The Prado 250 tows 3,500kg braked, but its payload is modest for a vehicle that size, and a 350kg tow ball weight uses over half of it before anyone gets in. Check yours below.
LandCruiser Prado (250 Series). 5 variants, figures transcribed from the manufacturer's spec sheets.
Toyota LandCruiser Prado
Already set to the Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Choose your variant, add what you're fitting, and see what payload you have left.
LandCruiser Prado (250 Series). Payload is GVM minus kerb weight, before you fit anything or put anyone in it.
| Variant | Kerb | GVM | Payload | GCM | Towing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude 2.8L Turbo-Diesel (5 seat) | 2,520kg | 3,100kg | 580kg | n/a | 3,500kg |
| GX 2.8L Turbo-Diesel (5 seat) | 2,495kg | 3,100kg | 605kg | n/a | 3,500kg |
| GXL 2.8L Turbo-Diesel (5 or 7 seat) | 2,535kg | 3,150kg | 615kg | n/a | 3,500kg |
| Kakadu 2.8L Turbo-Diesel (7 seat) | 2,595kg | 3,200kg | 605kg | n/a | 3,500kg |
| VX 2.8L Turbo-Diesel (7 seat) | 2,570kg | 3,180kg | 610kg | n/a | 3,500kg |
This is the whole story on a Prado. A 3,500kg caravan at a typical ten percent puts about 350kg down on the tow ball, and that weight sits in the Prado, not in the van. On a wagon whose payload is measured in hundreds rather than four figures, that single number can account for more than half of everything the vehicle is allowed to carry.
Payload includes occupants. Fill the second and third rows and you can be 400kg down before luggage, which on a Prado is most of the budget.
Popular on a Prado and doubly expensive: the weight counts against payload, and it also has to stay under the roof rating, which is a separate and much smaller limit that applies while the vehicle is moving.
This is the single most important thing to know before towing with a Prado, and we will not invent the number. Without a published GCM we can check your Prado against its GVM and its towing capacity individually, but we cannot check the combined figure, because Toyota has not stated one for this model. Treat any GCM you see quoted elsewhere for a Prado 250 with real suspicion, and ask your dealer for it in writing.
Run the numbers before you buy the van rather than after. Tow ball weight plus a full complement of passengers plus touring gear will exceed the Prado's payload well before the van reaches its own limit. The vehicle is not at fault here, it is simply a wagon rather than a one-tonner.
Plenty of Prados run a certified GVM upgrade. If yours does, use the figure from your compliance plate rather than the factory one, because it differs by supplier and by kit. Tick the upgrade box in the calculator and enter what is on your plate.
3,500kg braked across the current 250 Series range. The limit you will hit first in practice is usually not the towing figure but the Prado's own payload, because roughly 350kg of tow ball weight from a van that size sits in the vehicle.
It is modest for the size of the vehicle and varies by grade. Select your variant on this page for the exact figure from Toyota's spec sheet, calculated as GVM minus kerb weight.
Toyota does not publish one for this model. That means there is no manufacturer figure to check your combined ute-and-van weight against. We show a blank rather than an estimate, because guessing a legal limit for you would be worse than saying we do not have it.
It is rated to, but check the payload side before you commit. Add the tow ball weight, your passengers, and your gear, and compare that against the Prado's payload. Many combinations that are within the towing rating are over the vehicle's GVM.
If your loaded weight comes out over GVM in the calculator, an upgrade is one option, but it is not the only one. Reducing tow ball weight, moving gear into the van, or carrying fewer people can all get you legal without engineering. If you do go ahead, use the certified figure on your compliance plate afterwards.