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In your day-to-day activities with your car or truck, the weight it can safely handle might rarely cross your mind. However, if you’re loading up the back of a truck for a big move, transporting heavy equipment, or hitching a trailer to your car to tow a boat, this metric will be of concern. All cars and trucks have a limit to what they can safely carry and pull. Even if you’re driving a small vehicle with great towing capacity, knowing its weight limits is crucial to keeping things safe and avoiding unnecessary damage when hauling heavy loads or towing a trailer.
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The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your vehicle is important; knowing this number is essential. The manufacturer sets the GVWR, indicating the maximum total weight it can safely support. The weight of your vehicle (curb weight), combined with the weight of passengers, cargo, fuel, and the tongue weight from a trailer hitch (usually about 10-20% of the trailer’s total weight), all contribute to staying within the GVWR.
What does GVWR mean for a car or truck?
GVWR is the manufacturer-determined limit for how much weight a vehicle can safely handle. Note that cargo inside a trailer being towed does not count toward the GVWR, but the tongue weight — the downward force exerted by the trailer on the hitch — does count. Your vehicle’s GVWR can be found in the owner’s manual or on the sticker inside the door on the driver’s side.
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To calculate how much your car or truck can carry without exceeding the GVWR, add your vehicle’s curb weight (the weight of the vehicle with all necessary fluids and a full tank of fuel but without passengers or cargo), the weight of all passengers (including yourself), and anything else loaded inside your vehicle. Subtract this total from the GVWR. The resulting number is the maximum cargo weight you can safely load into your vehicle, while staying within the GVWR.
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It’s useful to understand the difference between payload and towing capacity when calculating how much your vehicle can haul. Payload is the combined weight of passengers, cargo, and any additional equipment loaded onto the vehicle. Exceeding your vehicle’s GVWR is unsafe, may increase vehicle wear and tear, and can result in liability if involved in an accident where the GVWR was exceeded.
