Even though we have fully crossed into the era of fancy pickup trucks, pickup trucks still only have two main purposes; towing and hauling. A pickup truck’s towing capacity and payload capacity are the only things that really matter. Sure, you can have all the fancy doodads you want, but if your truck can’t tow your trailer, it ain’t a good truck. The Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500, and the Ram 1500 are the top three best full-size pickup trucks to tow your trailer. 

Which pickup truck has the best towing capacity? 

According to Car and Driver, the Ford F-150 takes the crown for the best towing full-size pickup truck. The 2021 F-150 has a plethora of engine options, from normal gasoline-powered to impressive hybrids. Not to mention, Ford has the real-time towing and payload scales that weigh your loads as you load up. This incredible towing tool makes the F-150 worth it even without the fact that the Ford F-150 is the best full-size pickup truck for towing your trailer. 

The base F-150 comes with a 290-hp 3.3-liter turbocharged V-6 making 400 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, and with this combo, the rear-wheel-drive model can tow up to 8200 pounds. The same pickup truck with the 5.0-liter V8 can pull a strong 13,000. But if you step up to the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 making 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque, the Ford F-150 can tow up to 14,000 lbs. 

How much can the Chevy Silverado 1500 tow? 

The second place for the best pickup truck for towing your trailer is the Chevy Silverado 1500. You may think the beefy diesel powerplants are going to yield the best towing figures, but that is not the case. 

As Car and Driver points out, the 277-horsepower Duramax 3.0-liter inline-six turbo-diesel seems like it would be the clear winner, but it can only tow 9,300 lbs. Instead, the winning configuration for the Chevy Silverado 1500 is the 420-hp, 460 lb-ft of torque 6.2-liter V-8. With this engine, the Chevy Silverado can tow up to 13,300 lbs. 

Technically, the Chevy Silverado is tied with the GMC Sierra 1500 for second place, but that’s because they are the same truck. So, we will skip talking about the repetitive Sierra. 

How much can the Ram 1500 tow? 

The Ram 1500 is the runner-up for the best pickup truck for towing your trailer. The Ram 1500 can tow an impressive 12,750 lbs with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 making 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. 

The Ram has a powerful diesel option as well. There is a V6 EcoDiesel that the Ram shares with its brand-mate, the Jeep Gladiator. While this engine makes 480 torques – the highest of all half-ton diesel trucks, it is still can only pull 12,560, falling just short of the Hemi. 

So which pickup truck is the best at towing your trailer? 

The newest-generation Ford F-150 is truly a hard truck to beat when it comes to towing. Between having the highest towing rating in its class, the best towing tech features, and having eco-friendly hybrid powertrains, the Ford F-150 is by far the best full-size pickup truck for towing your trailer or hauling payloads. 

The Ford F-150 is best selling pickup truck on the market for a reason – I guess it’s for a few reasons.