Ever since the first minivan from Chrysler hit the market in 1984, it's been something someone had to buy, rather than something they wanted to buy. Minivans, for some reason, lacked the cool factor. Now, look at the explosive popularity of crossover SUVs, with millions sold yearly, because people prefer to identify as "rugged individualists" over "minivan drivers." Ironically, most minivans and crossovers share the same car-based platforms and vehicle architecture. 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.
One of the many positive attributes minivans share with crossover SUVs or even midsize pickup trucks is the ability to tow a trailer. No, you’re not going to be towing a 38-foot fifth-wheel travel trailer or other heavy loads with a minivan, but you can tow just about anything that you’d tow with a competitive, unibody crossover. You can also comfortably haul a third row of people that would likely be crammed in the back of a crossover.
Keep in mind, however, that we’re not recommending all minivans for the purpose of towing. The fourth-generation Nissan Quest, for example, has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that really isn’t suitable for hauling anything, especially a trailer.
The trouble with minivans these days is that they’re expensive, and there aren’t many new models from which to choose. Manufacturers like Chevrolet left the business a long time ago. The smaller Ford Transit Connect isn't a "minivan," per se, and Ford sort of barely acknowledges that it sells a passenger version. So, instead of just listing all the new minivans available, we’re going to focus on price ranges, from under $10,000 all the way up to the $50,000-plus range.
Note that if you want to tow with a minivan, you'll need a bit of extra equipment: a receiver hitch, a wiring harness, and even an electric brake controller if you're pushing the edges of the maximum towing capacity. Be sure to check your owner's manual for the specifics. If the used minivan you're considering doesn't have one in the glove box, know that all of the owner's manuals are cataloged online, even for older vehicles, at the manufacturer's website.
The Best Minivans for Towing in 2024
- Under $10,000: 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan
- $10,000–$20,000: 2014–2021 Kia Sedona
- $20,000–$30,000: 2018–present 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 like clockwork. 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 Grand Caravan plummeted on the used market.
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 find 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 sell for short money 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 put out 280 horsepower, fed through an eight-speed automatic transmission rather than a CVT the way Nissan did with the Quest.
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–present 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 2024 Honda Odyssey Elite is going to run $49,970. For a vehicle that’s supposed to be geared toward families, a nearly $50,000 car seems wildly extravagant.
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 $29,634, 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 was 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
In a search of CarGurus listings, we found a brand new 2023 Sienna leftover still available for $39,028. That won’t get you the all-wheel-drive (AWD) version, unfortunately, but it will get you into a brand new hybrid minivan under our price cap. If you're okay buying used, you can certainly find an AWD example 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 volume.
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.
2024 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV
Price Range: $40,000 and up
Max. towing capacity: 3,600 pounds
As far as we’re concerned, the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) is the ultimate family vehicle. I’ve personally recommended it to at least 10 people. Two have taken me up on it, and they’re both thrilled with the van.
One of the biggest issues with minivans is fuel economy. They're big, heavy vehicles with powerful V6 engines. They aren't exactly fuel efficient. The Pacifica PHEV is unique in the minivan marketplace due to its hybrid-electric powertrain. With the Pacifica plug-in hybrid, 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 Pacfica, and you 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.