Passport towing at a glance
- Current US model covered
- 2027 Passport, V6, AWD and 10-speed automatic across all six listed trims
- Published towing maximum
- 5,000 lb with the required equipment and Honda's loading conditions
- Standard receiver equipment
- RTL Towing and all four TrailSport variants have the Class III hitch, harness and panel; RTL doesn't
- Occupant conditions
- With two people, 5,000 lb of trailer and 500 lb of tongue load, under the manual's weight assumptions
- Spare supplied
- Compact spare on every listed trim
- Spare recommendation for towing
- Full-size wheel and tire for both the Passport and trailer; Honda lists a current cargo-area Passport option
- The inventory question
- Was the complete full-size assembly aboard at the weighing you're using?
Sources checked October 16, 2026: Honda's 2027 specifications, 2027 owner's manual, printed pp. 97–103, and current Passport accessories.
How much can a Honda Passport tow?
Every 2027 US Passport trim is rated for up to 5,000 lb, with the required towing equipment and the manual's loading conditions. The RTL needs accessory receiver equipment; RTL Towing and the four TrailSport variants come with the Class III hitch, harness and panel. The receiver is only one part, so confirm the ball mount, ball, wiring and trailer-brake equipment for your trailer. Honda's 2027 specifications.
Honda's 2027 manual, printed pp. 97–98, gives these occupant rows. Each assumes 150 lb per person plus 17.6 lb of cargo per person, with seats filled front to back.
| People aboard | Maximum loaded trailer | Maximum tongue load |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5,000 lb | 500 lb |
| 3 | 4,750 lb | 475 lb |
| 4 | 4,500 lb | 450 lb |
| 5 | 4,250 lb | 425 lb |
Extra weight, cargo or accessories lower both maximums, but that passage gives no formula for how much. Subtracting an added item's weight from each rating would be inventing a rule. The rows also don't replace your vehicle and axle labels or the hitch and trailer limits.
Honda recommends trailer brakes at 1,000 lb or more. Electric trailer brakes need electronic actuation, and a connector on its own doesn't mean a controller is installed and working. See the 2027 manual, printed pp. 100–101.
This guide covers the 2027 model Honda announced arriving at dealers on September 29, 2026. For another model year, use its own manual; for comparisons, see the US towing capacity chart.
Why does the Passport's spare belong in this towing question?
Honda supplies a compact spare but recommends full-size spares for both the vehicle and trailer when towing. Its 2027 manual, printed p. 103, warns that driving on the compact spare can affect stability and tells you to unhitch before changing a flat. The current Passport accessory page shows the optional full-size spare in the cargo area of a 2027 TrailSport Elite.
The full-size assembly is extra, on top of the compact. Count the wheel, tire and everything that secures them, plus the compact if it stays aboard. Any mounting pieces already fitted when you weighed the Passport are already in that number.
In an October 12, 2026 owner thread, a 2026 TrailSport Blackout owner described fitting a full-size spare after days on the compact. Another owner replied on October 14 that they had the kit and tire but left it out between out-of-town trips to get cargo space back; their model year wasn't stated. Neither post reports a weighing error or says anything about 2027 towing. They do show why it's worth recording whether the spare is aboard.
Was the wheel already aboard at your last weigh-in?
If the complete assembly was aboard, its weight is already in the scale reading, even if you forgot to list it. What matters is whether the vehicle changed or only the record did.
| What actually happened | What the earlier weighing includes | What to do with the record |
|---|---|---|
| The spare assembly was aboard but missing from the item list | Its weight was measured with the vehicle | Correct the scale-day inventory; count that weight once |
| The assembly was absent, then put in the cargo area later | Its weight was absent from the measured baseline | Record the newly carried assembly and its complete weight; get fresh readings for the changed setup |
Check the scale-day load list or any other record of what was aboard. If you can't tell, weigh the current loaded setup instead of guessing what the earlier total contains. The same distinction applies when correcting linked loads after a loadmate weigh-in.
What changes if an 80 lb spare assembly goes in afterward?
An assembly added after weighing adds its full weight to the unhitched vehicle and the combination. Here's one example: a 2027 Passport TrailSport Elite AWD with a factory receiver, ordinary ball mount and no weight-distributing hitch. Every reading, load and label value in it is assumed.
At the baseline weighing, the Passport carries two adults, full fuel and trip gear, plus its compact spare, receiver and ball mount. The full-size vehicle spare and its mounting equipment aren't aboard. The travel trailer weighs 3,000 lb complete, including its own full-size spare and restraints, against an assumed 3,500 lb Trailer GVWR.
Now put an 80 lb complete vehicle spare assembly, meaning the wheel, tire and all securing equipment, in the Passport's cargo area. The compact stays aboard. 80 lb is an example figure, not a verified Honda kit weight. The trailer load stays the same, and the calculation assumes its separately measured 330 lb tongue load does too; check that on a real setup.
| Same example rig | Baseline weighing | After the new 80 lb assembly |
|---|---|---|
| Occupied Passport, unhitched | 5,200 lb | 5,280 lb estimated |
| Hitched front axle | 2,850 lb | Unknown until reweighed |
| Hitched rear axle | 2,680 lb | Unknown until reweighed |
| Total hitched Passport | 5,530 lb | 5,610 lb estimated |
| Complete loaded trailer | 3,000 lb | 3,000 lb, assumed unchanged |
| Tongue load | 330 lb | 330 lb, assumed unchanged |
| Trailer axle weight | 2,670 lb | 2,670 lb if tongue stays unchanged |
| Complete combination | 8,200 lb | 8,280 lb estimated |
The baseline vehicle total is 2,850 lb + 2,680 lb = 5,530 lb. Its 330 lb tongue load matches the trailer figures, 3,000 lb − 2,670 lb = 330 lb, or 11% of the loaded trailer. Honda specifies approximately 10–15% for trailers other than boats, within the applicable maximum (2027 manual, printed pp. 98–99).
Count the tongue once in the combination: hitched vehicle plus trailer axles is 5,530 lb + 2,670 lb = 8,200 lb, and unhitched vehicle plus complete trailer gives the same 5,200 lb + 3,000 lb = 8,200 lb. The new assembly brings that to an estimated 5,610 lb hitched vehicle and 8,280 lb combination.
For the vehicle-weight check, assume you've read this Passport's certification label and it says 5,820 lb GVWR, the maximum loaded vehicle weight. The gap to that GVWR shrinks from 290 lb to an estimated 210 lb. That's a GVWR-only number, not remaining payload or a go-ahead to tow. Honda points owners to their own certification label for GVWR and axle ratings in the 2027 manual, printed p. 409.
Two things this math can't give you: the new axle weights, which need a fresh weigh, and how far Honda's trailer and tongue maximums drop for the extra cargo, which that passage doesn't put a number on. The carried-load placard, combined limit, trailer axle and tire ratings, hitch components, brakes and controller still need checking too; the what can I tow guide brings those limits together.
If the assembly had already been aboard at the original weighing, the totals would already include it, and adding 80 lb again would count it twice.
How can loadmate keep the spare connected to the right weighing?
Record a full weigh-in with the loads actually aboard, and loadmate keeps that measured baseline apart from later load entries. For this Passport, the entry that matters is whether the full-size wheel, tire and securing pieces were there on scale day.
If the assembly was there and only its inventory entry was missing, correct the linked scale-day loads. If it went in afterward, record its complete weight and location as a later load; editing the old inventory can't turn new weight into a measurement. The after-weigh-in instructions cover both cases.
Use a full baseline that includes loads; a coupling-only update can't reset it. After a physical addition, get new axle and combination readings and record the changed setup. The weigh-in documentation describes what's kept with those measurements.
Explore loadmate for your Passport's spare and load record.
Before you edit the spare's entry, settle which happened: it was aboard when you weighed, or it went in afterward. The first is a record fix; the second is a heavier Passport.
Related guides
- What can I tow?: check the vehicle, trailer and coupling limits for the loaded combination.
- US towing capacity chart: compare published ratings with their model-year and equipment conditions.
Was the full-size spare already on the scales?
In loadmate, link the full-size spare to the full weigh-in only if it was aboard on scale day. If it went in afterward, record its complete weight and location as a later load, then weigh again. Fixing the old inventory can't measure new weight; the app works from what you enter. Screen shown: load maps from a different US example, an F-150 and Grand Design Imagine.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a Honda Passport tow 5,000 pounds?
Yes, with two people aboard. Every listed 2027 US trim is rated for 5,000 lb with the required towing equipment, and Honda's two-occupant row assumes 150 lb per person and 17.6 lb of cargo per person. More occupants, extra weight, cargo or accessories lower the trailer and tongue maximums. 2027 specifications and manual, printed pp. 97–98.
- Is the Honda Passport a good tow vehicle?
It depends on the trailer and the Passport you're taking. For the 2027 US model, apply the equipment and occupant conditions, then check the loaded vehicle, trailer, tongue and axle weights against their limits; the 5,000 lb maximum alone can't settle a specific pairing. Honda's 2027 manual, printed pp. 97–101.
- Do I need a full-size spare when towing with a Passport?
Honda recommends full-size spare wheels and tires for both the Passport and the trailer when towing. The 2027 Passport comes with a compact spare, and Honda warns that driving on it can affect stability. Count the complete full-size assembly, plus the compact if it stays aboard. 2027 manual, printed p. 103 and 2027 specifications.
- Was the optional spare included in my last weigh-in?
Only your scale-day inventory can tell you. If the assembly was aboard, its weight is already in the reading even if the item entry is missing, so correct the inventory without adding it again. If you put it aboard later, it's new carried weight: record it as a change, then weigh again. After your weigh-in.
- Do I need Tow mode with a light trailer?
Honda's 2027 Passport towing instructions say to select Tow mode, with no lower trailer-weight threshold. Tow mode disables the rear parking sensors, rear Low Speed Braking Control and Auto Idle Stop, and the vehicle returns from Tow to Normal at the next startup, so select Tow again each time you tow. 2027 manual, printed pp. 103 and 158.
- Does the Passport require a weight-distributing hitch?
No. Honda says the 2027 Passport is designed to tow without needing a weight-distributing hitch. If you choose to use one, ask the trailer manufacturer about installation and setup. This guide's example uses none. 2027 manual, printed p. 100.