Towing capacity table for passenger cars: top SUVs and cars with high tractive power at a glance

If you are looking for a car that you can use to tow large loads such as a caravan, a horse trailer or a boat, then it is not easy to find the right vehicle. In addition, you often ask yourself: What is called a towing capacity? And how is the towing capacity calculated? We have answers and suitable vehicles!

If you want to drive to Switzerland, pay attention to the weight of the vehicle, the toll in Switzerland will be calculated accordingly.

It doesn't always have to be a new car, you can also pull high loads with a good used car.

Buying a used car

Towing capacity table for passenger cars: Powerful SUVs

Depending on your individual requirements, you need more or less towing capacity. Not every car is capable of towing a weight of up to 3.5 tons - that's how much you can take on the hook with a class BE driver's license. If you often have to pull heavy loads, you need a car that is durable, strong and reliable. That's why the choice will probably often fall on an SUV. By the way: An SUV has a rather poor drag coefficient, which does not affect the towing capacity but has an effect on fuel consumption.

Other types of vehicles could also fit, but they should be able to tow at least 2 tons.

We have listed vehicles with towing capacities of 3.5 to 2 tonnes for you below, which are also available at Carwow.

Which car has 3,500 kg towing capacity?

These are primarily large SUVs – the largest and most powerful among them. Examples would be the VW Touareg or the Land Rover Defender, but there are a few more models. These vehicles are particularly suitable for towing horse trailers, boats or caravans, for example. By the way, pick-ups are a strong alternative, which can have a large open loading area in addition to their high towing capacity.

SUVs and other vehicles with a towing capacity of 2,500 – 3,000 kg

If you want to tow 2.5 to 3 tons with your vehicle, then usually only an SUV remains. Here, for example, it is the VW Tiguan, the Hyundai Santa Fe or the KIA Sorento that have the necessary towing capacity. A rare specimen outside the SUV fraction is the Audi A6 allroad quattro, which can also tow 2,500 kilograms as a station wagon. A few vans or vans are also able to pull this load.

Cars with a towing capacity of 2,000 – 2,500 kg?

If you want your vehicle to have a maximum towing capacity of 2.5 tonnes, then you have much more choice. They are still mainly SUVs, but you can get good trucks relatively cheaply and a few station wagons and limousines are also included.

Cheap cars with a high towing capacity: the top 10

If you want a high towing capacity, then you don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money on the right car. There are also cheap cars with a high towing capacity. We can recommend the following models:

What is called a towing capacity?

The towing capacity is only the load actually towed, i.e. the weight of the towed trailer.

Read the permissible total weight and towing capacity in the vehicle registration document

If you want to know how high the permissible total weight of your vehicle and how high the towing capacity is, you can read this in the registration certificate Part I. Number O.1 lists the technically permissible towing capacity braked in kg. Under number O.2, the technically permissible towing capacity without braking is noted in kg. If you still have an old vehicle registration document, you can find the information under numbers 28 and 29.

The information on the permissible total weight can be found in box F.2 (under number 15 of the old vehicle registration document). In the case of vehicle combinations, the values of the tractor and trailer are added together.

Towing capacity: Braked or unbraked – meaning and differences

If you look at the technical data of the vehicles, you will always find two specifications for the towing capacity: braked and unbraked. An unbraked trailer does not have its own brake and may not exceed a total weight of 750 kilograms in Germany. That's why unbraked trailers are also called "light trailers" - these are often trailers that you can borrow from the hardware store or use to drive the leaves away from the garden.

Do you want to carry a braked trailer? Such a trailer has an overrun brake and may therefore be heavier. The total weight can be up to 3.5 tons - so you can still get it with a class BE driver's license. If you don't think a trailer is the best of the best, a roof box may be an option.

How to calculate towing capacity

You only have to calculate the towing capacity if you have retrofitted a towbar. To know what you are allowed to tow with your car, you should knowthe following terms:

D-value: The D-value is relevant if you retrofit a trailer hitch. This specifies how strong the forces may be that act on the trailer hitch by the car and trailer. D stands for fatigue strength – this value is usually found on the nameplate of the trailer hitch.

Towing capacity: This value indicates the weight a car is allowed to pull in a combination.

Weight: The permissible total weight (GVW) is the maximum weight that a vehicle, including trailer and payload, may have.

Formula for calculating towing capacity:

(D-value x total weight) / (total weight x 9.81 – D-value)

For a better illustration, here is a concrete example for you: If the D-value is 7.36 kN and the total weight of the vehicle is 3,000 kilograms, then the towing capacity is calculated as follows:

(7.36 x 3000) / (3000 x 9.81 – 7.36) = 1,000 kg towing capacity

How can the towing capacity be increased?

Increasing the towing capacity is called an increase in load and is only possible under certain circumstances. To do this, the vehicle must be converted accordingly and approved by an approved expert from the TÜV. However, the increase in load usually only slightly increases the towing capacity and costs between 400 and 5,000 euros, depending on the vehicle.

The following requirements are necessary to increase the towing capacity:

• Maximum drivable gradient is set at 8 percent
• Frequent continuous brake system necessary
• Total train weight must not be exceeded under any circumstances
• Fatigue strength of a trailer coupling must be high enough – usually conversion necessary

Which SUV has the highest towing capacity?

The SUVs with the highest towing capacity include the BMW X5, the Mercedes GLE and most Land Rover models. Overall, it is luxury SUVs that are able to pull such high weights.

What is the heaviest SUV?

The heaviest SUVs include the following models:

• Range Rover P510e – 2,810 kilograms
• Mercedes Maybach GLS 600 4Matic – 2,785 kilograms
• BMW XM – 2,785 kilograms
• Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge – 2,753 kilograms
• Audi e-tron S – 2,730 kilograms

If the vehicle itself is already very heavy, there may be problems with trailer operation. This is because the permissible total weight may quickly be exceeded. The towing capacity of a passenger car must not be higher than the permissible total mass of the vehicle. Just because the total mass is 3.5 tons, for example, does not mean that your car can pull 3.5 tons behind it. That depends entirely on the model and the engine.

In addition, the permissible total weight of the car must always be higher than the towed towing capacity.

Welchen Anhänger darf ich mit welchem Führerschein fahren?

Wer einen Anhänger ziehen möchte, braucht einen Führerschein mit der Klasse B, (Schlüsselziffer 96) oder BE.

Wenn du in Besitz eines Führerscheins der Klasse B bist, dann darfst du Anhänger bis maximal 750 kg zulässiger Gesamtmasse ziehen. Mehr als 750 kg Gesamtmasse sind nur erlaubt, wenn die Gesamtmasse von Zugfahrzeug und Anhänger nicht höher als 3,5 Tonnen ist.

Hast du einen Führerschein der Klasse BE oder die Schlüsselziffer 96 im Führerschein, dann darfst du Anhänger mit einer zulässigen Gesamtmasse von 3,5 Tonnen bewegen. Die Zugkombinationen dürfen nicht mehr als 4,25 Tonnen wiegen.