The GX and the LX are body-on-frame, full-time four-wheel drive, and rated to pull a serious boat. We will match the rating to the weight of your own boat and trailer before you drive over.
Written by the Hilton Head Lexus team · Reviewed by Scotty Herrin, General Manager · Updated September 11, 2026
The GX is rated between 7,844 and 9,096 pounds depending on trim and the LX at 8,000. Both are body-on-frame with Full-Time 4WD.
If you have been comparing trucks and full-size SUVs for pulling a boat, these two belong on the list. From there it is a matter of making sure the number you rely on is the one printed on your vehicle.
Full-Time 4WD with Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control.
Whatever you are looking at
Its own rating, on the door label
Never tow beyond it.
Which Lexus SUV tows the most?
1. Three GX towing figures, and the biggest one seats five
GX trim
Maximum towing
Overtrail
9,096 pounds, and it seats 5. The highest figure in the range.
Premium
9,063 pounds, seats 7. The most a seven-seat GX tows.
Luxury
7,844 pounds, seats 7. The most equipment, and the lowest rating of the three.
LX
8,000 pounds.
The highest GX figure is 9,096 pounds, and it belongs to the Overtrail, which seats five. If you need seven seats, look at the Premium.
The most a seven-seat GX tows is 9,063 pounds, on the Premium. That is the number to plan around if the third row matters, and it is within thirty-three pounds of the highest figure anyway.
The Luxury seats seven like the Premium and is rated at 7,844 pounds. It carries the most equipment, and equipment is weight, so the towing margin is smaller.
So on this model the towing figure follows the equipment, not the trim name, and the trim is the first thing to check.
All three are full-time four-wheel drive with the same 349 horsepower, so the difference is in how each is equipped, not the engine.
2. The rating is the ceiling for a properly equipped vehicle
The rating
How to use it
A maximum towing capacity
A ceiling for a properly equipped vehicle, not a target.
Never tow beyond the rated capacity
Lexus's own warning, and ours. The figure for your vehicle, not the model.
Your trailer, loaded
Fuel, water and gear all count. This is where people guess low.
A towing figure is the one specification where being approximate is dangerous. Exceeding it changes how the vehicle stops and how it behaves in a crosswind long before anything breaks.
The warning matters as much as the number, because the number alone is how people end up over a limit without meaning to.
That is why the figure is a range, not one number. A maximum assumes a properly equipped vehicle, and equipment varies by trim and by car.
It is also why the door jamb label matters most of all. The label describes the vehicle as it was built.
Any towing figure starts with the trim, so we ask which one you are looking at before we quote a number.
3. Should you choose the GX or the LX?
If this is you
Start with
Towing near the upper limit
GX. 9,096 on the five-seat Overtrail, 9,063 on the seven-seat Premium.
Towing and going off pavement
LX, with Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control.
Towing occasionally, driving daily
Either. Choose the one you use on the days you are not towing.
Most people buying a tow vehicle choose it for the hardest thing they will do all year and then live with it for the other fifty weekends.
Please tell us both, and we will tell you which one fits the whole year, not only one weekend.
Put it this way: choose the GX to tow, and the LX to tow and drive off pavement. The LX adds Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control with Turn Assist, which matter on a launch ramp or a rutted track more than on a highway.
If the trailer only ever sees pavement, that equipment is not what you are buying, and the GX figure is higher anyway.
4. What to check on the vehicle in front of you
Check
Why
The door jamb label
The weight ratings for this vehicle as built.
Whether the towing equipment is installed
The maximum is for a properly equipped vehicle.
Your trailer, weighed loaded
Fuel and gear are heavier than people assume.
Whether you need trailer brakes
Whether you need them depends on your vehicle and trailer together, and we will confirm yours.
Four checks, and we will do all of them with you before anything is agreed.
Bring the boat or the trailer if you can. Hitching it up here answers more than any conversation about specifications.
Weigh the trailer loaded instead of reading the sticker. Fuel, water, and gear are heavier than people expect and the sticker describes it empty.
Check which trim you are standing next to before you take any towing number as yours, since the GX line carries three trims, one of which seats five.
Ask whether the towing equipment is installed to this car. A maximum quoted for a properly equipped vehicle applies only to a vehicle equipped that way.
5. Around here, towing usually means a boat
What people forget
What it adds
A full fuel tank
A boat weighed empty at the dealer is not the boat you tow to the ramp.
Water, ice, gear and passengers' bags
All of it counts toward the loaded weight the rating applies to.
The trailer itself
Easy to leave out of the math, and it adds up.
A wet boat coming home
It comes home heavier than it went in, on the drive when you are most tired.
Nearly every towing problem we see here starts with a weight taken from a brochure instead of a scale: a boat in particular gains a lot of weight between the driveway and the ramp.
Weigh it loaded once and this whole conversation becomes short. Without it, every figure is an estimate.
6. What should you know about local bridges, ramps, and crosswind?
What you will meet
Why it matters
High bridges with an open crosswind
A trailer near a vehicle's limit behaves very differently up there than on 278.
Ramps, often wet and often steep
Where full-time four-wheel drive earns its money, and where two-wheel drive does not.
Summer heat with a loaded vehicle
Heat and load together are harder on brakes and transmission than either alone.
Reversing a trailer with traffic waiting
Practice somewhere quiet first. Everyone is watching at a ramp.
The roads here are flat, and that makes people casual about leaving a margin. The bridges and the wind off the water are where you find out whether you had enough.
Please tell us where you launch and what you pull, and we will allow for it instead of quoting you a maximum.
What was it like for people who bought here?
You want it looked after properly
A vehicle that tows gets worked harder, so we set the service intervals around your towing season and keep the same technicians on it.
Customer service was outstanding! Ran off the road and damaged both left tires and wheels. Called Hilton Head Lexus who connected us with Lexus Road Side Service. Car was picked up and transported to dealership within the hour.
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Repairs and alignment completed the next afternoon. Max and his team were courteous and helpful. I would highly recommend Lexus of Hilton Head!
You want to be told when the smaller vehicle will do
We will tell you when the smaller vehicle covers what you tow, and we will say so plainly.
I've been dealing with HH Lexus and Max for 4 years. I'm moving out of state and honestly, I'll miss getting my NX300 serviced there. He was always honest with me, up front with me about whether I really needed something done or not, and they ALWAYS did the job.
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I love the vehicle, and don't mind paying just a little bit more to have the excellent service, the free loaner!!, and the job done by guys who know Lexus. I'll miss them, and I'll miss Max! I've never dealt with a dealership who actually kept employees this long. That really says a lot.
You own it at the end, with no mileage limit. The longer you keep it, the cheaper it is per year.
Finance
Pay for the car monthly over a term you choose. We show you the rate, the term and the total before you sign.
Lease
Lower monthly payment on the same car, with a mileage allowance and rules about the condition you return it in.
Trade in
We appraise your current car and put its value in writing, as its own figure beside the price of the new one.
What else you may be wondering
Figures
How much can a Lexus GX tow?
It depends on the trim: 9,096 pounds for the Overtrail (five-seat), 9,063 for the seven-seat Premium and 7,844 for the seven-seat Luxury.
How much can a Lexus LX tow?
The LX is rated to tow 8,000 pounds.
Do other Lexus models tow?
The GX and the LX are the two we would put in front of somebody buying a tow vehicle.
Why does a Lexus tow so much?
The GX has robust body-on-frame construction, Full-Time 4WD and a twin-turbocharged V6. It is built on a different principle from the rest of the range.
Safety
Can I tow right up to the rated capacity?
No. Lexus's own warning is never to tow beyond a vehicle's rated capacity, and so is ours. The figure for your vehicle is a ceiling, not a target.
Where do I find my vehicle's rating?
The door jamb label and the owner's manual for that specific vehicle. That is the figure that counts.
Why does loaded trailer weight matter?
Because fuel, water and gear all count toward it, and a boat on a trailer is considerably heavier full than empty.
Do I need trailer brakes?
It depends on your combination. Tell us what you pull and we will go through it with you.
Choosing
GX or LX for towing?
The GX for the higher figure, but check the trim: 9,096 on the five-seat Overtrail, 9,063 on the seven-seat Premium, 7,844 on the Luxury. The LX is best if you also go off pavement, since it pairs towing with Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control.
Is a Lexus a serious tow vehicle?
On these two, yes. They are body-on-frame with full-time four-wheel drive, and rated to pull a serious boat.
What if I only tow a few times a year?
Then choose on the fifty weekends you are not towing. Both of these are comfortable daily vehicles.
What should I check first?
The door jamb label on the actual vehicle, and the loaded weight of what you pull. Everything else follows from those two.
Towing by trim
Which GX trim tows the most?
The Overtrail tows the most at 9,096 pounds, and it seats five. Among the seven-seat trims, the Premium is highest at 9,063, and the Luxury is rated at 7,844.
Does a more expensive GX tow more?
No. The Premium is rated at 9,063 pounds and the Luxury at 7,844: the Luxury carries more equipment, which is weight, so match the trim to the job.
People also ask
How much can a Lexus GX tow?
Between 7,844 and 9,096 pounds, depending on trim. The Overtrail has the highest capacity at 9,096 pounds and seats five; the Luxury has the lowest at 7,844 pounds and seats seven.
How much can a Lexus LX tow?
8,000 pounds.
Which Lexus is best for towing?
A GX Overtrail at 9,096 pounds if five seats are enough, a GX Premium at 9,063 if you need seven or the LX at 8,000 if you also want Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control for off-pavement.
Is the Lexus GX body-on-frame?
Yes: body-on-frame construction, full-time 4WD and a twin-turbocharged V6.
Can I tow up to a Lexus vehicle's maximum?
No. Never tow beyond a vehicle's rated capacity, and the figure to use is the one for your specific vehicle.
Sources & references
Premium two trims starting at HORSEPOWER 349 DRIVETRAIN Full-time 4WD MAX TOWING CAPACITY (LB) 9,063 SEATS 7… www.lexus.com/models/GX/features
TOWING CAPACITY\* 8,000 www.lexus.com/models/LX
Never tow beyond a vehicle’s published towing capacities. www.lexus.com/models/GX
Hilton Head Lexus, live inventory, finance and service pages www.hiltonheadlexus.com
Google reviews for Hilton Head Lexus, rating and review count maps.google.com/?cid=15945536819585495014
Ask us to check any figure here against the specific vehicle.
Bring us your plans for the boat or the trailer, and we will match them to the right Lexus.
