2026 Honda Pilot towing capacity

US & Canada

Every rating Honda publishes for the 2026 Pilot, read from Honda's own documents, in pounds and kilograms.

How much can the 2026 Honda Pilot tow?

5,000 lb Max conventional towing (2,268 kg)

Not published Max fifth wheel or gooseneck

1,340 lb Max payload (608 kg)

500 lb Max conventional tongue load (227 kg)

Honda rates the 2026 Honda Pilot to tow up to 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) on a ball hitch in one configuration: Pilot AWD, 3.5L V6 (Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, Elite, Black Edition), at 10,141 lb GCWR, with accessory towing equipment (TrailSport has a standard hitch receiver). Source: Honda, 2026 Pilot Owner's Manual, Towing Preparation. Maximum payload is 1,340 lb (608 kg) (Honda, 2026 Pilot Owner's Manual, Maximum Load Limit). The highest conventional tongue load Honda publishes is 500 lb (227 kg) (Honda, 2026 Pilot Owner's Manual, Towing Preparation).

A maximum is one truck, not yours. The rating that applies is the one for your exact cab, bed, engine, drive, axle and packages, and it is printed on the labels in the driver's door opening. Find your row in the table below, then check payload and GCWR as well: a truck often runs out of payload before it reaches its tow rating.

2026 Honda Pilot towing capacity chart

Conventional (ball hitch) ratings, one row per configuration Honda prints, grouped where the guide repeats a figure. Pounds are Honda's figures; kilograms are converted from them.

2026 Honda Pilot: maximum loaded trailer weight by configuration, conventional hitch
Configuration	GCWR	Max trailer	Needs	Source
Pilot 2WD, 3.5L V6 (Sport, EX-L)	8,444 lb 3,830 kg	3,500 lb 1,588 kg	accessory towing equipment Limit with 2 occupants. Trims offered in 2WD per Honda's 2026 spec sheet.	Honda, Towing Preparation, Towing Load Limits
Pilot AWD, 3.5L V6 (Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, Elite, Black Edition)	10,141 lb 4,600 kg	5,000 lb 2,268 kg	accessory towing equipment (TrailSport has a standard hitch receiver) Limit with 2 occupants. Trims per Honda's 2026 spec sheet.	Honda, Towing Preparation, Towing Load Limits

About the figures.

Honda's spec sheet prints no payload for the Pilot. The payload figure here is the owner's manual "maximum load" (occupants, cargo, accessories and tongue load): 1,340 lb for models with a second-row bench and 1,173 lb for models with second-row captain's chairs. Your door label gives the figure for your vehicle.

On the hondanews.com spec sheet the towing rows point to footnote 5, but the towing text is printed as footnote 6. The figures match the owner's manual.

What the Pilot needs to tow its rating

These come from Honda's own documents, cited in the sources below.

Honda: "Maximum towing capacity for AWD trims is 5,000 lbs. Maximum towing capacity for 2WD trims is 3,500 lbs. Towing requires accessory towing equipment."
Those limits assume 2 occupants. The owner's manual steps them down as seats fill (150 lb per occupant plus 17.6 lb of cargo each). AWD: 5,000, 4,750, 4,500, 4,250, 4,000 and 2,500 lb for 2 to 7 occupants. 2WD: 3,500, 3,250, 3,000, 2,750, 2,400 and 1,150 lb. With 8 occupants: "Towing not recommended".
Tongue load limit with 2 occupants is 500 lb (AWD) and 350 lb (2WD), falling to 125 lb and 115 lb with 7. Honda wants 10 to 15% of trailer weight on the tongue (5 to 15% for boat trailers).
Only TrailSport lists a "Standard Trailer Hitch Receiver with Rear Recovery Point (without Connector or Ball)"; the manual calls it "a class 3 trailer hitch as standard equipment" on models with a hitch.
Honda: "Your vehicle is designed to tow without the need for a load distributing hitch."
Trailer brakes are "Recommended for any trailer with a total weight of 1,000 lbs (450 kg) or more"; a 4-pin gray connector under the dash is pre-wired for most electric brake controllers.
Owner's manual: "Operating speed when towing a trailer must not exceed 62 mph (100 km/h)."

Payload, tongue weight and GCWR: the limits you hit first

Our guidance, not a rule. This is how the ratings above fit together, not a figure from Honda.

The tow rating is only one of five limits. The trailer's tongue weight sits on the truck, so it comes out of payload along with every passenger and everything in the bed, and it loads the rear axle. The truck and trailer together must stay under GCWR. A truck with a big crew and a full bed can reach its payload or GCWR with a trailer well under its tow rating. Run your own numbers in Can I tow this?, which checks all three at once and names the one you hit first, or work through them one at a time with the payload calculator and the tongue weight calculator.

2026 Honda Pilot towing capacity in Canada

Honda Canada's 2026 Pilot spec sheet lists Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring and Black Edition, all with i-VTM4 AWD and all rated 2,268 kg, "with the required accessory towing package". It shows no 2WD Pilot, and its GVWR is 2,810 kg. The owner's manual gives a Canadian GCWR of 4,600 kg. Source: Honda Canada, 2026 Pilot Specifications (PDF) ; Honda, 2026 Pilot Owner's Manual, Towing Preparation .

On a Canadian truck the certification label gives GVWR in kilograms, labelled both GVWR and PNBV (Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1038), s. 6(1)(e)(i)). The figures to trust are the ones on your own door opening.

Check your own Pilot

Towing capacity by VIN: what a VIN decode tells you, and where your real rating is printed.
Can I tow this?: payload, tongue weight and GCWR checked together for your truck and trailer.
Payload calculator: what is left on your sticker after people, gear and the tongue.
Tongue weight calculator: the target tongue weight for your trailer.
Hitch class finder: which receiver class covers your trailer and tongue weight.
Towing capacity by vehicle: every truck and SUV we have a page for.

Sources

Every document below was opened and read on the date shown. Ratings are the maker's; we have not tested them.

Honda (hondanews.com), 2026 Honda Pilot Specifications & Features: 2026 Pilot towing is 5,000 lb AWD (all six trims) and 3,500 lb 2WD (Sport and EX-L only); curb weight 4,336 / 4,334 lb (2WD Sport / EX-L) and 4,513 to 4,722 lb (AWD); TrailSport alone has a standard trailer hitch receiver. No payload is printed. Quoted: "[6] Maximum towing capacity for AWD trims is 5,000 lbs. Maximum towing capacity for 2WD trims is 3,500 lbs. Towing requires accessory towing equipment. Please see your Honda dealer for details." Checked 2026-10-24.
Honda, 2026 Pilot Owner's Manual, Towing Preparation: Trailer weight and tongue load limits by occupant count (AWD 5,000 lb and 500 lb, 2WD 3,500 lb and 350 lb with 2 occupants); GVWR 5,963 lb (2WD) and 6,195 lb (AWD); GCWR 8,444 lb (2WD) and 10,141 lb (AWD); class 3 hitch on models with a trailer hitch; no load distributing hitch needed; trailer brakes recommended at 1,000 lb. Quoted: "Number of occupants | AWD models | 2WD models: 2 | 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) | 3,500 lbs (1,588 kg) ... 8* | Towing not recommended" Checked 2026-10-24.
Honda, 2026 Pilot Owner's Manual, Maximum Load Limit: The Pilot's maximum load (occupants, cargo, accessories and tongue load) is 1,340 lb with a second-row bench and 1,173 lb with second-row captain's chairs. Quoted: "Second row captain seat models The maximum load for your vehicle is 1,173 lbs (532 kg). Second row bench seat models The maximum load for your vehicle is 1,340 lbs (608 kg)." Checked 2026-10-24.
Honda Canada, 2026 Pilot Specifications (PDF): Canadian 2026 Pilot Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring and Black Edition are all i-VTM4 AWD, each rated 2,268 kg towing with a 2,810 kg GVWR. Quoted: "32. Maximum towing capacity with the required accessory towing package. Packages are available at an additional cost as a dealer-installed item. See your owner's manual for proper towing operation." Checked 2026-10-24.

Common questions

What is the towing capacity of the 2026 Honda Pilot?

5,000 lb with AWD and 3,500 lb with 2WD. That AWD figure covers every trim from Sport to Black Edition; only Sport and EX-L come in 2WD. Honda says towing needs accessory towing equipment, and both figures assume only 2 people aboard.

What is the Honda Pilot max towing capacity with a full family aboard?

Per the owner's manual, an AWD Pilot drops to 4,500 lb with 4 occupants, 4,000 lb with 6 and 2,500 lb with 7. A 2WD Pilot drops to 3,000, 2,400 and 1,150 lb. Honda does not recommend towing with 8 aboard.

What is the Honda Pilot payload capacity?

Honda's owner's manual gives a maximum load of 1,340 lb for models with a second-row bench and 1,173 lb for models with second-row captain's chairs. That covers people, cargo, accessories and trailer tongue load. The door label on your Pilot gives the exact figure.

What is the Honda Pilot tongue weight limit and hitch rating?

Tongue load limit is 500 lb on AWD models and 350 lb on 2WD with 2 occupants, falling as seats fill (to 125 lb and 115 lb with 7). TrailSport comes with a class 3 hitch receiver; on other trims the hitch is an accessory.

What are the Pilot GVWR, GCWR and curb weight?

Owner's manual: GVWR 5,963 lb (2WD) and 6,195 lb (AWD), GCWR 8,444 lb (2WD) and 10,141 lb (AWD). The spec sheet lists curb weight from 4,334 lb (EX-L 2WD) to 4,722 lb (TrailSport). Your door label has the GVWR for your Pilot.

Does the Honda Pilot need a trailer brake controller?

Honda recommends trailer brakes for any trailer of 1,000 lb or more. The Pilot has a 4-pin gray connector under the dashboard, near the driver's side fuse box, wired for most electric brake controllers. Have a qualified mechanic install the controller.