Your Average Sedan Can Tow Surprisingly Well

Pickup truck makers hate this one simple trick: You can actually tow a surprising amount of weight with an average sedan. Okay, so you're not going to tow many boats with a Camry, but don't think that just because you don't have a pickup you can't grab that load of mulch from your local garden nursery. Some sedans on sale right now are actually capable of towing a literal ton of weight, which makes them far more useful and versatile than their owners might think.

Admittedly, towing with a sedan isn't quite as straightforward or easy as it is with a pickup truck or big SUV. You'll have to do a bit more homework, and a bit more math, but it's certainly possible for many situations. So if you're a sedan (or even a minivan) owner who's felt hamstrung by what you thought was your car's lack of utility, you might be in luck, because many sedans have surprising official towing capacities.

There are a few things to know before towing with your sedan. First, you need to know if your car even has a trailer hitch. It's usually pretty obvious, as they're typically seen sticking out from the back of the car. However, some cars offer retractable hitches that hide away when they're not in use, like the Volvo V60 Cross Country (yes, that's a wagon, but it's based on a sedan). If your car doesn't have a trailer hitch, it's always possible to add one, but it behooves you to make sure you get one from the manufacturer, so you know it's safe.

Another thing you need to know, and this one might seem obvious, is how much your sedan can tow. When in doubt, check the owner's manual. A Toyota Camry can only tow 1,000 pounds, but the smaller, less powerful Corolla can tow 1,500 pounds. The V8-powered Chrysler 300 is also limited to just 1,000 pounds. However, a 2025 Volvo S60, with its four-cylinder engine, can tow a maximum of 2,000 pounds. The Volkswagen Arteon can do the same. 

 The last bit of homework you need to do is to find out whether your car's towing capacity is for trailers with or without brakes. Trailer brakes help you slow down, so your car's brakes aren't handling all of the additional weight on their own. Not every trailer has its own brakes, and state requirements can vary for how much the trailer's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) can be before it needs its own brakes.So check your vehicle's owner's manual to see if it specifies trailer brakes.

What makes your neighbor's F-150 so much better at towing than your Camry? Pretty simply put: because it's made to. Towing requires a lot from your car, far more than just pulling some additional weight in a straight line. So trucks and heavy-duty SUVs have beefier chassis that can handle the strain of pulling extra weight, stronger brakes that can slow it all down repeatedly, and gearing that lets them accelerate consistently without damaging anything.

Towing heavy weight mechanically taxes vehicles in specific ways, so manufacturers have to pass certain tests with their maximum towing load. Since 2008, truck makers have had to meet specific requirements and pass several tests laid out by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Those "SAE J2807" standards began in April 2008 but have been updated periodically since, most recently in 2024. They're described as the "Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating."

Among those performance requirements are the ability to accelerate uphill with their maximum towing payload a certain distance, several times within five minutes. Trailer-towing vehicles also have to climb the Davis Dam grade — which rises 3,500 feet over an 11-mile stretch of highway — at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with the air conditioning at full-blast.

While small sedans, minivans, and crossovers may never see such difficult towing tasks, they do provide some idea of how different situations can affect towing difficulty. So even if you're towing a motorcycle you just bought, or some pavers for a landscaping project, remember that your car could struggle going uphill or braking in a hurry if you're close to its weight limit.

If you want to tow with your sedan, you're obviously going to want to stay under the manufacturer's maximum tow rating. To stay on the safe side, Kelley Blue Book recommends not exceeding 80% of that rating, just so you're not pushing your car to its absolute limit, as variables can change. All of the weight in the trailer can shift toward the tow hitch under braking, which can strain your vehicle's tongue weight capabilities. Or you might find yourself stuck on a hill in traffic, making it harder on your car's power train and brakes. So it's best to leave yourself some breathing room. 

However, there are a few practical towing applications that come in under the 1,000-to-2,000-pound weight limit of most sedans. You can tow a jet ski — maybe even two, depending on the type of jet ski — or even a couple of dirt bikes on a small trailer. You can also squeeze about a cubic yard of dry mulch under that weight limit, depending on the trailer's weight. Need a trailer to snag a few sheets of plywood or drywall from Home Depot? Your sedan can probably do it. So there are some very real, very useful towing applications for your humble four-door that you might not otherwise have thought about.

Sedans aren't the only plucky underdog towers, though. Since crossovers and minivans typically share the same chassis as sedans, their towing ratings are similar, if not better. The Toyota Sienna Hybrid minivan has an official towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, which is 1,500 pounds more than the Ford Maverick pickup truck's standard rating. The Maverick needs its optional tow package to best Toyota's seven-seat family hauler, and still only does so by 500 pounds. The Kia Carnival Hybrid minivan can tow 2,500 pounds, also more than the base Maverick. 

Little crossovers are great, too. Both the Subaru Crosstrek and Mini Countryman can haul 3,500 pounds. Heck, the Fiat 500X can tow 2,000 pounds. That doesn't mean you should go towing with just anything, though. It might be funny to hook a trailer up to a Corvette, but sports cars are designed for a very different purpose and it's best to keep them in their lanes.

So if you've been wondering how you were going to get those building materials you need, how you're going to take your jet ski to the water, or what you'll tow a small travel trailer, don't be afraid to use your sedan. It might not be a heavy-duty hauler, but it can do more than many people think.