If you are hoping to tow a trailer, boat, or other fun toys behind your campervan, you need to be mindful of the van towing ratings. But the good news is that most vans are built for doing work! Aside from pick-up trucks, vans usually can tow more than any other type of vehicle.
This post identifies the towing ratings of most popular van models used for campervans. I mostly looked at 2021 van models. But for discontinued vans I looked at the most recent year made. All stats are from Autoblog.com.
Do note payload (weight a vehicle can carry inside) is different from towing rate.
Nissan NV Towing Ratings
The 8-cylinder Nissan NV has the most towing capability of all vans. The V8 Cargo models have a whopping 9,400 lbs towing capacity. But shockingly, the V6 1500 models only have 2,000 lbs towing, which is one of the lowest among modern vans. And the passenger version of the Nissan NV 3500HD V8 has has only 8,700lbs towing.
Also noteworthy is that production of the Nissan NV is being discontinued as of 2021.
Mercedes Benz Sprinter Towing Ratings
The towing ratings for 2021 Mercedes Sprinter Vans are pretty much either 5,000 or 7,500 lbs. The Sprinter 3500, 3500XD, and 4500 all have a towing rating of 7,500 lbs and the 1500 and 2500 are down at 5,000 lbs. Mercedes Benz offers a ton of different model configurations, however, the different options don’t alter the towing ratings. {For example V4 vs V6, length, gas/diesel, roof height, wheelbase, 4×4 vs RWD.}
What is a Dodge Sprinter or Freightliner Sprinter?
RAM Promaster Towing Ratings
The 2021 RAM Promaster van lineup has very respectable towing ratings, and they are practically identical across all models. That is, the 1500, 2500, and 3500 models are all rated around 6,800 lbs towing.
Ford Transit Towing Ratings
The 2021 Ford Transit has towing ratings that range from 4,700 to 6,000 lbs. It has the lowest towing ratings of all the modern euro-style vans (Sprinter, Promaster, NV). Ford changes the towing ratings slightly based on different factors. For example AWD, passenger, extended length, and medium/high roof vans all can change the towing ratings by a couple hundred pounds versus their base counterparts.
Chevrolet Express Van (& GMC Savana) Towing Ratings
The Chevrolet Express Van (and mechanically identical GMC Savana) are the last of the classic American work vans still in production. (Ford and Dodge have each pivoted to a euro-style van). However, with body-on-frame construction borrowed from their pickup lines, the Chevy Express vans are very capable towing machines. The towing ratings range between 6,300 and 7,400 lbs.
What’s the difference between Chevy 1500, 2500, and 3500?
Ford E-Series Towing Ratings
The 2014 Ford E-Series vans (formerly Econoline) have towing ratings between 5,900 lbs and 9,200 lbs. The most powerful ones that carry that insane 9,200-pound rating are the E-350 Super Duty Cargo Vans. While the E-150 Cargo Extended is only rated at 5,900 lbs. The Ford E-Series vans were discontinued in 2015, when they switched over to the Ford Transit.
Dodge Ram Van Towing Ratings
The Dodge Ram Van was last produced in 2003. But even back then, the 2500 and 3500 models carried impressive 8,600 and 8,550-pound ratings (respectively). The Dodge Ram Van 1500 was around 5,950 lbs.
Volkswagen Vanagon
It’s hard to find official towing rating numbers for these classic campervans. And ultimately, they were not really built for towing much at all. But most of the information I found suggests not towing more than around 1,500lbs with a stock engine.
Conclusion | Van Towing Ratings
If you are looking to haul a trailer, boat, motorcycle, or other toys, a campervan is one of the best vehicles for the job. Most vans are designed to do some serious work, but they are not all created equal. There really is quite a large range between brands, and even within one specific make and model.
After pouring over an endless amount of van models and configurations I was hoping to find some overarching trends for van towing ratings. Here are some good general rules of thumb.
The more heavy duty models (i.e. 2500, 3500) tend to have the highest towing ratings. But each brand seems to have their own quirks when it comes to their towing ratings. For instance, length, roof height, drivetrain may all have different effects on the overall towing ratings depending on the brand.
Towing ratings generally increase over time, no matter the brand. As technology improves, the amount of weight that vans can safely tow goes up. Ratings may stagnate for a couple years here and there, but in the long run, the trend is always up.
If you know how much weight you need to tow, then that helps narrow down your options. While van towing is not always the first thing on a buyer’s mind, it may inform your decision when choosing a van for a campervan conversion.