Breaking Down the 2020 Toyota Tacoma's Towing Capacities

The Toyota Tacoma is the leader in mid-size pickup truck sales and is widely known for its off-road capability and long-term reliability. When it comes to towing, the Tacoma is still a capable truck with capacities ranging from 3,500 pounds to 6,800 pounds. For 2020, the Tacoma’s trailer ratings are unchanged from 2019.

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When it comes to the Tacoma, Toyota does things in twos: There are two transmission options, a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual; two engine options, 2.7-liter four-cylinder or 3.5-liter V-6; two cab configurations, the Access Cab or double cab; and two bed lengths, a 5-foot short bed or 6-foot long bed. All Access-Cab configurations use the 6-foot-long bed, while the double cab can be had with either the short bed or the long bed depending on trim.

What’s the 2020 Toyota Tacoma’s Maximum Towing Capacity?

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma’s maximum towing capacity is 6,800 pounds, which is the second lowest maximum towing capacity in its class, beating the only Nissan Frontier. The configuration required to reach the max tow rating is the two-wheel-drive Access Cab with the V-6 and automatic transmission. This configuration can be had in the SR, SR5 and TRD Sport trims.

What’s the 2020 Toyota Tacoma’s Minimum Towing Capacity?

There are three different configurations each in the SR and SR5 trim levels that net the Tacoma’s lowest towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. The configurations are the 2WD Access Cab with the four-cylinder and automatic transmission, the four-wheel-drive Access Cab with the four-cylinder automatic and the 2WD double cab four-cylinder auto with the 5-foot bed.

Maximum Towing Capacity by Engine

2.7-Liter Four-Cylinder (159 horsepower, 180 pounds-feet of torque)

The 2.7-liter inline four-cylinder is only available with a six-speed automatic transmission. The maximum towing capacity of the four-cylinder is also the minimum for all Tacomas at 3,500 pounds and is available in three configurations: The 2WD Access Cab with the four-cylinder and automatic transmission, the 4WD Access Cab with the four-cylinder automatic and the 2WD double-cab four-cylinder auto with the 5-foot bed.

3.5-Liter V-6 (278 hp, 265 pounds-feet of torque)

Toyota’s 3.5-liter V-6 nearly doubles the towing capacity of the four-cylinder with a maximum rating of 6,800 pounds. This maximum rating is in the 2WD Access Cab with the automatic transmission and is available in the SR, SR5 and TRD Sport. The second highest rating for the V-6 is 6,700 pounds in the 2WD double-cab auto with the 5-foot bed for the SR5, TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road. The third highest tow rating for the V-6 is 6,600 pounds in double-cab configuration and three different trim levels: the 2WD Limited auto with the 5-foot bed, and the 2WD TRD Sport and SR5 auto with the 6-foot bed.

Maximum Towing Capacity by Cab

Access Cab

There are three maximum tow ratings for the Tacoma Access Cab: 6,800, 6,500 and 3,500 pounds. All Access Cabs come with the 6-foot bed. The 6,800-pound rating is available in the 2WD V-6 auto in the SR, SR5 and TRD Sport trim levels. The second highest rating of 6,500 pounds in the Access Cab can be had with all 4WD V-6 configurations. For the automatic transmissions, this includes the SR, SR5, TRD Sport and the TRD Off-Road. For the Tacoma’s manual transmission, the only 6,500-pound option is the TRD Sport. The lowest tow rating of 3,500 pounds for the Access Cab comes with the 2WD and 4WD four-cylinders in the SR and SR5 trims.

Double Cab

Double-cab Tacomas have three maximum towing capacities: 6,700, 6,600 and 6,400 pounds. The 2WD V-6 auto with the short bed achieves the 6,700-pound rating in the SR5, TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road. The second highest rating of 6,600 pounds is achieved in the 2WD V-6 auto with the short bed in the Limited or the 2WD V-6 auto 6-foot bed in the TRD Sport or SR5. The third highest rating of 6,400 pounds is for all 4WD double cabs. This includes both manual and automatic transmissions and both the 5- and 6-foot beds. All six trim levels available in the Tacoma have a 6,400-pound tow rating in the 4WD double-cab V-6 auto with the short bed. The manual transmission in this same configuration is available in the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro trims. The long bed is only available with the automatic transmission in the SR5, TRD Sport or TRD Off-Road.

TRD Pro

The TRD Pro is only available in one configuration, the 4WD double-cab V-6 short bed with the auto or manual transmission. The maximum tow rating for this configuration is 6,400 pounds for both transmissions.

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