Towing capacity explained: braked, unbraked and the weights that matter
A towing capacity is the heaviest trailer, including its load, that a manufacturer has approved the vehicle to pull. It's a legal and safety limit, not a target, and it's only one of several weights that have to add up.
Where to find the real figure: your owner's handbook, the manufacturer's plate (usually on the door pillar or under the bonnet) and, in Europe, the registration certificate. Limits vary by engine, gearbox, drive and market, so a figure for "the model" may not match your exact version.
Braked and unbraked limits
Most manufacturers publish two figures. The braked limit applies to trailers with their own brakes (overrun or electric brakes), and is the bigger number you see in adverts. The unbraked limit, for light trailers without brakes, is much lower, often around 500–750 kg for a car. Many countries also require brakes on any trailer above a set weight, commonly 750 kg.
The other weights that matter
- Nose weight (tongue or ball weight): the downward force the trailer puts on the tow ball. Too little makes a trailer unstable; too much overloads the rear axle. US guidance usually suggests about 10–15% of the trailer's weight for conventional trailers. European cars have a maximum nose weight on the plate or in the handbook, often 50–150 kg.
- Payload: how much the vehicle itself can carry, including passengers, luggage and the nose weight. A loaded pickup can run out of payload before it reaches its towing limit.
- Gross vehicle weight (GVM / GVWR): the most the vehicle may weigh when loaded, including the nose weight.
- Gross combination weight (GCM / GCWR): the most the vehicle and trailer may weigh together. If your car is heavily loaded, the trailer you can legally tow may be lighter than the headline towing capacity.
A worked example
Say a pickup is rated to tow 3,500 kg braked, with a gross combination weight of 6,000 kg, and weighs 2,300 kg empty. Load it with four adults, tools and a canopy (500 kg) and it weighs 2,800 kg. The combination limit now allows a trailer of up to 6,000 − 2,800 = 3,200 kg, less than the 3,500 kg headline figure. The nose weight of that trailer also has to fit within the pickup's remaining payload.
Licences and local rules
Your licence may set a lower limit than the vehicle. In the EU, a standard car licence (category B) covers a car and trailer whose combined maximum weight is up to 3,500 kg, or any trailer up to 750 kg; heavier combinations need a B96 or BE entitlement. In the UK, since December 2021 drivers with a car licence can tow trailers up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass. Other countries set their own rules, so check with your licensing authority before towing something heavy.
Towing safely
- Stay well inside the limits. Many caravan clubs suggest a loaded caravan of no more than about 85% of the towing car's kerb weight for stability, especially for inexperienced drivers.
- Load the trailer with heavy items over the axle and check the nose weight with a gauge or bathroom scale and a stand.
- Use towing mirrors if the trailer is wider than the car, check tyre pressures (the vehicle's handbook often lists higher ones for towing), and allow for longer braking distances.
Our car pages list each version's dimensions and kerb weight, and towing figures where the manufacturer publishes them. Compare two candidates side by side in the comparison tool.