2026 Volvo XC90 towing capacity

US & Canada

Every rating Volvo publishes for the 2026 XC90, read from Volvo's own documents, in pounds and kilograms.

How much can the 2026 Volvo XC90 tow?

5,000 lb Max conventional towing (2,268 kg)
Not published Max fifth wheel or gooseneck
1,160 lb Max payload (526 kg)
500 lb Max conventional tongue load (227 kg)

Volvo rates the 2026 Volvo XC90 to tow up to 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) on a ball hitch in 2 configurations, for example XC90 B5 AWD and B6 AWD mild hybrid, braked trailer, with Towbar and a trailer with its own brakes. Source: Volvo Car USA, XC90 2026 (25w46) User Manual, version 2026-10-21, sections 15.1.2 Weights and 15.1.3 Towing specifications and capabilities. Maximum payload is 1,160 lb (526 kg) (Volvo Car USA, XC90 2026 (25w46) User Manual, version 2026-10-21, sections 15.1.2 Weights and 15.1.3 Towing specifications and capabilities). The highest conventional tongue load Volvo publishes is 500 lb (227 kg) (Volvo Car USA, XC90 2026 (25w46) User Manual, version 2026-10-21, sections 15.1.2 Weights and 15.1.3 Towing specifications and capabilities).

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 Volvo XC90 towing capacity chart

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

2026 Volvo XC90: maximum loaded trailer weight by configuration, conventional hitch
Configuration GCWR Max trailer Payload Needs Source
XC90 B5 AWD and B6 AWD mild hybrid, braked trailer Not published 5,000 lb 2,268 kg 1,160 lb 526 kg Towbar and a trailer with its own brakes Volvo Car USA, Sections 15.1.2 and 15.1.3 (PDF pp. 387 to 388)
XC90 B5 AWD and B6 AWD mild hybrid, unbraked trailer Not published 1,650 lb 748 kg 1,160 lb 526 kg Towbar Volvo's limit for a trailer without its own brakes. Volvo Car USA, Section 15.1.3 (PDF p. 388)
XC90 T8 AWD Plug-in Hybrid, braked trailer Not published 5,000 lb 2,268 kg 1,160 lb 526 kg Towbar and a trailer with its own brakes Volvo Car USA, Sections 15.1.2 and 15.1.3 (PDF pp. 410 to 411)
XC90 T8 AWD Plug-in Hybrid, unbraked trailer Not published 1,650 lb 748 kg 1,160 lb 526 kg Towbar Volvo's limit for a trailer without its own brakes. Volvo Car USA, Section 15.1.3 (PDF p. 411)
About the figures.

Volvo's two US sources disagree on gross weight: the 2026 manuals print a gross vehicle weight of 6,030 lb (mild hybrid) and 6,330 lb (T8), while the volvocars.com/us specification pages print 6150.9 lb (B5, B6) and 6499.2 lb (T8). The table uses the manuals; the binding figure is on the certification label in your door pillar.

Volvo's manuals call payload "Load capacity" and print the same 1,160 lb for the mild hybrid and the T8.

What the XC90 needs to tow its rating

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

  • Volvo, both 2026 manuals: "Braked trailer Max. gross trailer weight 5000 lbs Max. towball load 500 lbs Unbraked trailer Max. gross trailer weight 1650 lbs"
  • Volvo: "The stated maximum permitted trailer weights are those permitted by Volvo. National vehicle regulations can further limit permissible trailer weights and speeds."
  • Volvo: "When towing, trailer hitch tongue load is also part of cargo weight." The 1,160 lb load capacity therefore has to cover the towball load as well as people and cargo.
  • Volvo: "Increase the tire pressure to the recommended pressure for a full load. This applies regardless of the trailer weight."

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 Volvo.

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 Volvo XC90 towing capacity in Canada

Volvo Canada's 2026 XC90 mild hybrid manual rates a braked trailer at 2,250 kg (about 4,960 lb) with a 225 kg towball load, and an unbraked trailer at 750 kg, a little below the US 5,000 lb, 500 lb and 1,650 lb. Its GVW (2,735 kg) and load capacity (525 kg) match the US figures. The 2026 Canadian plug-in hybrid manual could not be opened; Volvo Canada's current plug-in hybrid support page, labelled 2027, gives the same 2,250 kg and 225 kg. Source: Volvo Car Canada, XC90 2026 (25w46) User Manual, version 2025-12-01, sections 15.1.2 Weights and 15.1.3 Towing specifications and capabilities ; Volvo Car Canada support, XC90 Plug-in Hybrid, Towing specifications and capabilities (page labelled XC90 Plug-in Hybrid 2027, updated 2026-03-30) .

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 XC90

Sources

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

Common questions

How much can a 2026 Volvo XC90 tow?
5,000 lb (2,268 kg) with a braked trailer, in Volvo's own 2026 manuals. That is the same for the B5 and B6 mild hybrids and the T8 plug-in hybrid. A trailer without its own brakes is limited to 1,650 lb.
What is the max towing weight of the XC90 B5, B6 and T8?
All three are rated 5,000 lb braked on volvocars.com/us and in the 2026 manuals. Volvo does not give the B5 a lower figure.
What is the Volvo XC90 payload capacity?
Volvo's 2026 manuals list a load capacity of 1,160 lb (525 kg) for both the mild hybrid and the T8. People, cargo, accessories and the trailer's tongue load all come out of that figure.
What is the XC90 tongue weight limit?
500 lb (227 kg) maximum towball load in the US manuals, 225 kg in the Canadian manual. Our guidance, not a rule: a 5,000 lb trailer at 10 percent tongue weight puts the full 500 lb on the ball, so load the trailer to stay at or under that.
What are the XC90 GVWR and curb weight?
The 2026 manuals give a gross vehicle weight of 6,030 lb for the mild hybrid and 6,330 lb for the T8, and a curb weight range of 4,550 to 5,160 lb. Volvo's US specification pages list curb weights of 4,442 lb (B5), 4,471 lb (B6) and 5104.1 lb (T8). The figure for your car is on the label in the driver's door pillar.
Does the XC90 need a weight distribution hitch or a trailer brake controller?
Volvo's 2026 manuals we read set no weight distribution rule and do not cover a brake controller. Anything over 1,650 lb needs a trailer with its own brakes under Volvo's ratings. Ask a Volvo retailer before fitting a weight distribution hitch or a controller, and see our trailer brakes page for the rules where you tow.