Towing Capacity by VIN

US & Canada

Decode your VIN for free, see exactly what it holds, and find the tow rating where it actually lives.

Decode your VIN

On the dash at the base of the windshield, driver's side, and on the label in the driver's door opening. Letters I, O and Q are never used.

Your VIN goes from your browser straight to NHTSA's free vPIC decoder. TowRated does not receive or store it.

Tow rating in a VIN

Not in iton any vehicle, any brand

A VIN identifies the build. The tow rating depends on options a VIN does not encode, such as axle ratio and the tow package.

Next: read your door sticker and towing guide

Where the real numbers are

  • GVWR and axle ratings: the certification label in the driver's door opening. See how to read your door sticker.
  • Payload: the yellow Tire and Loading Information placard on the same pillar.
  • Tow rating and GCWR: the manufacturer's towing guide for your model year, or the towing section of the owner's manual.
  • Then check the whole rig: Can I tow this? runs payload, tongue weight and GCWR together.

The short answer: the tow rating is not in your VIN

A VIN is a 17-character identity code, and the law says exactly what it has to carry. For a truck that is "Truck: Make, model or line, series, chassis, cab type, engine type, brake system, gross vehicle weight rating, and for trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4536 kg (10,000 lb) or less all restraint devices and their location." (49 CFR 565.15(b), Table I). Gross vehicle weight rating is on the list. Towing capacity is not, and neither is GCWR, payload or axle ratio. Canada's list for a truck, in Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038), Schedule IV, s. 115, is the same.

That is why NHTSA's decoder, which is built from what manufacturers file under those rules, comes back with a GVWR class and nothing about towing. NHTSA describes its own data this way: "The vPIC Dataset is populated using the information submitted by the Motor Vehicle manufacturers through the 565 submittals." (NHTSA, Product Information Catalog Vehicle Listing (vPIC) API)

Any site that hands you a tow rating "by VIN" has decoded the model and then picked a number for a configuration it is guessing at. The same half-ton pickup can carry very different ratings depending on engine, axle ratio, cab, bed and tow package, and the VIN does not pin all of those down.

What a VIN decode actually returns

We ran 14 real VINs through NHTSA's decoder on 2026-10-24: a 2013 Ford F-150, two Ram 1500s, two Ram 2500s, two Toyota Tundras, two Silverado 1500s, two Silverado 2500HDs and three Canadian-built Toyota RAV4s. Five of the fourteen were assembled in Ontario. This is what came back.

What NHTSA vPIC returned across 14 test decodes
Field Filled What it means
Year, make, model 14 of 14 The reliable part of any decode.
Body, drive, engine size, fuel 14 of 14 Trim was blank on two.
Assembly plant 14 of 14 Five of the fourteen were built in Ontario.
GVWR 14 of 14, as a class A 1,000 lb or 4,000 lb band. The 2013 Tundra came back only as Class 2, a 4,000 lb band.
Curb weight 10 of 14 Empty for the F-150, the 2013 Tundra and both Silverado HDs. Where it was filled, it was a figure for the VIN pattern, not the truck.
GCWR 0 of 14 The field exists and was empty every time.
Towing capacity, payload, axle ratio, hitch rating Not a field There is nowhere in a decode for these numbers to go.
Trailer type, length, axles Not applicable These fill in for a trailer's own VIN, not for the truck.

The curb weight result is the one to be careful with. Both 2026 Ram 2500 Big Horn crew cabs we decoded, one with the 6.4 L gas engine and one with the 6.7 L diesel, came back at 7,680 lb. Two 2023 Silverado 1500 5.3 L crew cabs built in different plants both came back at 5,760 lb. A decoded curb weight belongs to the VIN pattern, not to the vehicle in front of you (NHTSA vPIC decodes of two 2026 Ram 2500 Big Horn crew cab 4x4 VINs). So a decoded curb weight is a starting point at best, and payload worked out from it will be wrong.

NHTSA's own wording for a blank field: "Any missing decoded values should be interpreted as NHTSA does not have data on the specific variable." A blank GCWR does not mean your truck has none, it means the number was never in the data.

GVWR classes: what "Class 2F" means

The one weight figure a decode does give you is a class. Manufacturers report GVWR to NHTSA in these bands, set in 49 CFR 565.15(b), Table II, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Classes. Your truck's exact GVWR sits somewhere inside its band, and the door label gives the figure.

GVWR classes from 49 CFR 565.15(b), Table II, as vPIC labels them
Class GVWR, pounds GVWR, kilograms Seen in our test
1A 3,000 lb or less 1,360 kg or less
1B 3,001 to 4,000 lb over 1,360 to 1,814 kg
1C 4,001 to 5,000 lb over 1,814 to 2,268 kg All three RAV4s
1D 5,001 to 6,000 lb over 2,268 to 2,722 kg
2E 6,001 to 7,000 lb over 2,722 to 3,175 kg
2F 7,001 to 8,000 lb over 3,175 to 3,629 kg F-150, Ram 1500, 2026 Tundra, Silverado 1500
2G 8,001 to 9,000 lb over 3,629 to 4,082 kg
2H 9,001 to 10,000 lb over 4,082 to 4,536 kg Ram 2500, 6.4 L gas
3 10,001 to 14,000 lb over 4,536 to 6,350 kg Ram 2500 diesel, Silverado 2500HD
4 14,001 to 16,000 lb over 6,350 to 7,257 kg
5 16,001 to 19,500 lb over 7,257 to 8,845 kg
6 19,501 to 26,000 lb over 8,845 to 11,793 kg
7 26,001 to 33,000 lb over 11,793 to 14,968 kg
8 33,001 lb and over over 14,968 kg

The regulation lists the light classes as A to H. vPIC prints A to D as 1A to 1D and E to H as 2E to 2H, which is the form you will see in a decode. 49 CFR 565.15(b), Table II, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Classes: "In submitting the required information to NHTSA relating gross vehicle weight rating, the designations in Table II shall be used. The use of these designations within the VIN itself is not required."

How to find your actual tow rating

Four places, in the order to check them:

  1. The certification label in the driver's door opening: GVWR and the front and rear GAWR, the exact figures, not a class. 49 CFR 571.3, Definitions defines GVWR as the manufacturer's loaded weight for the vehicle. On a Canadian vehicle the same label gives GVWR in kilograms beside the French abbreviation PNBV, as Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038), s. 6(1)(e)(i) requires.
  2. The Tire and Loading Information placard, usually right beside it on the B-pillar. On vehicles up to 10,000 lb GVWR it states, in these words, "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX pounds", with your truck's payload filled in. It is often the limit people hit first.
  3. The manufacturer's towing guide for your model year, or the towing section of the owner's manual. Find your row by cab, bed, engine, drive and axle ratio. That row gives the tow rating and GCWR. The test standard behind published tow ratings is SAE J2807.
  4. The original window sticker, if you have it or can get it from the maker or dealer. It can show the factory options a towing guide row depends on, such as the axle ratio and a tow package, when you are not sure which row is yours.

Then put the numbers into Can I tow this?, which checks payload, tongue weight and GCWR together and tells you which one runs out first. Often it is payload, well before the tow rating.

Towing capacity by serial number, plate or brand

Serial number. The serial is the last six characters of the VIN, positions 12 to 17 (49 CFR 565.15(d)). It identifies one vehicle and describes nothing about it, so it cannot give a tow rating either.

Licence plate. A plate belongs to the registration, not the vehicle, and plate records are held by the province or state, not published. Your registration or insurance papers show the VIN, and from there the steps above apply.

Ford, Chevy, Ram, Toyota, Jeep. The VIN rules do not change by brand. In our test the Ford, Ram, Chevrolet and Toyota decodes looked the same: a GVWR class, an empty GCWR, no tow rating.

Weight plates and labels. The truck's door labels and the plate on a trailer carry the real ratings. See how to read your door sticker.

Checking a VIN by hand

A VIN is always 17 characters, drawn from the digits and every capital letter except I, O and Q, so they cannot be misread as 1 and 0 (49 CFR 565.13(b) and (g)). Position 9 is a check digit: each character gets a value (Table III) and a position weight (Table IV), the products are summed and divided by 11, and the remainder is the digit, with 10 written as X. The decoder above does this before it sends anything, and tells you if the digit does not match, which almost always means a typo.

Sources

Regulations are amended and vPIC data is updated. The rules above were read at source on 2026-10-24, and the test decodes were run the same day.

Common questions

How much can my truck tow by VIN?
A VIN cannot tell you. Federal rules list what a truck VIN must encode: "Truck: Make, model or line, series, chassis, cab type, engine type, brake system, gross vehicle weight rating, and for trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4536 kg (10,000 lb) or less all restraint devices and their location." GVWR is there. Towing capacity is not, and neither is GCWR, payload or axle ratio. Decode the VIN to confirm the year, model, engine and drive, then read the tow rating for that exact build from the manufacturer's towing guide or your owner's manual, and check it against your loaded truck on Can I tow this?
Is there a free towing capacity lookup by VIN?
The decode is free: the decoder on this page uses NHTSA's own vPIC service and costs nothing. A free or paid site that promises your tow rating "by VIN" is looking up your model and guessing the configuration, because the rating is not in the number. Trim, axle ratio and the tow package change the rating, and two trucks whose VINs differ by a character or two can carry different ratings.
Can I look up towing capacity by VIN for a Ford, Chevy, Ram, Toyota or Jeep?
Same answer for every brand, because the VIN rules are the same for every manufacturer selling in the US and Canada. In our test decodes the Ford, Ram, Chevrolet and Toyota trucks all returned a GVWR class and an empty GCWR, and none returned a tow rating. Use the VIN to identify the build, then that maker's towing guide for the model year.
Can I find GVWR by VIN?
Only as a class. A decode reports a band such as Class 2F, which is 7,001 to 8,000 lb. Your truck's exact GVWR is on the certification label in the driver's door opening, in pounds and, on a Canadian vehicle, also in kilograms under the French abbreviation PNBV.
Can I find GCWR by VIN?
No. vPIC has a GCWR field, and it came back empty on all 14 trucks and SUVs we decoded, Ford and Ram included. GCWR is a manufacturer figure printed in the towing guide for each engine and axle ratio. It is not defined in the federal definitions at all, which is explained on GVWR, GCWR and GAWR explained.
Can I find curb weight by VIN?
Sometimes, but do not plan with it. A curb weight came back on 10 of our 14 decodes, and it is a figure for the whole VIN pattern. Two 2026 Ram 2500s, one gas and one diesel, both came back at 7,680 lb, and those trucks do not weigh the same. Options, the bed, a cap and a full tank all add up. A weigh scale gives the real number.
Can I find payload capacity by VIN?
No. Payload is not encoded in a VIN and is not a field in a vPIC decode. On vehicles up to 10,000 lb GVWR it is printed on the Tire and Loading Information placard on the driver's door pillar, worded "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX pounds", with your truck's figure filled in. That number is for your truck as built, options included, which is exactly why it cannot come from a VIN pattern.
Can I find tongue weight, hitch rating or fifth wheel capacity by VIN?
No. None of these is encoded. Check the rating marked on your hitch receiver, and the towing guide, which lists fifth wheel and gooseneck ratings separately from conventional towing where they differ. The tongue weight calculator works out what your trailer will put on the hitch.
Can I look up a travel trailer's specs by VIN?
Partly. A trailer VIN must encode its "make, type of trailer, body type, length and axle configuration", so a decode can confirm the length and number of axles. It does not encode the trailer's GVWR or empty weight. Those are on the trailer's own compliance label; in Canada it reads PNBV beside GVWR.
What is the serial number on a VIN?
Usually the last six characters, positions 12 to 17, which the manufacturer assigns in sequence as vehicles are built. Position 10 is the model year and position 11 the plant. "Towing capacity by serial number" runs into the same wall as by VIN: the serial identifies one vehicle, it does not describe what it can tow.
Can I look up towing capacity or a VIN by licence plate?
Not here. A plate is a registration record kept by your province or state, not something a vehicle is built with, and those records are not published. If you own the vehicle, your registration or insurance papers show the VIN, and so does the base of the windshield on the driver's side and the label in the driver's door opening. Then you are back to the same answer: the VIN identifies the build, the sticker and towing guide give the numbers.
Why does the decoder say my check digit is wrong?
Position 9 is a check digit worked out from the other 16 characters, so a single typo almost always breaks it. Recheck the VIN against the windshield plate. If it really does not match, NHTSA's decoder will usually still decode it and say so, as it does for the 2013 F-150 VIN that is widely used as an example: its position 9 should be 9 and is 5.
Does a Canadian VIN work?
Yes. Canada uses the same 17-character VIN and the same check digit under Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038), Schedule IV, s. 115, and it requires the same information for a truck: GVWR, no towing capacity. A VIN starting with 2 was assembled in Canada; five of our test vehicles were, in Oshawa and Woodstock, Ontario, and they decoded exactly like the American-built trucks.