Towing capacity is the maximum amount that your Chevy Colorado can carry behind your truck through a trailer hitch.
The 2022 Chevy Colorado can tow anywhere from 3,500 to 7,700 lbs depending on the configuration. If you are looking for other years of the Colorado, you will find all the information you need at the bottom of the page.
There are many factors that determine the towing capacity such as the cab size, bed size, axle ratio, engine type, and hitch.
Find the towing capacity for your vehicle below, a towing capacity calculator, and more tips on how to tow with your Colorado.
Information was taken from the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado eBrochure and the 2022 Colorado Trailering Chart.
Though I tried to make this information as accurate as possible, you should always check your manual or contact your local dealer to determine the appropriate towing capacity of your vehicle and necessary equipment.
How to calculate towing capacity
Towing capacity is calculated by subtracting the curb weight from the GCWR.
Read this article for a deeper look and an example of calculating towing capacity. It is important to remember that this simple calculation above simply outputs the MAXIMUM towing capacity.
You must take into account the passengers and cargo to determine the amount that can actually be towed by a truck.
Towing Capacity Calculator
This calculator takes into account the additional weight on your vehicle to determine the amount your truck can tow at any given point.
After you use this calculator, it is important to note the ideal tongue weight range of your trailer. This will:
- Help you distribute your trailer weight safely
- Allow you to determine whether or not you exceed the maximum payload capacity on your truck
If this doesn’t make sense to you, there is much more detail on this page to help you tow safely.
Trim Levels
There are four basic trim levels in the 2022 Chevy Colorado family and 6 different special editions. Due to the limited information available, we won’t go into much detail on the special editions, but you can find out a little bit more by reading the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado Catalog.
WT
The WT is the base version of the Colorado. The WT stands for “Work Truck”.
The basic features are:
- CornerStep (a small step embedded into the rear bumper for bed access)
- 7 in infotainment touch screen
- manual side mirrors
- recovery hooks (4WD)
base version
LT
The LT is the upgraded version of the WT. It includes many of the same features as the WT, but come with additional luxuries.
Some of these additional features are:
- aluminum wheels
- recovery hooks (4WD)
- power mirrors
- Rear Vision Camera
- Cruise control
- 8 in infotainment touch screen
- leather wrapped steering wheel
Z71
The Z71 is the basic off-roading Colorado. It is a higher-end truck than the WT and the LT as it has fog lamps, heated and power side mirrors, and remote vehicle start.
Since it is designed for off-roading it also has front recovery hooks.
Notable features of the Z71:
- fog lamps
- front recovery hooks
- headed, powered side mirrors
- 8 in infotainment touch screen
- remote vehicle start
- heated front seats and steering wheel
ZR2
The ZR2 is the more advanced off-roading model of the 2022 Chevy Colorado. It has a 2 in. lift compared to other stock Colorados and a 3.5 in. wide stance to navigate offroad terrain.
In addition to the features in the Z71 it also has:
- front powered seats
- black spray-on bedliner
Special Editions
- ZR2 Bison
- ZR2 Dusk
- ZR2 Midnight
- Custom
- Z71 Midnight
- Redline
Engine Options
There are three engines that are available in the 2022 Colorado. Not all trim levels are available with every type of engine.
The 2.5 L and 3.6 L engines are available in all four of the basic models and the Turbo-Diesel engine is available in all models except the WT in the 2022 Colorado.
| WT | LT | Z71 | ZR2 | |
| 2.5 L 4-Cylinder | X | X | X | X |
| 3.6 L V6 | X | X | X | X |
| 2.8 L Duramax Turbo-Diesel | X | X | X |
2.5 L 4-Cylinder
The 2.5 L 4-cylinder engine in the 2022 Colorado is the least powerful engine in the family.
It has up to 200 hp @ 6,300 rpm and 191 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,400 rpm.
3.6 L V6
The 3.6 L V6 engine is the middle engine of the family in terms of towing power which generates up to 308 hp @ 6,800 rpm and 275 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4.000 rpm.
2.8 L Duramax Turbo-Diesel
The Turbo-Diesel engine in the 2022 Colorado provides the most towing power of the entire family with a torque of up to 369 lb.-ft. @ 2,000 rpm but 181 hp @ 3,400 rpm.
Towing Package
There are many packages offered for the 2022 Colorado, but there is only one towing package.
This package is known as the Trailering Package. This package is available on all standard models and is automatically included with the ZR2 model. It is only compatible with the 3.6 L engine, however.
It includes a trailer hitch, a 7 pin connector, and Hitch Guidance.
This package doesn’t have any effect on the GCWR which means that any 2022 Colorado without a trailer hitch should not exceed a towing capacity of 3500 lbs.
You will see in the next section that there is an additional 2,500 lbs of towing capacity added with the trailering package.
Towing Capacity by Engine
2.5 L 4-Cylinder
As stated before, the 2.5 L 4-cylinder engine in the 2022 Chevy Colorado provides the least amount of towing capabilities and only provides 3,500 lbs of towing.
| Axle Ratio | GCWR | Towing Capacity | |
| Crew Cab 2WD | 4.1 | 8,500 lbs | 3,500 lbs |
| Extended Cab 2WD 4WD | 4.1 | 8,500 lbs | 3,500 lbs |
3.6 L V6
Without the trailering package, the 3.6 L engine in the 2022 Chevy Colorado can tow up to 3,500 lbs. However, with the trailering package, the towing capacity increases to 7,000 lbs. In both cases, the GCWR is 12,000 lbs.
The ZR2, though includes the trailering package as the standard, has less towing capacity of 5,000 lbs with the 3.6 L engine.
| Standard GCWR – 12,000 lbs | with Trailering Package GCWR – 12,000 lbs | ZR2 GCWR – 10,300 lbs | |
| Crew Cab 2WD | 3,500 lbs | 7,000 lbs | – |
| Crew Cab Short Bed 4WD | 3,500 lbs | 7,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD | 3,500 lbs | 7,000 lbs | – |
| Extended Cab Long Bed 2WD | 3,500 lbs | 7,000 lbs | – |
| Extended Cab Long Bed 4WD | 3,500 lbs | 7,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
2.8L Duramax Turbo Diesel
The Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine in the 2022 Chevy Colorado is the most powerful and has a GCWR of 12,700 lbs and can tow between 7,500 lbs and 7,700 lbs.
The Turbo-Diesel engine, however, doesn’t have any towing benefit to the ZR2 and maintains a 5,000 lbs towing capacity.
| Standard GCWR – 12,700 lbs | ZR2 GCWR – 10,700 lbs | |
| Crew Cab 2WD | 7,700 lbs | – |
| Crew Cab Short Bed 4WD | 7,600 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Crew Cab Long Bed 4WD | 7,550 lbs | – |
| Extended Cab Long Bed 4WD | 7,700 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
Payload Capacity vs Towing Capacity
Payload capacity refers to the maximum amount of weight that can be put on a truck and carried.
Towing capacity refers to the maximum amount of weight that can be pulled from behind a truck.
For a more detailed explanation of these two, check out the GVWR vs GCWR article.
Read: What Does GVWR Mean? GVWR Explained for Trucks and Trailers to learn all about payload capacity and how it is calculated.
Colorado Payload Capacity (2022)
Extended Cab Payload Capacity
The 2022 Chevy Colorado has a max payload capacity of 1,530 lbs for the extended cab trucks for the WT and LT, 2WD trucks with the 2.5 L engines.
The Z71 extended cab with a 3.6 L engine has a payload capacity of 1,460 lbs.
The ZR2 extended cab with a 3.6 L engine has a payload capacity of 1,350 lbs.
| Engine | Payload Capacity | |
| WT 2WD 4WD | 2.5 L | 1,530 lbs 1,550 lbs |
| LT 2WD 4WD | 2.5 L | 1,530 lbs 1,490 lbs |
| Z71 | 3.6 L | 1,460 lbs |
| ZR2 | 3.6 L | 1,350 lbs |
Crew Cab w/Short Box Payload Capacity
The 2022 Chevy Colorado has a max payload capacity of 1,540 lbs with the crew cab and short box for the WT and LT 2WD with a 3.6 L engine.
The Z71 has a payload capacity of 1,490 lbs for the 2WD and 1,450 lbs for the 4WD truck with the crew cab and short box and a 3.6 L engine.
The ZR2 Crew cab has a payload capacity of 1,240 lbs with the 3.6 L engine.
| Engine | Payload Capacity | |
| WT 2WD 4WD | 3.6 L | 1,540 lbs 1,530 lbs |
| LT 2WD 4WD | 3.6 L | 1,540 lbs 1,500 lbs |
| Z71 2WD 4WD | 3.6 L | 1,490 lbs 1,450 lbs |
| ZR2 | 3.6 L | 1,240 lbs |
Crew Cab w/Long Box Payload Capacity
The 2022 Chevy Colorado has a max payload capacity of 1,480 lbs for the crew cab with a long bed for the WT and LT 2WD with a 3.6 L engine.
The crew cab on the Z71 with a long box and a 3.6 L engine has a payload capacity of 1,400 lbs.
| Engine | Payload Capacity | |
| WT 2WD 4WD | 3.6 L | 1,480 lbs 1,460 lbs |
| LT 2WD 4WD | 3.6 L | 1,480 lbs 1,450 lbs |
| Z71 | 3.6 L | 1,400 lbs |
To find your GVWR, you can look inside the forward side of the rear door. Here will be a certification and tire label that will list the GVWR in the position shown below.
What happens if you tow more than capacity?
You should never tow more than capacity.
The capacity is there for safety concerns.
If you tow more than capacity you may:
- damage your truck
- void warranty
- cause an accident
- lose control while driving
- experience engine or brake failure
What can I tow with my Colorado?
Now that you know the towing capacity of your Chevy Colorado you can then determine what you can tow.
Below are some average trailer weights reported by RAM trucks to help you understand your capabilities.
- Trailer + Motorboat ~ 3,500 lbs
- Trailer + Sailboat ~ 8,500 lbs
- Trailer + Sedan ~ 5,800 lbs
- Trailer + Pickup ~ 8,300 lbs
- Pop-up Camper ~ 1,500-3,000 lbs
- Travel Trailer ~ 6,000-12,000 lbs
- Utility Trailer ~ 4,000-6,000 lbs
- Landscape Flatbed ~ 13,000 lbs
- Rollback ~ 1,500 lbs
- Stake Bed ~ 1,500 lbs
- Cherry Picker ~ 2,000-5,000 lbs
The Chevy Colorado is not the most powerful truck for towing and has limited capacities when it comes to pulling trailers but with the trailering package, you can greatly expand the options.
Towing Capacity of Chevy Colorado by year
| Year | Towing Capacity | Payload Capacity |
| 2022 | 3,500 – 7,700 lbs | 1,240 – 1,540 lbs |
| 2021 | 3,500 – 7,700 lbs | 1,432 – 1,550 lbs |
Looking for more details on the towing capacity of a particular year? Check out each article below.
Conclusion
The 2022 Chevy Colorado can tow up to 3,500 – 7,700 lbs depending on the engine, bed size, cab size, and package added.
Adding the trailering package will allow you to tow more than without it.
The information here is used as a reference for comparison purposes so you should always calculate your own towing capacity to make sure you can operate your truck safely.
Read: How is Towing Capacity Calculated? (With Calculator) for more detailed information.
