How much can I tow on a New Zealand car licence?

On a full Class 1 (car) licence the gross combined mass — your vehicle plus the loaded trailer plus everything in both — must not exceed 6,000 kg. On a learner or restricted Class 1 licence the limit is 4,500 kg. A 'light trailer' is one with a loaded weight up to 3,500 kg; towing anything heavier than that needs a higher licence class.

What's the difference between braked and unbraked towing capacity?

Unbraked capacity is the most a vehicle can tow with a trailer that has no brakes of its own; it is always the lower figure. Braked capacity applies when the trailer has its own braking system and is usually much higher. In New Zealand a trailer with a gross laden weight under 2,000 kg needs no brakes, 2,000–2,500 kg needs service brakes on at least one axle, and 2,500–3,500 kg needs direct driver-controlled brakes plus a breakaway system and a mechanical park brake.

Do most utes in NZ really tow 3,500 kg?

Most modern double-cab utes (Hilux, Ranger, D-Max, Triton, Navara, BT-50, Amarok and similar) carry a 3,500 kg braked tow rating. But you can rarely use all of it — once you load the ute with passengers, fuel and gear, the gross combined mass (GCM) limit usually bites first. Always check your own compliance plate and handbook, and work back from GCM rather than the headline tow rating.

What is GCM and why does it matter more than the tow rating?

GCM (gross combination mass) is the manufacturer's maximum for the fully loaded vehicle and fully loaded trailer combined. Your real towing limit is the lowest of several numbers — licence limit, GCM minus the actual loaded weight of your vehicle, the tow rating, the towbar rating and your tyre and axle limits. Because GCM is fixed, the heavier you load the tow vehicle, the less trailer you can legally and safely pull.

How much ball weight should a trailer or caravan have?

As a rule of thumb, tow-ball download should sit at roughly 5–10% of the trailer's actual loaded weight, and it must stay within your towbar's rated download. Too little ball weight causes dangerous sway; too much overloads the rear axle. Ball weight also counts against your vehicle's payload, so it is part of the weight sum, not separate from it.

NZ towing capacity explained: how much can your vehicle really tow?

Touring Brain · Updated 21 May 2026

"What can I tow?" sounds like one number, but it's really the lowest of several. The figure on the brochure (often a proud "3,500 kg braked") is rarely the one that actually limits you. Below is the plain-English version: the weight terms, the New Zealand legal and licence limits, a tow-rating chart by vehicle type, and a worked example — then a free calculator that does the sums against your specific rig.

The short version

Your real limit is the lowest of five numbers: your licence limit, your vehicle's GCM (minus how heavy it's actually loaded), the tow rating, the towbar rating, and your tyre/axle limits.
Full car (Class 1) licence: 6,000 kg combined. Learner/restricted: 4,500 kg combined.
Most modern utes are rated 3,500 kg braked — but GCM usually stops you using all of it once the ute is loaded.
Trailer brakes are required from 2,000 kg loaded; full direct + breakaway brakes from 2,500 kg.
Ball weight ≈ 5–10% of the loaded trailer weight, within your towbar's rating.

The five numbers that decide your real towing limit

Whichever of these is smallest is your legal, safe limit — not the brochure tow rating:

Licence limit — 6,000 kg combined on a full car licence (4,500 kg learner/restricted).
GCM minus actual vehicle weight — how much trailer is "left over" once your tow vehicle is loaded with people, fuel and gear.
Tow rating (braked) — the manufacturer's maximum trailer weight.
Towbar & tow-ball rating — stamped on the towbar; sometimes lower than the vehicle's tow rating.
Tyre and axle limits — the load rating of your tyres and the rear axle (GAWR).

Towing weight terms, decoded

What the acronyms mean
Term	What it is
Tare / kerb weight	The empty weight of the vehicle (or trailer) with no load.
GVM	Gross Vehicle Mass — the most your tow vehicle can legally weigh, fully loaded.
ATM	Aggregate Trailer Mass — the most the trailer can weigh fully loaded and uncoupled (on its own wheels and jockey wheel).
GTM	Gross Trailer Mass — the trailer's weight carried on its own axles when coupled (ATM minus the ball weight).
Ball weight	The downward load the trailer puts on the tow ball. Counts against your vehicle's payload.
Tow rating	Manufacturer's maximum trailer weight, usually quoted braked and unbraked.
GCM	Gross Combination Mass — the maximum for the loaded vehicle and loaded trailer added together. The number people forget.

NZ licence limits

Maximum combined weight (vehicle + loaded trailer) by licence
Licence	Max combined weight	Notes
Learner / Restricted (Class 1)	4,500 kg	Vehicle + trailer + all load combined.
Full car licence (Class 1)	6,000 kg	Covers almost all car/ute + caravan combinations.
Trailer over 3,500 kg loaded	Higher class needed	A "light trailer" is up to 3,500 kg; heavier needs Class 2+.

Trailer brake requirements by weight

What brakes a trailer needs (by gross laden weight)
Loaded trailer weight	Brakes required
Under 2,000 kg	No brakes required.
2,000 – 2,500 kg	Service brakes on both wheels of at least one axle. Two safety chains crossed under the drawbar (unless breakaway-equipped).
2,500 – 3,500 kg	Direct, driver-controlled service brakes plus a breakaway brake system plus a separate mechanical park brake.

Whatever the weight, the whole combination must be able to stop within 7 metres from 30 km/h. If it can't, it's not road-legal — regardless of what the brake table says.

Typical tow ratings by vehicle type

A rough guide to braked tow ratings — useful for ballpark planning, but not a substitute for your own compliance plate and handbook, which vary by model, year and variant.

Indicative braked tow ratings (always confirm your vehicle's plate)
Vehicle type	Typical examples	Braked tow rating (typical)
Small SUV / hatch	Corolla Cross, CX-3, Kona	~750 – 1,300 kg
Mid SUV	RAV4, CX-5, Outlander, Tucson	~1,500 – 2,000 kg
Large SUV / 7-seat	Sorento, Santa Fe, CX-9	~2,000 – 2,500 kg
Double-cab ute	Hilux, Ranger, D-Max, Triton, Navara, BT-50, Amarok	~3,000 – 3,500 kg
Body-on-frame 4WD wagon	Prado, Land Cruiser, Patrol, Everest, Pajero Sport	~3,000 – 3,500 kg

Even where the rating is 3,500 kg, you usually can't use all of it. GCM is the limiter: load the ute with four people, a full tank and gear and the trailer you can legally pull drops well below the headline number. Always work back from GCM.

A worked example

Say your ute is rated to tow 3,500 kg braked, with a GCM of 6,000 kg. Subtract the trailer from GCM: 6,000 − 3,500 = 2,500 kg — that's the most the loaded ute can weigh if you want to pull the full 3,500 kg. If your loaded ute already weighs 3,000 kg, you're 500 kg over GCM at the full tow rating, so your real legal trailer limit is closer to 3,000 kg. The brochure said 3,500; the maths says 3,000. The maths wins.

Ball weight

Aim for a tow-ball download of roughly 5–10% of the loaded trailer weight, and never above your towbar's rated download. Too little ball weight lets the trailer sway dangerously; too much overloads your rear axle and lightens the steering. Ball weight also eats into your vehicle's payload — it's part of the sum, not a freebie.

Check your exact setup free → The Touring Brain towing calculator runs all five numbers against your real vehicle and trailer, flags overloads, and tells you whether you're inside Class 1 limits — no sign-up.

This guide is general information to help you plan, not legal advice, and figures vary by vehicle and can change. Always confirm against your vehicle's compliance plate, the towbar rating, your handbook and current NZTA / Waka Kotahi guidance. Tow ratings in the chart are indicative ranges, not manufacturer specifications for any particular model.