We will not bury the answer: the Chevrolet that pulls the most is the Silverado 1500, rated up to 13,300 lb when it is
properly equipped. But the biggest figure on the page is rarely the one you should buy. Around Metro Detroit and Southeast
Michigan a load can be anything, a fishing boat bound for the lakes, a camper headed up north, or a utility trailer you fill
on a Saturday, and Chevy builds something right-sized for each. Below we rank four Chevrolets by what they tow and steer you
to the one that actually matches your trailer, so you pay for the right size rather than whatever sits highest on the spec
sheet. Each one comes with Gordon Chevrolet's
True Advertised Price: Real Prices,
Real Payments, No hidden Fees.
The Chevrolet Towing Lineup at a Glance
Our Best Chevrolet Picks for Towing
Reaching the Max: What “Properly Equipped” Means
Which Chevrolet Should You Tow With?
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chevrolet Towing Lineup at a Glance
The quick view is below. Every figure here is a ceiling for one properly equipped build, not a rating that every trim
carries, and the picks that follow spell out what each one takes to hit.
The everyday family SUV that pulls a small camper or boat
Our Best Chevrolet Picks for Towing
We take all four from the highest tow rating on down. For each we cover what it hauls, the engine that gets it there,
the driver it fits, and the point where another Chevy would treat you better.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (up to 13,300 lb)
Buy the Silverado 1500 when the trailer is genuinely heavy: it tops the lineup at up to 13,300 lb, properly equipped,
though that ceiling is not a given on every truck. It comes off one build in particular: the available 3.0L Duramax
turbo-diesel, putting down 305 hp and 495 lb-ft, set up as a Double Cab with the Max Trailering Package and 20-inch
wheels. If you prefer gas, the 6.2L V8 with its 420 hp reaches the same top of the range. Under all of that sits a deep
bench, the 2.7L TurboMax and the 5.3L V8, plus up to 2,260 lb of available payload for whatever rides in the bed. When
the plan is the family's biggest boat headed north in July or a fully loaded work trailer slogging through a
road-salted Michigan January, this is the truck.
Look elsewhere if: you seldom load anywhere near that ceiling. A full-size Silverado is
the most truck to garage and fuel, so with a lighter trailer the Tahoe or Colorado below will handle it and fit your
day far more easily.
Pick the Tahoe when you have to pull a heavy trailer and seat a crowd on the same trip. Properly equipped it tows up to
8,400 lb, drawing on the 5.3L V8, the 6.2L V8, or the 3.0L Duramax diesel. This is a full-size SUV with room for as
many as 9 and as much as 122.7 cu ft of cargo behind the first row, so the boat rides the hitch while the whole family
and its gear ride inside. It holds a 5-star overall NHTSA rating as of this writing.
Look elsewhere if: your trailers routinely outweigh what any SUV is meant to move. Once
the load turns truly heavy, the Silverado 1500 above carries both the higher ceiling and the payload to back it up.
Reach for the Colorado when you want a real trailer rating without a full-size footprint. In WT, LT, Trail Boss, and
Z71 form it tows up to 7,700 lb, properly equipped, on a 2.7L Turbo four-cylinder that climbs to 310 hp in its
High-Output tune. That is genuine pulling power in a midsize pickup you can park, garage, and drive daily far more
easily than a full-size truck, which makes it a smart match for a mid-size boat or a compact camper.
Look elsewhere if: your trailer sits above the Colorado's ceiling, or you have your eye
on the off-road ZR2, which is rated up to 6,000 lb, properly equipped. For the heaviest loads, move up to the Silverado
1500.
The Traverse is our everyday-family choice that can still tow. Fit the trailering equipment and it carries a standard
5,000-lb rating, plenty for a small camper, a pair of personal watercraft, or a light utility trailer. Power comes from
a 2.5L Turbo four making 328 hp and 326 lb-ft, matched to an 8-speed automatic, with three rows that seat up to 8. As
of this writing it holds a 5-star overall NHTSA rating. Think of it as the SUV that shuttles the family all week and
still tows a modest trailer to the lake come Saturday.
Look elsewhere if: anything genuinely heavy is going on the hitch. The Traverse caps out
at 5,000 lb, so a larger boat or a full-size camper means stepping up to the Tahoe or the Silverado 1500.
Every headline tow figure here belongs to one specific build, not to every trim wearing that badge. Hitting it takes
the right mix of engine, trailering package, cab or body style, and often a particular wheel. The Silverado 1500's
13,300 lb, for instance, comes off the diesel with the Max Trailering Package, never the base setup. Because the number
moves with the engine, the cab, and the equipment actually bolted to the truck in front of you, the only reliable way
to shop is to match a real trailer weight to a real configuration. That is the conversation we would rather have with
you before you buy than after the trailer is already sitting in your driveway.
Which Chevrolet Should You Tow With?
Here is how we would match the truck or SUV to the job:
Heaviest loads: the Silverado 1500, up to 13,300 lb properly equipped, for the biggest
boats, campers, and work trailers.
Tow and carry the family: the Tahoe, up to 8,400 lb properly equipped, when the
trailer is big and the passenger count is high.
A right-sized truck: the Colorado, up to 7,700 lb properly equipped, for a real
trailer rating that is easier to live with than a full-size pickup.
Lighter family towing: the Traverse, 5,000 lb with the trailering gear, for a small
camper or boat behind an everyday three-row SUV.
Trading up for more capability? Pull a real number on your current vehicle first with the
trade tool, and if a used truck fits the plan, browse the
used trucks for sale. Once you know your load, our team will match it to the right build. Reach us through the
contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Silverado 1500 tows the most in the lineup, rated up to 13,300 lb when properly equipped with the available
3.0L Duramax diesel, the full trailering package, and 20-inch wheels.
Yes. The Tahoe handles up to 8,400 lb, properly equipped, which covers most campers and boats, and the Traverse
has a standard towing rating of 5,000 lb with the trailering equipment for lighter loads.
The maximum figure requires a specific build: the right engine, the trailering package, and the correct cab or
body configuration. A base trim without the towing equipment will not reach the top number, so match your
trailer weight to the properly equipped setup.
No. Towing capacity varies by engine, cab, and equipment. On the Colorado, for example, most configurations tow
up to 7,700 lb while the off-road ZR2 is rated up to 6,000 lb, properly equipped, so the specific build
matters.
It depends on the boat's weight. A large boat calls for the Silverado 1500, up to 13,300 lb properly equipped.
A mid-size boat fits the Colorado (up to 7,700 lb, properly equipped) or the Tahoe (up to 8,400 lb, properly
equipped), and a small boat sits comfortably behind the Traverse at its 5,000 lb rating.
For a large travel trailer, choose the Silverado 1500 (up to 13,300 lb, properly equipped) or the Tahoe (up to
8,400 lb, properly equipped). For a smaller camper, the Colorado (up to 7,700 lb, properly equipped) and the
Traverse (5,000 lb) both work. Match the camper's loaded weight to the rating rather than the empty weight on
the brochure.
Not necessarily. The Silverado 1500 reaches its highest rating with the available 3.0L Duramax diesel, but the
6.2L V8 is the alternate route to the top of its range, and the gas engines in the Tahoe, Colorado, and
Traverse all tow without a diesel. The right engine depends on how much weight you pull and how often.
The Colorado tows up to 7,700 lb, properly equipped, in its WT, LT, Trail Boss, and Z71 configurations, powered
by a 2.7L Turbo four-cylinder that makes up to 310 hp in its High-Output tune. The off-road ZR2 is rated up to
6,000 lb, properly equipped.
Towing is the weight you pull behind the vehicle on a trailer, while payload is the weight you carry in the cab
and bed, including passengers and cargo. They are separate ratings: the Silverado 1500, for example, tows up to
13,300 lb and has an available payload of up to 2,260 lb, and each figure is reached by its own specific
configuration.
The Tahoe seats up to 9 and tows up to 8,400 lb, properly equipped, which is why it suits families who need to
pull a trailer and still carry everyone, with up to 122.7 cu ft of maximum cargo room behind the front seats.
