Silverado EV Towing Capacity: 8,500 to 12,500 lb
GM rates the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck to tow 8,500 lbs with the Standard Range battery, 12,500 lbs with the Extended Range battery and 10,500 lbs with the Max Range battery. GMC advertises the 2026 Sierra EV at "up to 12,500 lbs." The largest battery tows 2,000 lb less than the middle one and carries 400 lb less. Those figures come from GM's own specification guide and brand pages, read September 11, 2026. Before you tow, confirm your exact configuration's rating in the owner's manual and read the payload on your door jamb placard.
Silverado EV towing capacity by battery
GM publishes a full weight table for the Silverado EV Work Truck in its 2026 Silverado EV Specification Guide, revision dated July 27, 2026, on GM's upfitter integration site, read September 11, 2026.
| 2026 Silverado EV WT | Standard Range | Extended Range | Max Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum trailering | 8,500 lbs | 12,500 lbs | 10,500 lbs |
| Maximum payload | 2,350 lbs | 1,800 lbs | 1,400 lbs |
| Curb weight | 7,403 lbs | 8,102 lbs | 8,464 lbs |
| GVWR | 9,990 lbs | 9,990 lbs | 9,990 lbs |
| GCWR | 16,600 lbs | 21,400 lbs | 19,700 lbs |
GM's trailering note in the guide reads: "Before you buy a vehicle or use it for trailering, carefully review the Trailering section of the Owner's Manual. The weight of passengers, cargo and options or accessories may reduce the amount you can tow."
The guide covers the Work Truck only. Chevrolet's consumer Silverado EV page, read the same day, lists Custom, LT and Trail Boss models and states "Up to 12,500 lbs. Max available" without tying that figure to a trim or battery. If your truck is not a WT, the table above is a guide to how the ratings behave, not your number.
The biggest battery tows less
This is the finding the dealer pages skip. Move from the Extended Range battery to the Max Range battery and the tow rating falls from 12,500 lbs to 10,500 lbs, and payload falls from 1,800 lbs to 1,400 lbs. Buying the biggest pack buys range. It costs capability.
GM's own numbers show why. A battery is heavy, and the curb weight rises with every step: 7,403 lbs, then 8,102, then 8,464. Two ratings do not rise with it.
- GVWR stays at 9,990 lbs, so every extra pound of truck is a pound less payload.
- GCWR, the most the loaded truck and loaded trailer may weigh together, is highest for the Extended Range truck at 21,400 lbs, and lower for the Max Range truck at 19,700 lbs.
Subtract the truck from the combination and you see the room left for a trailer: about 13,298 lbs on the Extended Range truck, 11,236 lbs on the Max Range truck and 9,197 lbs on the Standard Range truck. The published tow ratings sit below each of those, because a rating also assumes weight in the truck, such as a driver. GM's guide does not set out its full derivation. The ranking, though, follows the GCWR arithmetic exactly. How these three ratings interact is covered in GVWR vs GCWR vs payload.
The Standard Range truck shows the other side of the trade. It has the lowest tow rating and the highest payload, 2,350 lbs, because it is the lightest truck under the same GVWR.
A truck at its headline rating has little payload left
Payload is where an electric truck's weight shows up. A conventional trailer rests part of its weight on the hitch ball, and that tongue weight is carried out of payload, alongside every person and tool in the truck. The mechanism is set out in payload vs towing capacity.
Illustrative arithmetic, using GM's payload figures and tongue weights of 10 and 13 percent, a common planning range for conventional trailers:
| WT battery | Trailer at the rating | Tongue at 10 percent | Tongue at 13 percent | GM payload | Left for people, cargo and hitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extended Range | 12,500 lbs | 1,250 lbs | 1,625 lbs | 1,800 lbs | 175 to 550 lbs |
| Max Range | 10,500 lbs | 1,050 lbs | 1,365 lbs | 1,400 lbs | 35 to 350 lbs |
| Standard Range | 8,500 lbs | 850 lbs | 1,105 lbs | 2,350 lbs | 1,245 to 1,500 lbs |
On the Max Range truck, a trailer at the full rating with a 13 percent tongue leaves 35 lb of payload. That is less than the driver. The tow rating is real, and it is not usable at the same time as a normal load in the cab. GM's guide publishes no maximum tongue weight, so take that limit from your owner's manual, and measure the real figure rather than guessing, as shown in how to weigh tongue weight.
Why a 9,990 lb GVWR matters
GM rates every Silverado EV WT in the guide at 9,990 lbs GVWR, 10 lb under a federal threshold. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110 applies to vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less and requires a placard stating "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX pounds," on the driver's side B-pillar or an approved alternative location (49 CFR 571.110, read September 11, 2026). So your truck carries a payload figure in plain words, specific to how it was built.
The certification label beside it must state the GVWR and a GAWR "for each axle" (49 CFR 567.4, read the same day). NHTSA's tire safety page points drivers to the Tire and Loading Information label on the driver's side door edge or post. Read both before any trip with a heavy trailer.
GMC Sierra EV: what GMC publishes
GMC's Sierra EV Denali page, read September 11, 2026, states "Available tow up to 12,500 lbs." for the 2026 model and lists a ProGrade Trailering System in the Denali Premium Package. The page does not say which trim, battery or package the 12,500 lb figure requires, and we found no GMC per-trim table.
GM sells the two trucks as separate nameplates with their own trims, packages and weights, so this page does not carry Chevrolet's Work Truck table across to the Sierra EV. A Sierra EV's rating, payload and tongue weight limit come from its own owner's manual and door jamb placard. If you are also weighing the gas GMC, GMC Sierra 1500 towing capacity applies the same method to it.
Licensing at these weights
Heavy electric trucks raise a fair question about licenses. The federal commercial license definitions in 49 CFR 383.91 describe Group A as "any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 11,794 kilograms or more (26,001 pounds or more) provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds)" (49 CFR 383.91, read September 11, 2026). The GCWR figures in GM's guide top out at 21,400 lbs, below that threshold. Those definitions govern commercial driving. States set their own non-commercial rules for heavy trailers, and FMCSA's commercial driver's license page, read the same day, directs drivers to their state licensing agency for specifics. If you plan to tow a trailer rated over 10,000 lbs, check your state's rule first.
At these trailer weights, also assume the trailer needs its own brakes and the truck needs a working brake controller, and confirm your state's trailer brake rule.
What this page does not publish
- Towing range. Range while towing depends on the trailer, speed, weather and terrain, and GM's guide does not publish a towing range figure. Plan your charging stops around your own first loaded trip, not a percentage from a blog.
- Ratings for the LT, Trail Boss, Custom or any Sierra EV trim. The makers' pages we read give only "up to" figures for these.
- Maximum tongue weight. Not in GM's guide. Your owner's manual has it.
Silverado EV or gas Silverado for towing?
The gas truck's ratings depend on its engine, axle ratio and package, and are worked through on Chevrolet's own figures in Chevrolet Silverado 1500 towing capacity. The electric truck's case is strong for heavy, local, repeatable towing, with torque to spare. For long hauls, the constraints are payload, as shown above, and charging stops with a trailer attached.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a Chevrolet Silverado EV tow?
GM's 2026 specification guide rates the Silverado EV Work Truck at 8,500 lbs with the Standard Range battery, 12,500 lbs with the Extended Range battery and 10,500 lbs with the Max Range battery. Chevrolet's consumer page states up to 12,500 lbs. Your owner's manual gives the rating for your truck.
Does the Max Range Silverado EV tow the most?
No. GM rates the Max Range WT at 10,500 lbs, 2,000 lbs below the Extended Range WT, with 1,400 lbs of payload against 1,800 lbs. The bigger battery adds weight under the same 9,990 lb GVWR, and the Max Range truck's GCWR is lower.
Can the GMC Sierra EV tow 12,500 lb?
GMC's 2026 Sierra EV Denali page states "Available tow up to 12,500 lbs." It does not say which configuration that requires. Confirm the rating for your specific truck in the owner's manual.
Do I need a CDL to tow 12,500 lb with a Silverado EV?
The federal commercial Group A definition requires a combination rating of 26,001 lbs or more, and GM's highest Silverado EV WT GCWR is 21,400 lbs. Those rules cover commercial driving, and states set their own rules for heavy personal trailers, so check with your state licensing agency.
The short version
GM rates the 2026 Silverado EV WT at 8,500, 12,500 and 10,500 lbs by battery, and the biggest battery tows less and carries less. At the full rating, the tongue can use nearly all of the payload, which is why the 12,500 lb headline is a ceiling, not a plan. GMC advertises the Sierra EV at up to 12,500 lbs without saying which configuration gets there. The door jamb placard and the owner's manual for your exact VIN, battery, trim and model year are the authority.