The bakkies in South Africa that can tow the most weight

In South Africa, nearly 20 individual bakkies boast braked towing figures of up to 3,500kg, including a mix of petrol, diesel, and new energy vehicle (NEV) options, like electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models.

Unsurprisingly, most of these are also among the most powerful bakkies in the local market, including the BYD Shark 6 in its Performance guise.

This model boasts incredible 350kW and 700Nm outputs, driving all four wheels and enabling the Chinese double-cab PHEV to tow a caravan with ease.

The mix of models with over 3-tonne towing capacity includes several much-loved legacy brand bakkies like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux, as well as a few surprises and recently launched models.

It must be said that even if your bakkie has a manufacturer towing rating of 3,500kg, road legality in South Africa requires adherence to the National Road Traffic Act.

Under Regulation 51, if a trailer or caravan uses standard brakes, its gross mass cannot exceed the unladen mass of the bakkie towing it.

Because most double cabs have a tare between 1,950kg and 2,300kg, you cannot legally tow a 3,500kg trailer on mechanical overrun brakes alone.

Towing up to 3,500 kg legally requires a trailer with coupled or service brakes operated directly from the driver’s cab.

Licence restrictions also apply, since towing a trailer with a mass above 750kg legally requires a Code EB driver’s licence, as a standard Code B licence restricts you to trailers with a mass of 750kg or less.

Towing a full 3,500kg also consumes a massive share of your vehicle’s total legal rolling weight.

This means you’d have to subtract the trailer weight from the manufacturer’s Gross Combination Mass (GCM) to determine how much cargo and passenger weight you can still legally carry inside the bakkie.

South Africa’s 3.5-tonne towing machines

Bakkies with over 3 tonnes of towing capacity are needed to tow big family caravans to holiday destinations, especially if they are fully loaded.

Below is a list of the double-cab bakkies with the most powerful tow bars in South Africa. Click on their underlined prices for more information about each model.

1. BYD Shark 6 Performance

• Price – R1,149,900
• Power – 350kW/700Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

2. Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster

• Price – R1,519,000
• Power – 210kW/450Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

3. LDV Terron 9

• Price – R779,900
• Power – 164kW/520Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

4. LDV T60

• Price – R699,900
• Power – 160kW/500Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

5. JMC Grand Avenue

• Price – R529,900
• Power – 155kW/500Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

6. Kia Tasman

• Price – R679,995
• Power – 154kW/440Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

7. Toyota Land Cruiser 79

• Price – R1,119,500
• Power – 150kW/500Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

8. Peugeot Landtrek

• Price – R666,900
• Power – 147kW/450Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

9. Isuzu D-Max

• Price – R791,200
• Power – 140kW/450Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

10. GWM P-Series

• Price – R579,900
• Power – 135kW/480Nm
• Braked towing capacity –3,500kg

11. Mitsubishi Triton

• Price – R679,990
• Power – 135kW/430Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

12. Ford Ranger

• Price – R655,600
• Power – 125kW/405Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

13. JAC T9

• Price – R549,900
• Power – 125kW/444Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

14. VW Amarok

• Price – R693,800
• Power – 125kW/405Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

15. Foton Tunland V7

• Price – R689,900
• Power – 120kW/450Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

16. Foton Tunland V9

• Price – R725,900
• Power – 120kW/450Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

17. Nissan Navara

• Price – R493,600
• Power – 120kW/403Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg

18. Toyota Hilux

• Price – R671,100
• Power – 110kW/400Nm
• Braked towing capacity – 3,500kg