Ever since the concept of the minivan graced American consumers in 1984, it’s been a faithful family hauler. Though, it’s never exactly been regarded as cool, which has helped crossover SUVs explode in popularity. Crossovers have other upsides to offer, even if they often share the same car-based chassis as minivans. Whether you drive a Honda Pilot or a Honda Odyssey, underneath, it's essentially the same vehicle, with the minivan proving to be far more practical.
Because of this, minivans share one particular quality with crossover SUVs: The ability to be a tow vehicle. We’re not talking about tugging along some monstrous, 38-foot travel trailer, but many possess a respectable towing capacity that’ll pull lighter fare with ease, like a small pop-up camper. They also often haul a third row of people way more comfortably than a crossover.
The trouble with minivans these days is that they’re expensive, and there aren’t many new models to choose from. Manufacturers like Chevrolet left the segment a long time ago, and smaller options are leaving the market.
Instead of just listing only new vehicles, we’re going to focus on price ranges, from under $10,000 all the way up to the $40,000-plus range. Let’s go through the best vans for the job.
The Best Minivans for Towing in 2025
- Under $10,000: 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan
- $10,000–$20,000: 2014–2021 Kia Sedona
- $20,000–$30,000: 2018–2022 Honda Odyssey
- $30,000–$40,000: 2023 Toyota Sienna
- $40,000 and up: 2024 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV
2016 Dodge Grand Caravan
Price Range: Under $10,000 Max. towing capacity: 3,600 pounds
Yes, of course, the Dodge Grand Caravan (and the Chrysler Town & Country, and the Ram C/V Tradesman) makes the list. It’s the 800-pound gorilla in the minivan space. Even at a time when minivan sales were described as “flat” or “declining” or “dead,” Dodge managed to sell around 125,000 Grand Caravans every single year. What’s good for you, prospective minivan buyer, is that about two-thirds of the Grand Caravans that Dodge produced went to rental fleets. When those vans ended their service at Budget and Enterprise, they flooded the used-car market, and the price of a well-maintained, pre-owned Grand Caravan plummeted. Think of them as an indirect way to save money every year on summer road trips.
As a result, you can find a fifth-generation (2008–2020) Dodge Grand Caravan on the used market for incredibly short money. At less than $10,000, you can grab a 2016 Grand Caravan with under 80,000 miles. Keep your eyes open for the American Value Package or AVP. It was essentially an SE with a few things like a touchscreen navigation panel that wasn’t available on the bottom-rung SE. It was dirt cheap even new, and you’ll find that they're a bargain on the used market.
Beginning in 2011, the Grand Caravan—even the cheap AVP trim—came standard with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with 283 horsepower, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. That’s a pretty great setup for towing a trailer. Despite the relatively stout engine, the Grand Caravan was limited to a 3,600-pound tow rating, but that’s easily enough to haul a tent trailer, a good sized utility trailer, a small boat, or a couple of watercraft. If you’re in the earlier years of the generation, you probably won’t find a reversing camera as standard equipment. It's a nice feature to have, especially when you’re hooking up a trailer. But they are readily available in the aftermarket, and we highly recommend adding one to your van.
2014–2021 Kia Sedona
Price Range: $10,000–$20,000 Max. towing capacity: 3,500 pounds
The Kia minivan has had its ups and downs over the years, but the 2014 to 2021 version that was sold here in the United States as the Sedona really was a pleasant vehicle to drive. Interior quality was an improvement over the Chrysler products, and the later years that featured the Hyundai Lambda II GDi V6 engine that put out 280 hp fed through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
You can buy a lot of Sedona between $10,000 and $20,000. At the top end of the price scale, you’re looking at a 2020 Sedona LX with around 45,000 miles on the odometer. If you can live with 80,000 miles, you can get yourself into a 2016 Sedona SX Limited, which provides a lot more in the way of creature comforts. It’s important to note, though, that while Kia has one of the best powertrain warranties in the business at 10 years/100,000 miles, that protection doesn’t transfer to a second owner. When the vehicle is sold, the protection drops to five years/60,000 miles. It’s still a benefit if you’re under the age and mileage caps, but it doesn’t protect you for as long.
Chances are pretty good that any of these Sedona minivans is going to have a reversing camera. By 2014, they were almost ubiquitous.
Towing capacity for the Sedona is right there with the Dodge Grand Caravan, at 3,500 pounds. You’ll need a Class III receiver hitch and a trailer light wiring harness. The hitch is available from the aftermarket for around $220.
2018–2022 Honda Odyssey
Price Range: $20,000–$30,000 Max. towing capacity: 3,500 pounds
The biggest issue with the Odyssey has always been its price. At the top end of the spectrum, a fully loaded 2025 Honda Odyssey Elite is going to fetch around $51,000. For a vehicle that’s supposed to be geared toward families, those are some fat stacks.
But unlike a lot of Honda models, the resale value on the Odyssey plummets almost immediately after purchase. A three-year-old Honda Odyssey with an average 30,000 miles ends up on the used market priced around half of the original MSRP. A CarGurus search shows loads of inventory in the $25,000 range with average mileage, in exemplary condition. If you’re willing to bump right up close to our $30,000 limit, we found an example of a fully loaded 2019 Odyssey Touring EX for $29,600, with just over 25,000 miles. That gets you advanced crash-avoidance features like adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, and automatic emergency braking.
Buying a newer minivan also virtually guarantees you’ll get nice-to-have trailering features like a reversing camera, which can make hooking up a trailer a whole lot easier. Odyssey towing capacity is right in the minivan sweet spot of 3,500 pounds.
2023 Toyota Sienna
Price Range: $30,000–$40,000 Max. towing capacity: 3,500 pounds
While perusing CarGurus listings, we found a gently used 2023 Sienna available for $35,000 (about $4,000 less than the base price of a new FWD 2025 Sienna LE). You'll also find pre-owned AWD versions in this price range.
I drove a new Sienna on a week-long vacation to Maine a few years back. My normal vacation vehicle was a 1996 Buick Roadmaster wagon, which I loved, but my family hated because two years in a row it overheated in the summer sun and we were required to make the second half of the trip back home with the heat blasting to help circulate the coolant. The Sienna, with its second row of captain’s chairs, kept my kids separated from each other, which they both appreciated. Where we used to have to pile stuff on the roof of the Roadmaster wagon, the Sienna just kept swallowing more and more of our gear, thanks to 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats.
Towing capacity is 3,500 pounds, and you won’t find a Sienna from the current generation without a reversing camera to make hooking up your trailer a breeze.
2025 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV
Price Range: $40,000 and up Max. towing capacity: 3,600 pounds
As far as we’re concerned, the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)—with its dual sliding doors—is the ultimate family vehicle. Especially lightly used.
One of the biggest issues with minivans is fuel economy. They're big, heavy vehicles, usually fitted with powerful V6 engines. They aren't exactly fuel-efficient. The Pacifica PHEV is unique in the minivan marketplace due to its plug-in hybrid powertrain. For short trips up to 32 miles, you can run on nothing but the electric motor. Think of this when you’re on vacation: You haul your tent trailer to the campground, plug in overnight, and you can make all of your trips to the beach and into town without ever seeing a gas pump. But, unlike an EV, which would be giving you fits of range anxiety, the Pacifica has a traditional internal combustion engine ready to go when you’ve reached the limit of the electric range. In total, you get 82-mpg equivalent (MPGe) and you can get anywhere you need to go and back, regardless of whether or not there’s a charging station nearby.
At 3,600 pounds, towing capacity for the PHEV is exactly the same as the gas-powered Pacifica, and you can get the surround-view camera, which will show you what’s behind you—but also what’s around you—making trailer hookups and parking a breeze. The only downside is it’s only available with front-wheel drive (FWD).
