The maltose transporter MalFGK(2), together with the substrate-binding protein MalE, is one of the best-characterized ABC transporters. In the conventional model, MalE captures maltose in the periplasm and delivers the sugar to the transporter. Here, using nanodiscs and proteoliposomes, we instead find that MalE is bound with high-affinity to MalFGK2 to facilitate the acquisition of the sugar. When the maltose concentration exceeds the transport capacity, MalE captures maltose and dissociates from the transporter. This mechanism explains why the transport rate is high when MalE has low affinity for maltose, and low when MalE has high affinity for maltose. Transporter-bound MalE facilitates the acquisition of the sugar at low concentrations, but also captures and dissociates from the transporter past a threshold maltose concentration. In vivo, this maltose-forced dissociation limits the rate of transport. Given the conservation of the substrate-binding proteins, this mode of allosteric regulation may be universal to ABC importers.