Toyota RAV4 towing capacity, 2023 to 2026
Choose your RAV4's model year, engine, grade and drive: the checker reads Toyota's printed rating for it and tests your trailer, passengers and cargo against the rating and the GVWR.
2026 Toyota RAV4: can it tow 1,500 lb?
Within, little margin
Rating for this configuration: 3,500 lb. 2026 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom), p. 5.
| Trailer vs trailer weight rating | 1,500 lb of 3,500 lb ✓ |
| Tongue weight share | 12.0% (10 to 15%) ✓ |
| Load on the vehicle vs payload | 755 lb of 1,000 lb ✓ |
| Vehicle weight vs GVWR | 4,675 lb of 4,920 lb ✓ |
| Truck plus trailer vs GCWR | not printed for this vehicle |
| Heaviest trailer with this load (set by trailer) | 3,500 lb |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Sources and method · Toyota documents read October 21, 2026
The RAV4 is a light tow vehicle, and its rating depends on the grade and the drive more than on the badge. The 2026 RAV4, a new generation sold as a hybrid, is rated 3,500 lb in Limited AWD, SE AWD, Woodland AWD, XLE Premium AWD and XSE AWD, and 1,750 lb in LE AWD, LE FWD, SE FWD and XLE Premium FWD. Before that, from 2023 to 2025, Toyota published separate sheets for the gasoline RAV4 and the RAV4 Hybrid. The gasoline RAV4 with its 2.5-liter four-cylinder was rated 1,500 lb in the LE, XLE, XLE Premium and Limited, and 3,500 lb in the Adventure and TRD Off-Road grades, which the 2025 sheet no longer lists. The older RAV4 Hybrid was rated 1,750 lb in every grade. Toyota prints a GVWR and curb weights but no payload and no GCWR, so the room between curb weight and GVWR is the figure to watch with a full car.
The 2026 hybrid: drive and grade decide
Toyota's 2026 RAV4 sheet prints two ratings and names the versions behind each (2026 product information). The all-wheel-drive Woodland, XLE Premium, SE, XSE and Limited get 3,500 lb. The LE in both drives and the front-wheel-drive SE and XLE Premium stay at 1,750 lb. The maximum tongue weight is a tenth of each figure. So two RAV4s of the same grade, an XLE Premium with front-wheel drive and one with all-wheel drive, differ by a factor of two. If you plan to tow a small camper, the drive line on the window sticker matters more than the trim name.
RAV4 maximum by model year
2026 Toyota RAV4 maximum towing capacity
3,500 lb
| Reached by | 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · Limited |
| Lowest rating printed | 1,750 lb (2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · LE) |
| Configurations in the table | 9 |
| Source | 2026 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom), p. 5 |
2023 to 2025: gasoline and hybrid apart
Until the new generation, the RAV4 came in a gasoline version and a hybrid version, each with its own sheet. The gasoline RAV4 was rated 1,500 lb in most grades and 3,500 lb in the Adventure and TRD Off-Road grades, the two versions with a more rugged trim (2024 product information). The RAV4 Hybrid read 1,750 lb in every grade, above the common gasoline grades but below the Adventure. The 2025 gasoline sheet lists only the LE, XLE, XLE Premium and Limited, all at 1,500 lb, so a 2025 RAV4 Adventure or TRD Off-Road has no figure in it; read the owner's manual for those.
Light trailers, real limits
A 3,500 lb rating covers a small teardrop camper, a pair of jet skis or a utility trailer with a garden tractor. At 10% of the trailer on the hitch, that is 350 lb on the ball. Toyota's 2026 sheet gives a GVWR of 4,920 lb and curb weights for three versions only; the Limited AWD leaves 1,000 lb between the two. Four adults and a weekend of luggage use most of that. The 2026 lines without a printed curb weight keep an empty field, and the checker then asks for your own figure from the door label.
RAV4: room left after people and cargo
Payload left for the trailer tongue
425 lb
| Payload | 1,000 lb |
| People, cargo and hitch | 575 lb |
| Heaviest trailer at 10% tongue | 4,250 lb |
| At 12% tongue | 3,542 lb |
A compact SUV is rated for light trailers only, and towing above the printed figure leaves the conditions the maker tested, whatever hitch is bolted on. Stay under the line that matches your grade and drive. For a heavier camper, compare the Highlander and the 4Runner, read the trailer brakes guide, and check the hitch class with the hitch class guide.
Toyota RAV4 towing capacity by model year
| Model year | Highest rating | Lowest rating | Configurations | Highest payload | Maker document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3,500 lb | 1,750 lb | 9 | not printed | 2026 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom), p. 5 |
| 2025 | 1,750 lb | 1,500 lb | 15 | not printed | 2025 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom), p. 5; RAV4 Hybrid document p. 4; 2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom) |
| 2024 | 3,500 lb | 1,500 lb | 17 | not printed | 2024 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom), p. 5; RAV4 Hybrid document p. 4; 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom) |
| 2023 | 3,500 lb | 1,500 lb | 17 | not printed | 2023 Toyota RAV4 Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom), p. 5; RAV4 Hybrid document p. 4; 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Product Information (Toyota USA Newsroom) |
2026 Toyota RAV4 by engine
| Engine | Highest rating | Lowest rating | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L hybrid I4 | 3,500 lb | 1,750 lb | 9 |
Every configuration of the 2026 table (9 rows)
| Configuration | Rating (lb) | GCWR | GVWR | Payload | Curb or base | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · Limited | 3,500 | 4,920 | 3,920 | 5 | ||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · SE | 3,500 | 4,920 | 5 | |||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · Woodland | 3,500 | 4,920 | 5 | |||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · XLE Premium | 3,500 | 4,920 | 3,865 | 5 | ||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · XSE | 3,500 | 4,920 | 5 | |||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · AWD · LE | 1,750 | 4,920 | 5 | |||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · FWD · LE | 1,750 | 4,920 | 3,640 | 5 | ||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · FWD · SE | 1,750 | 4,920 | 5 | |||
| 2.5L hybrid I4 · FWD · XLE Premium | 1,750 | 4,920 | 5 |