Every gas 2027 Kia Telluride, from the $39,190 LX to the X-Pro, is rated to tow 5,000 pounds with a braked trailer, and the Telluride Hybrid is rated at 4,500. Without trailer brakes, both stop at 1,653 pounds.
Maximum tongue weight is 500 pounds on gas models and 400 on the hybrid.
I read the towing tables in Kia’s 2027 owner’s manuals for both powertrains on November 2, 2026, and worked the payload figures from the door placard of the X-Pro SX-Prestige I drove for a week in October.
Key Takeaways
- Gas models tow 5,000 pounds with trailer brakes, and the standard, X-Line and X-Pro versions share that rating.
- The hybrid tows 4,500 pounds with trailer brakes.
- Without trailer brakes, the limit is 1,653 pounds for both powertrains.
- Maximum tongue weight is 500 pounds for gas and 400 for the hybrid. At Kia’s recommended 10 percent tongue load, a hybrid’s trailer tops out at 4,000 pounds.
- Tongue weight comes out of payload. The X-Pro I drove has 1,157 pounds of it, leaving 657 for people and cargo behind a 5,000-pound trailer.
- The X-Pro has a hitch from the factory; every other trim offers the $625 Towing Package. Tow Mode and Trailer Stability Assist are standard on all of them.
- Kia’s rules: no towing during the first 1,200 miles, under 60 mph with a trailer and 45 mph or less on long uphill grades.
- Towing moves gas-engine oil changes to every 5,000 miles or six months, on the owner’s manual’s severe schedule.
2027 Telluride Towing Capacity by Powertrain
| Powertrain | Trims | With trailer brakes | Without trailer brakes | Max tongue weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L turbo gas, 274 hp | LX, S, EX, SX, SX-Prestige, X-Line, X-Pro | 5,000 lb | 1,653 lb | 500 lb |
| 2.5L turbo hybrid, 329 hp | EX, SX, SX-Prestige, X-Line | 4,500 lb | 1,653 lb | 400 lb |
Each manual prints one set of figures per powertrain, covering front- and all-wheel-drive versions alike. The gas table’s columns are Standard, X-Line and X-Pro, and the hybrid’s are Standard and X-Line.
Kia adds that the braked maximum “may be too heavy depending on how you plan to use your trailer,” naming speed, altitude, road grades, outside temperature and how often you tow.
Trailers Over 1,653 Pounds Need Their Own Brakes
A trailer that weighs more than 1,653 pounds loaded needs brakes of its own, and Kia’s manual says not to tap into the Telluride’s brake system to run them. Setting them up “is not a task for amateurs,” the manual says, and Kia sends owners to “an experienced, competent trailer shop” for the work.
Trailer laws differ from state to state, and the manual points owners to their Department of Motor Vehicles for the local rules.
Tongue Weight: 500 Pounds Gas, 400 Hybrid
A loaded trailer should put 10 to 15 percent of its weight on the tongue, measured at the hitch, with about 60 percent of the load in the front of the trailer and 40 percent in the rear, according to both manuals.
I divided each tongue limit by those percentages. A gas Telluride reaches its 5,000-pound rating only at the 10 percent end of the range; at 15 percent, the 500-pound limit arrives with a 3,333-pound trailer. The hybrid’s 400 pounds works out to a 4,000-pound trailer at 10 percent and 2,667 pounds at 15. Loaded at 10 percent, a 4,500-pound trailer puts 450 pounds on the hybrid’s hitch.
Weigh the trailer and the tongue separately once loaded, on a commercial scale or at a highway patrol office with scales, and shift cargo inside the trailer if the tongue reading is off.
Payload: What the Hitch Takes From the Cabin
Tongue load rides on the Telluride and counts toward its gross vehicle weight, so it comes out of the same payload as passengers and luggage.
The X-Pro SX-Prestige I drove has a door placard capping occupants and cargo at 1,157 pounds. Behind a 5,000-pound trailer carrying 500 pounds on the hitch, 657 pounds remain: four adults at the 150 pounds per person Kia’s manual uses in its load-limit examples, plus 57 pounds of bags.
Fill all seven seats with 150-pound adults and 107 pounds are left over, the tongue load of a trailer near 1,070 pounds at 10 percent.
Gross vehicle weight ratings in the 2027 manuals are 6,063 pounds for front-wheel-drive gas models and 6,261 with all-wheel drive, and 6,283 and 6,504 pounds for the hybrid. For any other Telluride, the payload figure is on the placard in the driver’s door jamb.
Hitch, Towing Package and Tow Mode by Trim
| Equipment | Gas | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Trailer hitch | Standard on X-Pro SX and X-Pro SX-Prestige; $625 Towing Package on other trims | $625 Towing Package on every trim |
| Tow Mode | Standard | Standard |
| Trailer Stability Assist | Standard | Standard |
| Self-leveling rear suspension | X-Line EX, SX and every trim above | SX and every trim above |
On a Telluride with a hitch, a cover sits in the center of the lower rear bumper. It comes off with a screwdriver: pry out the two clips along its bottom edge, pull the edge toward you to free two side claws, then tilt it about 30 degrees and draw it downward. Kia says the cover and the hitch can ride in the cargo area’s luggage tray.
Use a frame-mounted hitch. The bumpers are not intended to carry one, the manual says, which rules out rental and other bumper-mounted hitches.
Tow Mode is a button on the instrument panel. It retunes power output, shift pattern, braking and stability control for the load, and Drive Mode and Terrain Mode stay locked while it is on.
With the SUV in Park, you enter the trailer’s weight in the Trailer menu on the center screen.
Kia dealers sell a trailer control module connector that runs the trailer’s lights through the Telluride and flags a failed trailer bulb on the cluster. Once the SUV detects a connected trailer, some driver-assistance features may be limited, according to the manual.
Trailer Stability Assist brakes the Telluride automatically when it senses the trailer swaying, and Kia also suggests asking a hitch dealer about sway control.
Kia’s Rules for Driving With a Trailer
Both manuals give the same instructions:
- Wait until the odometer passes 1,200 miles before towing, so the engine can break in. Kia warns that towing sooner may cause “serious engine or transmission damage.”
- Keep below 60 mph with a trailer.
- On a long uphill grade, slow to 45 mph or the posted towing limit, whichever is lower, and shift to a lower gear.
- On grades steeper than 6 percent, watch the coolant temperature gauge, and pull over if the needle heads toward H.
- Leave at least twice the usual following distance.
- Avoid parking on a hill with the trailer attached.
An off-road display on the X-Pro puts engine, transmission and oil temperatures on one screen. On the X-Pro I drove, that screen showed the transmission at 201°F one October evening.
Maintenance When You Tow
Towing puts the gas Telluride on its owner’s manual’s severe maintenance schedule. Oil and filter changes come every 5,000 miles or six months, against 8,000 miles or 12 months normally. Automatic transmission fluid, which needs no service on the normal schedule, is replaced every 56,000 miles, and all-wheel-drive models get fresh rear differential and transfer-case oil every 72,000.
Kia names engine oil, axle lubricant, coolant and the brakes as the items that need closer attention, and says to check transmission fluid more often when towing. Both manuals say the vehicle “will need service more often when you regularly tow a trailer.”
Towing Accessories Matched to Kia’s Instructions
I chose each item below for a step in the 2027 Telluride’s owner’s manual, with prices from Amazon on November 2, 2026.
| Manual step | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Weigh the tongue | Sherline LM-1000 tongue weight scale | $195.90 |
| Run the trailer’s electric brakes | CURT Echo 51180 brake controller | $289.95 |
| Add sway control | CURT 17200 friction sway control with the CURT 45820 sway tab ball mount | $64.99 and $46.78 |
| Chock the trailer on a hill | SECURITYMAN solid rubber wheel chocks | $37.99 a pair |
| Check tire pressure | JACO ElitePro digital tire gauge | $29.90 |
Tongue Weight Scale: Sherline LM-1000
Sherline machines the LM-1000 from steel and aluminum in the United States and rates it to 1,000 pounds, double the gas Telluride’s tongue limit. It gives the reading Kia asks for once the trailer is loaded, before you shift cargo to land between 10 and 15 percent.
Brake Controller: CURT Echo
Kia lists no brake controller in the Telluride’s equipment, but the manual’s wiring diagram shows a seven-pin trailer connector with an electric-brake circuit and a battery feed. CURT’s Echo plugs in between the SUV’s 7-way connector and the trailer’s, so it needs no wiring under the dash, and you set its braking output in the OneControl Auto app on a phone. It handles trailers with one or two axles. Check that your Telluride’s connector is the 7-way blade type before ordering.
Sway Control: CURT 17200 and 45820
Kia suggests asking a hitch dealer about sway control, in addition to Trailer Stability Assist. CURT’s 17200 friction bar limits side-to-side trailer movement and has an adjustment bolt for different loads. It mounts on a sway tab beside the hitch ball, which CURT’s 45820 ball mount carries, and the 45820 fits a 2-inch receiver.
Wheel Chocks: SECURITYMAN Solid Rubber
Kia’s hill-parking steps put chocks under the trailer’s wheels on the downhill side before the parking brake takes the load. SECURITYMAN’s pair is molded from solid rubber in bright orange, with a hole for tying the two together.
Tire Gauge: JACO ElitePro
The manual says to check tire pressure when towing, and the X-Pro I drove calls for 35 psi cold, front and rear, on its door placard. JACO builds the ElitePro from brass and steel, claims accuracy within 0.5 percent of full scale and backs it with a lifetime warranty.
Matching a 2027 Telluride to Your Trailer
- For a trailer under 1,653 pounds loaded, without brakes: any 2027 Telluride.
- For a braked trailer between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds: a gas Telluride, loaded close to 10 percent on the tongue.
- For a hitch from the factory, all-terrain tires and an electronic limited-slip differential: the X-Pro SX at $53,690.
- For trailers up to 4,000 pounds and 31 to 35 mpg combined when unhitched: the Telluride Hybrid.
- For self-leveling rear suspension: a gas X-Line EX, SX or higher, or a hybrid SX or higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the towing capacity of the 2027 Kia Telluride?
Gas 2027 Tellurides are rated to tow 5,000 pounds with trailer brakes and 1,653 pounds without them. The Telluride Hybrid is rated at 4,500 pounds with trailer brakes and 1,653 without.
How much can the 2027 Telluride Hybrid tow?
The hybrid tows 4,500 pounds with a braked trailer and 1,653 pounds unbraked, with a 400-pound maximum tongue weight. At Kia’s recommended 10 to 15 percent tongue load, that tongue limit holds a hybrid’s trailer to 2,667 to 4,000 pounds.
Does the Telluride X-Pro tow more than other trims?
The X-Pro shares the 5,000-pound rating of every gas Telluride. Its additions include a factory hitch, 18-inch all-terrain tires, an electronic limited-slip differential and 9.1 inches of ground clearance.
Does the 2027 Telluride come with a tow package?
The X-Pro SX and X-Pro SX-Prestige come with a hitch. Every other gas and hybrid trim offers the $625 Towing Package, and Tow Mode and Trailer Stability Assist are standard across the lineup.
What is the tongue weight limit on the 2027 Telluride?
Maximum tongue weight is 500 pounds on gas models and 400 on the hybrid. Kia recommends a tongue load of 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer’s weight, and the tongue load counts against the SUV’s payload.
How much payload does the Telluride have when towing?
The X-Pro SX-Prestige I drove carries 1,157 pounds of payload on its door placard. A 500-pound tongue load leaves 657 pounds for people and cargo, enough for four 150-pound adults and 57 pounds of luggage.
Is the Kia Telluride good for towing?
For braked trailers up to 5,000 pounds, the gas Telluride carries Tow Mode, Trailer Stability Assist and, from the X-Line EX and SX up, self-leveling rear suspension. With a full cabin, payload becomes the tighter limit: seven 150-pound adults leave 107 pounds for the tongue on the X-Pro I drove.
Can you tow with a new Telluride right away?
Kia’s manuals say to wait until the first 1,200 miles have passed, so the engine can break in. Towing sooner, Kia warns, may cause serious engine or transmission damage.
Does an aftermarket hitch raise the Telluride’s towing capacity?
Kia’s manuals say the maximum safe trailer weight should never exceed the braked rating, which is 5,000 pounds for gas models and 4,500 for the hybrid. A receiver with a higher rating leaves those numbers where they are. Kia also calls for a frame-mounted hitch rather than one fixed to the bumper.
Does towing change the Telluride’s maintenance schedule?
Towing puts the gas Telluride on the severe schedule: oil and filter every 5,000 miles or six months, transmission fluid every 56,000 miles, and rear differential and transfer-case oil every 72,000 miles on all-wheel-drive models.
The manufacturer provided the vehicle for my week in the X-Pro SX-Prestige with a full tank of gas. I have not used the accessories listed. As an Amazon Associate, The Weekly Driver earns from qualifying purchases.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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