10 Best Diesel Trucks For Towing (2024-2025 Edition)

When it’s time to hitch up and head out, it’s no secret that new diesel trucks make great tow rigs. With ample horsepower/torque, sophisticated transmissions, and advanced towing technology, today’s diesel trucks and SUVs help take the stress out of towing. As for the crying baby and closed campground, well, a truck can’t do it all. Check out our list of 10 best new diesel trucks and SUVs for towing over 8,000 pounds. Make sure to check the specific tow rating on the actual truck or SUV you choose, as configuration and options, accessories, and add-ons count when it comes to towing. Even a certain wheel package can alter towing and hauling capacities.

2024 Cadillac Escalade Sport interior and full horizontal dashboard.

10. 2024 Cadillac Escalade – 8,100 pounds

While it’s not typically top-of-mind when thinking about diesel-powered trucks and SUVs in America, the luxurious Cadillac Escalade has been offered with a 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline six-cylinder engine since the vehicle’s last redesign in 2021. This diesel engine produces 277 hp with 460 lb-ft of torque. This engine is also the most fuel-efficient of the Escalade’s offerings with an EPA best rating of 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

When it comes to towing, the highest diesel tow rating of 8,100 pounds comes from a standard-length Escalade in two-wheel drive. Adding four-wheel drive drops the max to 7,800 pounds. The larger Escalade ESV can do a max of 7,900 pounds, which drops to 7,700 pounds with four-wheel drive. The highest payload rating is 1,620 pounds for a standard two-wheel-drive Escalade and drops to 1,329 for four-wheel-drive ESV models.

However, if it’s a diesel Cadillac that you desire, act fast as the Duramax option is gone for 2025.

Base Price: $83,990

Engine: 3.0-liter Duramax I-6

Horsepower: 277 hp

Torque: 460 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 1,620 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 8,100 pounds

2025 Chevrolet Suburban High Country

9. 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban – 8,200 pounds

Chevy’s uber-popular full-size Tahoe and Suburban SUVs have been updated for the 2025 model year, and a big part of this is the addition of the company’s potent second-generation LZ0 3.0-liter Duramax diesel engine. This updated engine now produces 305 hp with a staggering 495 lb-ft of torque. This equates to a maximum tow rating of 8,200 pounds for Tahoe and 8,100 pounds for the larger Suburban. Opting for four-wheel drive drops Tahoe to a max of 8,000 pounds and Suburban to 7,800. The Duramax diesel engine is standard on High Country models and available across the full lineup.

Base Price: $69,190 (Tahoe) / $72,190 (Suburban)

Engine: 3.0-liter Duramax I-6

Horsepower: 305 hp

Torque: 495 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 1,717 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 8,200 pounds

2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

8. 2025 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500 – 13,300 pounds

In 2019 GM introduced the all-new Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500. A centerpiece of this new generation was the impressive 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline six-cylinder engine. Fast forward to 2022, and while Ford and RAM have gotten out of the light-duty diesel market, GM introduced a more powerful second-generation of the baby Duramax. With a maximum towing ability of 13,300 pounds, Silverados powered by the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel out-tow the rest of the lineup. And this can be had in either a Double Cab or Crew Cab configuration. Adding four-wheel drive to the mix only reduces the maximum capacity by 300 pounds.

Base Price: $55,440

Engine: 3.0-liter Duramax I-6

Horsepower: 305 hp

Torque: 495 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 1,970 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 13,300 pounds

7. 2024 RAM 2500 Heavy Duty – 20,000 pounds

While we wait with bated breath to see just what RAM has cooking for 2025, the company’s 2024 RAM 2500 Heavy Duty slots into the seventh position with a maximum towing ability of 20,000 pounds. Currently, RAM’s 2500 Heavy Duty is only available with the company’s standard-output 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine, and its maximum towing figure is achieved with both conventional towing methods as well as fifth-wheel and gooseneck towing. We expect to see a sizeable increase when the 2025 model is eventually unveiled.

Base Price: $57,040

Engine: 6.7-liter Cummins I-6

Horsepower: 370 hp

Torque: 850 lb-ft

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 3,150 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 20,000 pounds

2025 Silverado HD ZR2

6. 2025 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD – 22,430 pounds

Chevy and GMC have never been particularly interested in pursuing the crown in the horsepower and towing wars. Instead, the company has focused on making its Silverado and Sierra HD pickups the best all-around tow vehicles possible. Powered by the latest generation 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8, which is backed by an Allison 10-speed automatic transmission, the Silverado 2500HD and Sierra 2500HD can tow up to 22,430 pounds with a gooseneck or fifth-wheel when properly equipped, or up to 20,000 pounds with a conventional hitch.

Base Price: $57,410

Engine: 6.6-liter Duramax V8

Horsepower: 470 hp

Torque: 975 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed Allison automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 3,615 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 22,430 pounds

5. 2025 Ford F-250 Super Duty – 23,000 pounds

In the ¾-ton pickup class, there’s no truck with a higher tow rating than Ford’s F-250 Super Duty. The maximum tow rating of 23,000 pounds is achieved with a regular-cab two-wheel-drive truck equipped with the high-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8. However, every configuration offers towing greater than 20,000 pounds. Conventional towing with the Ford F-250 Super Duty reaches 22,000 pounds and exceeds 18,000 pounds in every cab/drive/engine configuration.

Base Price: $57,790

Engine: High-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8

Horsepower: 500 hp

Torque: 1,200 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 3,636 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 23,000 pounds

4. 2025 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 3500HD – 36,000 pounds

Despite not really getting involved in the towing wars, there was a brief moment when the Silverado and Sierra 3500HD held the title at 36,000 pounds. Naturally, this is achieved with a single-cab long-bed two-wheel-drive truck equipped with no options other than the NHT trailering package. More intriguing, however, is that every trim of 3500HD dually is rated to tow in excess of 30,000 pounds, meaning there’s no need to sacrifice comfort in the name of capability.

Base Price: $61,810

Engine: 6.6-liter Duramax V8

Horsepower: 470 hp

Torque: 975 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed Allison automatic

Max Payload Capacity:

Max Towing Capacity: 36,000 pounds

2024 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Limited Crew Cab Dual-Rear-Wheel

3. 2024 RAM 3500 Heavy Duty – 37,090 pounds

Like its ¾-ton sibling, we’re still awaiting news of an all-new RAM 3500 Heavy Duty that is slated to arrive for the 2025 model year. When it comes, we suspect it will retake the max towing crown from rival automaker Ford. Until then, RAM 3500 owners will have to settle for third place with a still astonishing maximum tow rating of 37,090 pounds. This figure is achieved with a regular-cab long-bed two-wheel-drive truck equipped with the high-output Cummins diesel engine. It also requires that the truck be equipped with 4.10:1 rear axle gears and no other options. Crew-cab and Mega Cab trucks can all be had with tow rating in excess of 30,000 pounds when equipped with the high-output engine. Opting for the standard-output Cummins engine will restrict towing for the RAM 3500 Heavy Duty to a max of about 22,000 pounds.

Base Price: $60,845

Engine: 6.7-liter Cummins I-6

Horsepower: 420 hp

Torque: 1,075 lb-ft

Transmission: 6-speed Aisin automatic

Max Payload Capacity:

Max Towing Capacity: 37,090 pounds

2. 2025 Ford F-350 Super Duty – 38,000 pounds

For all those who like to claim that Ford’s towing crown is illegitimate because the F-450 Super Duty isn’t a “real” 1-ton pickup, we submit for consideration Ford’s 38,000-pound F-350 Super Duty max tow rating. This applies to gooseneck trailers when towed with a regular-cab long-bed two-wheel-drive F-350 Super Duty with the high-output Power Stroke engine. A maximum fifth-wheel rating of 35,000 pounds can be had in any cab configuration and with both the standard- and high-output engines. Conventional towing also hits a staggering 28,000 pounds on crew-cab high-output trucks in either two- or four-wheel drive. The least any Ford F-350 Super Duty can tow when equipped with a diesel engine is 18,000 pounds, and that’s only a single configuration.

Base Price: $59,085

Engine: High-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8

Horsepower: 500 hp

Torque: 1,200 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 6,558 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 38,000 pounds (gooseneck)

Max towing varies based on cargo, vehicle configuration, accessories and number of passengers.

1. 2025 Ford F-450 Super Duty – 40,000 pounds

Ford has owned the title of highest towing capacity of any consumer-grade pickup for a long time and it has done so with the clearly-a-medium-duty-in-a-one-ton-disguise F-450 Super Duty. For 2025 the company doesn’t venture far from past performance as it continues offering a maximum of 40,000 pounds of gooseneck towing from its regular-cab long-bed two-wheel drive F-450 Super Duty. In fact, all F-450 Super Duty models are rated at more than 30,000 pounds with the crew-cab long-bed four-wheel drive F-450 Super Duty only dropping to 33,100 pounds.

The 2025 Ford F-450 Super Duty can be had with either the standard or high-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine. While the high-output is necessary for the high-score-setting 40,000-pound figure, opting for the less expensive standard-output will often result in the same, or a slightly higher, max towing figure.

Base Price: $61,950

Engine: High-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8

Horsepower: 500 hp

Torque: 1,200 lb-ft

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Max Payload Capacity: 5,983 pounds

Max Towing Capacity: 40,000 pounds (gooseneck)