Payload vs. towing capacity

Payload is the combined weight of occupants and cargo your vehicle is rated to carry. It covers the driver, passengers, anything already on board and whatever you load for the trip.

Towing capacity is the weight your vehicle is rated to pull behind it on a trailer. It is a different rating, set by different limits, and it says nothing about how much weight you can put inside the vehicle.

A vehicle advertised as towing several thousand pounds may still have a payload limit of well under a thousand. Using the towing figure when loading bags or pavers can put far more weight in the vehicle than it is rated to carry. Towing also uses part of your payload through the trailer's tongue weight.

LoadCheck uses your payload limit only – the figure from your vehicle's Tire and Loading Information label. It does not calculate towing. Open the calculator.