Best Trucks for Towing

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Best Small Trucks for Towing
Best Midsize Trucks for Towing
Best Large Trucks for Towing
Best Heavy-Duty Trucks for Towing
Best Diesel Trucks for Towing
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When you need a new truck for towing, several excellent choices are available across various model types and sizes. Edmunds rates trucks in four categories — small, midsize, large and heavy-duty — and these are our best picks. All prices include the destination charge and show the recommended trim level or package to achieve the tow rating. Some of these trucks can be ordered in a regular cab configuration, but we'll list the starting prices for the crew cabs since they are the most popular.

Best Small Trucks for Towing

The Hyundai Santa Cruz offers the highest base and available towing capacity of any small truck, followed closely by its hot-selling rival, the Ford Maverick. Both are based on crossover-style unibody chassis, so their towing ratings aren't as high as those of other trucks. The benefits include improved fuel economy and maneuverability, as well as some snappy performance with their optional turbo engines.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

If you want maximum towing in a compact package, you'll want the edgy Hyundai Santa Cruz, which comes with either a naturally aspirated 191-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder or a turbocharged version producing 281 horsepower. Go for the turbo (found only on the XRT and Limited models) and you'll get a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds versus a still respectable 3,500 pounds for the base engine. There's also a waterproof trunk under the bed floor for added storage. Tight rear legroom is the truck's main downside.

For 2026, the Santa Cruz gets very minor adjustments, following a 2025 refresh that brought a new front end, some interior tweaks and the aforementioned rugged XRT model.

Starting price (including destination fee): $42,700 (XRT trim)
Maximum towing capacity: 5,000 pounds
Maximum payload: 1,411 pounds

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Read our 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz review

Ford Maverick

The Ford Maverick's primary advantage is an available 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that gets an impressive 37 mpg combined, and its 2025 face-lift also brought available all-wheel drive and a 4,000-pound towing package to the gas-electric powertrain. The Maverick also offers a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a stout 250 horsepower, which can also tow up to 4,000 pounds. Without the towing package, the Maverick can tug a 2,000-pound trailer, adequate for a small teardrop camper or a pair of motorcycles.

Starting price (including destination fee): $33,600 (with 4K Tow package)
Maximum towing capacity: 4,000 pounds
Maximum payload: 1,500 pounds

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Read our 2026 Ford Maverick review

Best Midsize Trucks for Towing

The Chevrolet Colorado is the best midsize truck for towing, with a 7,700-pound maximum trailering capacity. Not far behind is the Edmunds Top Rated 2025 Ford Ranger, which can tow 7,500 pounds.

Chevrolet Colorado

The 2026 Chevrolet Colorado offers just one engine — a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder — but it offers up to 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft properly equipped. Even the base Work Truck trim has a large 11.3-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in addition to a sliding rear window, a rear defroster and cruise control. If you're aiming to lug a heavy camper or cargo hauler, look for a Colorado with the optional Advanced Trailering package, which adds a trailer hitch, wiring harness, trailer brake controller and more.

Starting price (including destination fee): $34,690 (with Advanced Trailering package)
Maximum towing capacity: 7,700 pounds
Maximum payload: 1,684 pounds

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Read our 2026 Chevrolet Colorado review

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger has been on the market for a few years now, but it still impresses us with its standard 2.3-liter turbo-four engine, which produces 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, enabling a towing capacity of up to 7,500 pounds. The Ranger also offers Pro Trailer Backup Assist, and the bed is just over 4 feet wide at the wheel housings, making it perfect for 4-by-8 sheets of plywood and other building materials. The Ranger Raptor gets a 405-hp turbo V6, greater wheel travel, and a wider track for high-speed desert running.

Starting price (including destination fee): $35,780 (with Trailer Tow package)
Maximum towing capacity: 7,500 pounds
Maximum payload: 1,805 pounds

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Read our 2025 Ford Ranger review

Best Large Trucks for Towing

The Ford F-150 is both America's best-selling vehicle and the best large truck for towing. Properly equipped, the Ford F-150 can tow up to 13,500 pounds. The recently updated Ram 1500 is our runner-up, with bold styling, a high-quality interior, and up to 11,580 pounds of towing ability thanks to a new turbocharged inline-six.

Ford F-150

With a staggering array of bed and cab sizes, trim levels, engines and powertrains, it's not hard to understand why the F-150 is the most popular vehicle in the U.S. A certified workhorse, the Ford pickup also offers lots of comfort and convenience features, including a pop-out center console desk and an intuitive 13.2-inch infotainment display. There's even an available onboard generator that can generate up to 7.2 kW, more than enough power to run tools on job sites or keep your fridge running and your lights on during blackouts. The F-150's maximum towing capacity of 13,500 pounds was heavy-duty territory not long ago.

Starting price (including destination fee): $61,220 (with the Max Tow axle and Tow/Haul package)
Maximum towing capacity: 13,500 pounds
Maximum payload: 2,445 pounds

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Read our 2026 Ford F-150 review

Ram 1500

Good news for fans of V8 rumble: Ram brought back the Hemi V8 for the 2026 model year. That said, the twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six is still the best route to go if you need to tow a heavy trailer, with 420 horsepower in low-output form or 540 hp for the truly power-hungry. The 2026 Ram 1500 retains its smooth-riding suspension and appealing cabin, as well as the available hands-free driving assistance that debuted last year.

Starting price (including destination fee): $47,405 (with trailering package, 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six, and 3.92 rear axle)
Maximum towing capacity: 11,610 pounds
Maximum payload: 2,360 pounds

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Read our 2026 Ram 1500 review

Best Heavy-Duty Trucks for Towing

Larger trailers, such as fifth-wheel campers or flatbeds for heavy machinery, require a heavy-duty truck. For 2026, the Ford F-250 offers the highest towing capacity of any truck in its class, at 23,000 pounds. The Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD comes up second, at 22,420 pounds.

Ford F-250

The 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty achieves its impressive 23,000-pound towing capacity thanks to an optional high-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8 that makes 500 hp and a staggering 1,200 lb-ft of torque. In addition to its heavy-hauling credentials, the F-250 Super Duty offers sophisticated technology like an automatic hitch line-up feature, trailer reverse steering, and an onboard generator with 2 kilowatts of power output.

Starting price (including destination fee): $61,765 (with High-Output Power Stroke diesel and high-capacity axles)
Maximum towing capacity: 23,000 pounds
Maximum payload: 4,420 pounds

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Read our 2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty review

Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD

The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD offers a variety of highly capable variants, including the off-road-ready ZR2 and Trail Boss trims. To achieve its 22,050-pound maximum towing capacity, you'll need to select the available 6.6-liter Duramax V8 diesel engine, which produces 470 horsepower and 975 lb-ft of torque, and the Max Trailering package. An update for 2025 introduced standard adaptive cruise control for the flagship High Country trim, plus front parking sensors across the board.

Starting price (including destination fee): $67,370 (with Duramax turbodiesel and Max Trailering package)
Maximum towing capacity: 22,050 pounds
Maximum payload: 3,689 pounds

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Read our 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD review

Best Diesel Trucks for Towing

Diesel engines have the unique distinction of being both torquey and fuel-efficient, making them a great choice for hauling large trailers over long distances. The diesel engines fitted to heavy-duty trucks can make more than 1,000 lb-ft of torque. Diesel engines cost a bit more up front, and while they're generally pretty reliable, routine maintenance can be costly. But if the fuel savings and capability are worth it, here are some of the best diesels for towing.

Ford F-450

With 1,050 lb-ft of torque spinning from its turbocharged 6.7-liter V8, the Ford F-450 has the highest towing rating of any consumer pickup on the market today: 40,000 pounds. Not only is the engine stout, but the rest of the truck boasts a dually rear axle and commercial-grade 19.5-inch aluminum wheels. The F-450 Super Duty also offers a Pro Power Onboard generator, available tire-pressure monitoring for trailers, and an onboard scale that ensures you don't overload its prodigious capability.

Starting price (including destination fee): $67,425 (with High-Output Power Stroke diesel)
Maximum towing capacity: 40,000 pounds
Maximum payload: 6,457 pounds

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Read our 2026 Ford F-450 review

Ram 3500

The Ram 3500's available turbodiesel engine has 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque, and its comfortable interior features an impressively large optional infotainment touchscreen that measures 14.5 inches. The diesel can also tow up to 36,610 pounds when properly equipped, making it incredibly capable.

Starting price: $66,595 (with Cummins diesel option)
Maximum towing capacity: 36,610 pounds
Maximum payload capacity (diesel): 6,050 pounds

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Read our 2025 Ram 3500 review

GMC Sierra 1500 Duramax

For 2026, the only light-duty diesel engine in a pickup is the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six, found under the hood of the GMC Sierra 1500 and its Chevrolet Silverado 1500 cousin. The reason for its continued success is simple — this is a smooth, refined, torquey and efficient engine, producing 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque, and enabling a towing capacity of 13,200 pounds. Its EPA-estimated 29 miles per gallon on the highway is just another benefit.

Starting price (including destination fee): $56,985 (with Duramax diesel and Max Trailering package)
Maximum towing capacity: 13,200 pounds
Maximum payload: 2,240 pounds

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Read our 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 review

How Much Truck Do You Need?

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