily errands. As a result, there are other factors that are important to consider, and the Silverado doesn’t necessarily lead in them. For example, U.S. News gave the Silverado a lower overall score than it gave to the Ram 1500 and the F-150.

Both the Ram 1500 and the F-150 had an overall score of around 9 out of 10, while the Silverado only had an overall score of 8.2 out of 10. This means that, if towing isn’t too important, then the Silverado is a worse truck than its competitors are. But, when it comes to towing, the Silverado can’t be beat.