Chevrolet Colorado towing capacity, 2026 and earlier
Choose the version of your Colorado: the checker reads its line in Chevrolet's 2026 Trailering Guide and tests your trailer, passengers and cargo against the rating and GCWR.
2026 Chevrolet Colorado: can it tow 5,000 lb?
Within the ratings checked
Rating for this configuration: 7,700 lb, GCWR 13,250 lb. 2026 Chevrolet Trailering Guide, p. 41.
| Trailer vs trailer weight rating | 5,000 lb of 7,700 lb ✓ |
| Tongue weight share | 12.0% (10 to 15%) ✓ |
| Load on the vehicle vs payload | enter your door-label payload |
| Vehicle weight vs GVWR | enter GVWR and curb weight |
| Truck plus trailer vs GCWR (curb implied by the rating) | 10,825 lb of 13,250 lb ✓ |
| Heaviest trailer with this load (set by GCWR) | 7,425 lb |
No curb weight in the Chevrolet guide: the GCWR test uses GCWR minus the rating minus the 300 lb of people the rating assumes.
Compiled by Radif Partners · Sources and method · Chevrolet documents read October 20, 2026
Chevrolet's 2026 Trailering Guide gives the Colorado three ratings, all for the crew cab with the 2.7L TurboMax® 4-cylinder and the 3.42 axle. With the Trailering Package it is rated 7,700 lb on a GCWR of 13,250 lb. The ZR2 is rated 6,000 lb, and a Colorado without the package 3,500 lb, a figure that still requires the accessory trailer hitch and wiring harness. The engine is the same in all three; what changes is the gross combination weight rating Chevrolet assigns, from 9,100 lb to 13,250 lb. Chevrolet derives each rating from that GCWR minus the curb weight and 300 lb for a driver and a front passenger. The tongue should be 10 to 15% of the loaded trailer and no more than 770 lb. Trailers above 1,500 lb need their own brakes by Chevrolet's rule for the Colorado, a lower threshold than for the Silverado.
Same truck, three GCWRs
The Colorado table is the clearest example of how Chevrolet builds a trailer rating. Subtract each rating and the 300 lb of people from its GCWR and the curb weight left over is almost the same on all three lines, between 5,250 lb and 5,300 lb (2026 Trailering Guide, p. 41). The truck hardly changes weight. What changes is the GCWR, 9,100 lb without the package, 11,600 lb for the ZR2 and 13,250 lb with the Trailering Package, and the rating follows it pound for pound.
The GCWR is the most the loaded truck and the loaded trailer may weigh together. Chevrolet sets it for each version of the truck, and it is the figure the trailer rating is built from. The GVWR and GCWR guide explains how it relates to the door label. Put your own truck weight and load into the tool: it starts from the top line.
Colorado: trailer allowed by the GCWR
Heaviest trailer the GCWR allows
7,425 lb
| GCWR | 13,250 lb |
| Vehicle as loaded | 5,825 lb |
| Hitch hardware counted | 75 lb |
The Trailering Package, the ZR2 and the base truck
The jump from 3,500 lb to 7,700 lb is the Trailering Package. The 3,500 lb line carries a footnote of its own: even that rating requires the available accessory trailer hitch and trailer wiring harness, so a Colorado with no hitch at all has no rating to use. The ZR2 sits in between at 6,000 lb. The 2025 guide also printed a ZR2 Bison line at 5,500 lb, which the 2026 guide no longer lists. The guide prints one column for the crew cab and does not split two-wheel and four-wheel drive, so the same figure applies to both.
The guide's footnote on maximum ratings applies here as on every Chevrolet: the figures are for comparison, and passengers, cargo and accessories reduce them. A Colorado with four adults and a loaded bed has used part of its GCWR before the trailer is counted.
Tongue weight and brakes on a midsize truck
Chevrolet caps the Colorado tongue at 770 lb, which is 10% of the 7,700 lb rating. A trailer at the maximum must therefore carry the low end of the 10 to 15% range on its tongue; at 15% the cap is reached with a trailer of about 5,100 lb. The tongue also counts against the payload on the door pillar. Brakes are required above 1,500 lb on the Colorado, against 2,000 lb on the larger Chevrolets (Chevrolet guide, p. 6), so even a small enclosed trailer may need them. The trailer brakes guide covers controllers.
Colorado: does your trailer need brakes?
Does this trailer need its own brakes?
Yes, by Ford and Chevrolet
| Ford (all models in its towing guide) | required above 1,500 lb |
| Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe | required above 2,000 lb |
| Other Chevrolet models (Colorado) | required above 1,500 lb |
A misprint in the 2023 chart
The 2023 Colorado chart prints a GCWR of 9,100 lb on its 7,700 lb lines, which would leave almost nothing for the truck itself; the 2026 guide prints 13,250 lb for the same rating. We copy the 2023 figure as printed but would not rely on it: if you own a 2023 Colorado, check the owner's manual. For a rival, see the Ranger, rated similarly with its tow package, and the truck towing guide.
Chevrolet Colorado towing capacity by model year
| Model year | Highest rating | Lowest rating | Configurations | Highest payload | Maker document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7,700 lb | 3,500 lb | 3 | not printed | 2026 Chevrolet Trailering Guide, p. 41 |
| 2025 | 7,700 lb | 3,500 lb | 4 | not printed | 2025 Chevrolet Trailering Guide, p. 41 |
| 2024 | 7,700 lb | 3,500 lb | 6 | not printed | 2024 Chevrolet Trailering Guide, p. 41 |
| 2023 | 7,700 lb | 3,500 lb | 4 | not printed | 2023 Colorado Trailering (chart), p. 1 |
2026 Chevrolet Colorado by engine
| Engine | Highest rating | Lowest rating | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7L TurboMax® 4-cylinder | 7,700 lb | 3,500 lb | 2 |
| 2.7L TurboMax® 4-cylinder (ZR2) | 6,000 lb | same | 1 |
Every configuration of the 2026 table (3 rows)
| Configuration | Rating (lb) | GCWR | GVWR | Payload | Curb or base | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7L TurboMax® 4-cylinder · Crew Cab · 3.42 axle · Trailering Package | 7,700 | 13,250 | 41 | |||
| 2.7L TurboMax® 4-cylinder (ZR2) · Crew Cab · 3.42 axle | 6,000 | 11,600 | 41 | |||
| 2.7L TurboMax® 4-cylinder · Crew Cab · 3.42 axle | 3,500 | 9,100 | 41 |