What is the towing capacity of a 2026 Subaru Outback?

2,700 lb (1,225 kg) on the Premium, Limited and Touring with the 2.5L engine, and 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) on the Wilderness, Limited XT and Touring XT with the 2.4L turbo. Trailer brakes may be needed.

What is the max towing capacity of the Subaru Outback?

3,500 lb (1,588 kg), on the turbocharged Wilderness, Limited XT and Touring XT, with the Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch rated for it.

What is the towing capacity of the Outback Wilderness?

3,500 lb (1,588 kg), the same as the Limited XT and Touring XT, with a 350 lb tongue rating on the Subaru hitch.

What is the Subaru Outback tongue weight limit?

Subaru rates its accessory hitch at 350 lb (159 kg) tongue weight on the Wilderness and XT trims and 270 lb (122 kg) on the Premium, Limited and Touring.

What is the Subaru Outback trailer hitch rating?

The Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch is a 2 in receiver rated at 3,500 lb and 350 lb tongue weight on the Wilderness and XT trims, and 2,700 lb and 270 lb on the Premium, Limited and Touring. It needs a separate wiring harness.

What is the curb weight and cargo capacity of a 2026 Outback?

Subaru lists base curb weights of 3,741 lb (Premium) to 3,982 lb (Touring XT). Subaru of America prints no payload; Subaru Canada lists 408 kg (about 900 lb) of payload on every Canadian trim. Your door label gives the payload for your car, and a trailer's tongue weight counts against it.

2026 Subaru Outback Towing Capacity Chart, Payload and GCWR

How much can the 2026 Subaru Outback tow?

3,500 lb Max conventional towing (1,588 kg)

Not published Max fifth wheel or gooseneck

Not published Max payload

350 lb Max conventional tongue load (159 kg)

Subaru rates the 2026 Subaru Outback to tow up to 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) on a ball hitch in 3 configurations, for example Wilderness, 2.4L turbo 4-cyl (260 hp), CVT, AWD, with Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 350 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed. Source: Subaru of America, 2026 Outback Compare Specs (trim comparison PDF). The highest conventional tongue load Subaru publishes is 350 lb (159 kg) (Subaru of America, 2026 Outback Accessories brochure, Trailer Hitch, p. 12).

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 Subaru Outback towing capacity chart

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

2026 Subaru Outback: maximum loaded trailer weight by configuration, conventional hitch
Configuration	GCWR	Max trailer	Needs	Source
Premium, 2.5L 4-cyl (180 hp), CVT, AWD	Not published	2,700 lb 1,225 kg	Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 270 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed Base curb weight 3,741 lb	Subaru of America, Compare Specs, Maximum towing capacity
Limited, 2.5L 4-cyl (180 hp), CVT, AWD	Not published	2,700 lb 1,225 kg	Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 270 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed Base curb weight 3,799 lb	Subaru of America, Compare Specs, Maximum towing capacity
Touring, 2.5L 4-cyl (180 hp), CVT, AWD	Not published	2,700 lb 1,225 kg	Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 270 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed Base curb weight 3,812 lb	Subaru of America, Compare Specs, Maximum towing capacity
Wilderness, 2.4L turbo 4-cyl (260 hp), CVT, AWD	Not published	3,500 lb 1,588 kg	Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 350 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed Base curb weight 3,973 lb	Subaru of America, Compare Specs, Maximum towing capacity
Limited XT, 2.4L turbo 4-cyl (260 hp), CVT, AWD	Not published	3,500 lb 1,588 kg	Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 350 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed Base curb weight 3,968 lb	Subaru of America, Compare Specs, Maximum towing capacity
Touring XT, 2.4L turbo 4-cyl (260 hp), CVT, AWD	Not published	3,500 lb 1,588 kg	Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (accessory), rated 350 lb tongue; trailer brakes may be needed Base curb weight 3,982 lb	Subaru of America, Compare Specs, Maximum towing capacity

About the figures.

Subaru Canada's 126 kg Touring tongue limit is about 278 lb, a little above the 270 lb Subaru of America gives for the 2,700 lb hitch rating. Use the figure on your hitch and in your Owner's Manual.

What the Outback needs to tow its rating

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

Subaru: "Maximum towing capacity varies by trim level. Trailer brakes may be needed. See your retailer for details."
The rating follows the engine: 2,700 lb on Premium, Limited and Touring (2.5L), 3,500 lb on Wilderness, Limited XT and Touring XT (2.4L turbo).
The Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch is an accessory: "Heavy-duty 2-inch receiver rated at 3,500 lbs. towing capacity, 350 lbs. tongue weight for the Outback Wilderness and XT trims, and 2,700 lbs. towing capacity, 270 lbs. tongue weight for Premium, Limited and Touring trims."
The hitch "Requires wiring harness (sold separately)"; the harness has a 7/4 pin combo connector and a pigtail for prewired trailer brakes.
Subaru: "Some safety features, including X-MODE®, Blind-Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, may not function properly when towing."
Subaru of America prints no GVWR, GCWR or payload for the 2026 Outback in the documents read. Use the door label. Our guidance, not a rule: the tongue weight and everyone in the car count against that payload.

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 Subaru.

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 Subaru Outback towing capacity in Canada

Differs in trims and rounding. Subaru Canada sells Touring, Limited XT, Wilderness and Premier XT and lists Touring at 1,224 kg with a 126 kg maximum tongue weight, and the three 2.4L turbo trims at 1,588 kg with 159 kg, all with trailer brakes. It lists GVWR 2,280 kg (Touring) or 2,333 kg (turbo trims) and payload 408 kg on every trim. Source: Subaru Canada, 2026 Outback Specifications .

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 Outback

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.

Subaru of America, 2026 Outback Compare Specs (trim comparison PDF): 2026 Outback maximum towing capacity: Premium, Limited, Touring 2,700 pounds; Wilderness, Limited XT, Touring XT 3,500 pounds. Base curb weight: Premium 3,741, Limited 3,799, Touring 3,812, Wilderness 3,973, Limited XT 3,968, Touring XT 3,982 pounds. No GVWR, GCWR or payload printed. Quoted: "Maximum towing capacity varies by trim level. Trailer brakes may be needed. See your retailer for details." Checked 2026-10-24.
Subaru of America, 2026 Outback Accessories brochure, Trailer Hitch, p. 12: The Genuine Subaru Trailer Hitch (L101SAR001) is rated 3,500 lb and 350 lb tongue on the Wilderness and XT trims, and 2,700 lb and 270 lb tongue on Premium, Limited and Touring. It requires a separately sold wiring harness with a 7/4 pin combo connector and a pigtail for prewired trailer brakes. Quoted: "Heavy-duty 2-inch receiver rated at 3,500 lbs. towing capacity, 350 lbs. tongue weight for the Outback Wilderness and XT trims, and 2,700 lbs. towing capacity, 270 lbs. tongue weight for Premium, Limited and Touring trims." Checked 2026-10-24.
Subaru of America, 2026 Subaru Outback brochure, specifications and footnote 1: Towing Capacity: Premium, Limited, Touring 2,700 lbs; Limited XT, Touring XT and Wilderness 3,500 lbs. Trailer brakes may be needed, and some driver aids may not work properly when towing. Quoted: "Trailer brakes may be needed. Some safety features, including X-MODE®, Blind-Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, may not function properly when towing. See your Subaru retailer for details." Checked 2026-10-24.
Subaru Canada, 2026 Outback Specifications: Canadian trims Touring, Limited XT, Wilderness, Premier XT: towing with trailer brakes 1,224 / 1,588 / 1,588 / 1,588 kg; maximum tongue weight 126 / 159 / 159 / 159 kg; curb weight 1,711 / 1,799 / 1,815 / 1,806 kg; GVWR 2,280 / 2,333 / 2,333 / 2,333 kg; payload 408 kg on every trim. Quoted: "Towing capacity (kg): Maximum weight with trailer brakes" Checked 2026-10-24.