How do I find out how much my car can tow?
Your car's towing capacity is set by the manufacturer and can be found on official documentation — it's not something you can safely estimate just by looking at the size of the vehicle.
Where to find the figures:
- Owner's manual — usually gives both braked and unbraked towing limits
- VIN plate or compliance plate — often shows maximum towing weight alongside other weight limits, usually in the engine bay or door frame
- Manufacturer's official specification sheet — gives the most detailed breakdown, sometimes varying by engine or gearbox option within the same model
A few things to check alongside the headline figure:
- Braked vs unbraked capacity — trailers with their own brakes (braked) can usually be towed at a much higher weight than trailers without (unbraked), so make sure you're checking the right figure for your setup
- Noseweight limit — the maximum downward weight the trailer's hitch can put on the tow ball, which is separate from the overall towing capacity
- Licence category — depending on when you passed your driving test and the combined weight of car and trailer, you may need a specific towing entitlement on your licence to tow legally
Towing capacity can also vary between different versions of the same model — for example, an automatic gearbox variant may have a different limit to a manual — so it's worth confirming the figure for your exact car rather than relying on a general model spec found online.