Best Pickup Truck Buying Guide

Cab Size and Seating
Regular cabs have only front-row seating and are the least expensive to buy, but they tend to be available only in basic, work-oriented configurations. Extended cabs are far more useful due to their small rear seat and set of shortened rear doors. Crew cabs are the most popular configuration and provide the roomiest interior accommodations, especially in full-sized trucks.

Pickup trucks are among the only vehicles left that can be configured to seat three across in the front seat. Rear seats in extended-cab trucks can be cramped for adults, with limited legroom, though they’re often acceptable for kids. The real advantage of an extended cab is additional interior storage. Crew-cab trucks have four full-sized doors and a rear seating (or cargo) area on a par with midsized and full-sized SUVs, but these large cabs usually come with a smaller cargo bed.

As you move up the trim lines, cloth seats turn into leather, and heated and cooled seats with increasing levels of adjustability become a given for the top trims. Other optional creature comforts include heated steering wheels, enormous touch-screen infotainment systems, and massive sunroofs that make high-roller truck buyers feel like they’re driving in the lap of luxury. However, getting into many of these cabs can be a hike; even with available running boards, it’s a steep climb up into most trucks.

The Bed
This is, of course, what sets trucks apart from all other vehicles. The open cargo bed lends itself to accomplishing serious chores, such as moving large appliances, bulky furniture, tools or equipment, motorcycles, snow blowers, and outdoors-only cargo like wood chips, manure, and trash. These are tasks most people wouldn’t want to (or couldn’t) do with a minivan or an SUV. Among other considerations, the open bed leaves cargo vulnerable to weather or theft.

In a full-sized pickup, the average bed length is 6 feet but can go up to 8 feet, usually with a regular or extended cab. Four-door crew cabs can generally be had with a 5- or 6-foot bed. Compact pickup beds usually run 4 1⁄2 to 6 feet, depending on cab configuration. Do consider how you will use the bed, and how often, because this may guide some major decisions.

There are many bed accessories available, including LED lights, a tailgate step, stowable load ramps, tie-down loops, stake pockets, and remote tailgate releases. Some even come with power-operated tailgates. Spray-in and drop-in liners are popular for added protection when hauling items in the bed.

The tailgate has become a differentiating factor among trucks. The Honda Ridgeline comes with a dual-action tailgate, which allows it to flip down like a conventional tailgate or swing sideways like a door. The Silverado and Sierra are available with a tailgate that can act as a step, a work surface, or even an extension to the bed itself. Ford has added locations for clamping building materials to the tailgate of the F-150. Most or all of these features are offered by just about every brand.

Engines and Fuel Economy
Engines range from small four-cylinders and V6s to V8s and big diesels. For top marks in fuel efficiency, look no further than the Maverick hybrid, which delivered 37 mpg overall in our tests—the best by far of any other pickup. 

Ford offers a hybrid F-150 that includes a powerful 3.5-liter turbocharged V6. In our tests, it returned 20 mpg overall in a crew cab, four-wheel-drive model—just 1 mpg better than Ford’s 2.7-liter V6. The 1500-series diesel engines from GM and Ram also rank high, with 23 mpg overall.

Heavy-duty trucks are built for working hard. They create a lot of power and torque, with fuel economy around 14 to 16 mpg overall for the big rigs.

All-electric trucks offer yet another powertrain option. The base Ford F-150 Lightning delivers 240 miles of cruising range, and the extended-range model boosts that up to 320 miles. The Rivian R1T provides an EPA-rated range of 289 to 352 miles. But aside from that, these EV trucks are super-quick. For example, our R1T zipped from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. Our tested F-150 Lightning is also blisteringly quick, with 775 lb.-ft. of near-instant torque at the driver’s beck and call.

Towing
Pickup trucks are well suited to hauling boats, cars, utility trailers, and campers behind them. The owner’s manual will note the maximum weight that can be carried (payload) or towed. Buyers can have the manufacturer or dealer install towing equipment, or they can add it themselves, using aftermarket parts. Purchasing from the factory is the best choice because installation could involve complex wiring for the trailer brakes and lights, special attachment points for the tow hitch, and accessories such as a heavy-duty alternator and a transmission oil cooler. In addition, the manufacturer-engineered packages come backed by a factory warranty. Most pickups can be ordered with a trailer-brake controller.

Other available towing features include a hill hold assist, trailer sway control, a transparent trailer-view camera that allows the driver to seemingly see through the trailer, and steering assist that compensates for a trailer.

There are several factors that dictate a truck’s towing capacity, in addition to engine power. They include cab and bed size, wheelbase length, rear axle ratio, and the presence (or absence) of a factory towing package. The differences can be significant: A properly equipped full-sized truck can safely tow up to 12,000 pounds, but some configurations are limited to as little as 5,500 pounds. It is important to confirm the capabilities of the specific model you’re considering, rather than select based on marketing. 

A typical compact pickup truck can tow between 5,000 and 7,500 pounds, and heavy-duty pickups can be configured to tow over 35,000 pounds. It’s important to understand what you intend to tow and to research the specific truck you are considering to determine its safe towing capacity.

For ambitious hauling or towing, consider getting a diesel engine; many are available in both regular and heavy-duty models. The higher torque output associated with diesel engines makes heavy towing easier.

Electric truck range is significantly reduced when towing a trailer.

Ride and Handling
Trucks are designed to carry weight in the bed, so most deliver a stiff ride when the bed is empty. The heavy-duty models are borderline punishing. Some models, such as the Honda Ridgeline and Ram 1500, have made the greatest strides in delivering a reasonably comfortable and quiet ride. With just about any truck, placing even a modest load in the bed helps calm the ride somewhat.

With the electric trucks’ extra weight, the ride is improved over many standard 1500-series models but is still not quite up to the level of the Ram.

When it comes to handling, the sheer bulk of many of these gargantuan machines means that buyers should abandon all hope of nimble moves. Again, compared with full-sized trucks, the compact models have an edge when it comes to responsive handling—relatively speaking. However, buyers should expect trucks to have clumsy and somewhat ponderous handling.

Safety and Active Driver Assistance Systems Technologies
Consumer Reports’ safety ratings include assessments of crash-avoidance capabilities and crash-test results, based on tests performed by the federal government and insurance industry. Further, our road tests detail issues regarding child seat installation and headlight performance.

Forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, and blind spot warning (BSW) are crash-avoidance technologies that CR believes should be standard on all vehicles. These should be on the next new or used model you buy.

FCW technology provides a visual, audible, and/or tactile alert to warn the driver of an impending collision with a car or an object directly in its path. AEB responds to an imminent collision, braking if the driver does not react in time. BSW monitors a vehicle’s flanks, warning the driver that another vehicle is alongside it, where it may be difficult to see.

Other modern safety advances include telematics systems that can alert emergency personnel if an airbag deploys, such as GM’s OnStar service; lane departure warning systems that sound an alert if the driver changes lanes without signaling; lane keeping assistance to maintain the vehicle’s position in the lane if the driver starts to drift; and rear cross traffic alert, which monitors the sides of the vehicle when the driver is backing out of a parking spot, and can even apply the brakes if needed. (Learn more about car safety.)

The most popular types of trailers for consumer use fall under two categories: utility trailers and enclosed trailers. A utility trailer is open and provides space for hauling lawn equipment, scraps or all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). An enclosed trailer lets you lock your equipment up and provides accessible mobile storage.

Size is a major factor when choosing a trailer. Utility and enclosed trailer sizes vary from 4 feet by 6 feet to over 20 feet. The jobs and equipment you'll be carrying will determine what type of trailer you should buy. The ideal trailer for you will accommodate the loads you plan to move.