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Published: Mar 17, 2025 8 min read
Illustration of a car for Money's Best Cars of 2025
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Today’s trucks come in all sizes and even propulsion systems. From full-size gas-guzzlers to compact pickups to brand new electric models, we drove every pickup model on the market to determine which ones best meet your needs, including offering the best bang for your buck.

Pickup trucks are no longer the bare-bones, limited workhorses of old. Though some models are downsizing and some are parting with their gas engines, the class as a whole is becoming more capable and comfortable.

Using a step-by-step methodology, we evaluated the most promising pickups for the attributes that we think matter — including safety, fuel economy or battery range and performance. Some of our picks are old standbys while others are relative newcomers. Below are our five top choices, with explanations on how each stands out from the pack.

(If you’re interested in a broader look at the new vehicle marketplace, check out our full list of the Best Cars of 2025.)

Best Pickup Trucks

Best Overall: Ford F-150
Best for Luxury: GMC Canyon
Best for Quality of Ride: Ram 1500
Best for Warranty: Hyundai Santa Cruz
Best for Residual Value: Toyota Tacoma
Best for Towing: Chevrolet Silverado
Best for City Driving: Ford Maverick

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Best Overall: Ford F-150

Courtesy of Ford
  • Price: $37,350
  • Mileage: 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway
Pros
  • Vast array of configurations and powertrains
  • Affordable starting price
Cons
  • Higher trim levels are especially expensive

The Ford F-150 has topped the charts as America’s best-selling pickup truck for more than four decades. Durable and dependable in a wide variety of driving situations, the truck is available in eight trims and seats three to six passengers.

The F-150 starts at $37,350, which is inexpensive for a full-size truck. Yet the price escalates quickly as one moves up the model line to the range-topping Raptor model, which costs a hefty $78,905. Horsepower also varies between 325 and 720 depending on your choice, with correlating fuel efficiency ratings.

An all-around versatile truck for work or play, the F-150 leads the class in towing capacity, at 13,500 pounds when properly equipped.

Best for Luxury: GMC Canyon

Courtesy of GMC
  • Price: $36,300
  • Mileage: 19 mpg city/23 mpg highway
Pros
  • Smooth handling
  • Well-equipped cabin, with very large screen
Cons
  • High starting price

The GMC Canyon compact pickup is known for its smooth handling and refined cabin. The Elevation base model starts at $36,300, but if you want luxury, and can afford it, we recommend the $51,300 Denali trim. It adds heated seats and options for perforated leather upholstery and a Bose sound system.

The base model is well-equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Wi-Fi hotspot and a large, 11.3-inch touch screen, when rivals’ screens only measure 7 or 8 inches.

Best for Quality of Ride: Ram 1500

Courtesy of Stellantis
  • Price: $40,275
  • Mileage: 18 mpg city/25 mpg highway
Pros
  • New styling
  • Refined ride quality
Cons
  • Underwhelming towing capacity

The Ram 1500 is revamped for 2025 with new exterior styling, larger screens and new engines. The full-sized truck retains the same premium cabin and has a refined ride, courtesy of a sophisticated rear suspension.

The base model starts at $40,275, and includes a 305-horsepower V6 engine, an 8.4-inch touch screen and a long list of safety features, such as rear cross-traffic alert and forward automatic emergency braking. Upper trims offer 12- and 15.4-inch screens.

The truck can be customized in a wide range of ways, topping off at nearly $90,000 for the new-for-2025 Tungsten trim. Note, though, that the suspension that enables the Ram 1500’s stellar ride quality means it can’t tow as many pounds as competing full-size trucks.

Best for Warranty: Hyundai Santa Cruz

Courtesy of Hyundai
  • Price: $28,500
  • Mileage: 22 mpg city/26 mpg highway
Pros
  • Economical, both in price and fuel consumption
  • One of the best warranties of any vehicle
Cons
  • Unexciting performance

The Hyundai Santa Cruz underwent a makeover for 2025, with refreshed styling and more features. The comfortable compact pickup now comes with a curved display with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and updated software compatible with over-the-air updates. All of which make this a very livable truck, should it be where you plan on spending most of your time.

The Santa Cruz is also unusually affordable in multiple ways. Its starting price is the lowest of the group and has the best fuel efficiency as well.

Also a plus for the truck’s cost of ownership is its best-in-class five-year/ 60,000-mile limited warranty and 10-year/ 100,000-mile powertrain warranty. That’s much better protection than you’ll get with the Ford F-150, Toyota Tacoma or GMC Canyon, each of which are covered by a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Best for Value: Toyota Tacoma

Courtesy of Toyota
  • Price: $31,590
  • Mileage: 20 mpg city/26 mpg highway
Pros
  • Affordable price
  • Available with off-roading equipment
Cons
  • Can feel underpowered

With a starting price of about $32,000, the 2025 Toyota Tacoma among the less expensive picks of the group. The mid-sized pickup has a dual reputation for reliability, which provides peace of mind, and for holding its value down the road.

One way in which the Tacoma – at least for its base model – doesn’t stand out is in its power. The 2.4-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine in the 2025 version will generate 278 horsepower. That’s well up only rom the 225 hp of the 2024 base-model Tacoma, yet still falls short of many in this group – the Ford F150 base model delivers 325 horsepower, for example.

Fuel economy (20 mpg city/26 mpg highway) is also up slightly from the Tacoma’s 2024 figures Fuel economy (19 mpg city/24 mpg highway). For off-roaders who can afford to splurge another $10,000 or so over the base SR, there’s the TRD Off-Road trim. With pricing of $42,900, this rugged Tacoma comes with all-terrain tires, a locking rear differential, skid plates and more.

Best for Towing: Chevrolet Silverado

Courtesy of Chevrolet
  • Price: $37,000
  • Mileage: 21 mpg city/23 mpg highway

Pros
  • Impressive towing capacity
  • Among the lowest-priced full-size pickups
Cons
  • Ride is less smooth than some competitors

The Chevrolet Silverado offers fine value and ample power. Starting at $37,000 – one of the lowest starting prices in the segment for a full-sized pickup – the truck boasts outstanding towing capacity of 13,300 pounds.

The Silverado’s base model seats three people, but other cab configurations can hold up to six. It does not come with the same 17.7 touch screen found in other Chevrolet models, but its standard 7-inch touch display serves the basic functions such as Bluetooth, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a long list of safety equipment.

The ride is a little rougher than some full-sized pickups If you need a workaday truck that won’t cost your whole paycheck, the Silverado may be it.

Best for City Driving: Ford Maverick

Courtesy of Ford
  • Price: $27,000
  • Mileage: 23 mpg city/30 mpg highway

Pros
  • Powerful for a compact pickup
  • Cabin is roomy, given the truck’s small footprint
Cons
  • Hard plastic dominates the cabin interior

The Ford Maverick is a pint-sized pickup truck with plenty of power and an attractive starting price of $27,000. Given its small stature, it won’t deliver the same towing, hauling or cargo capacity as other trucks, but its five-passenger cabin is amply sized, and its compact footprint makes it the ideal truck for city living.

Its cabin is mostly trimmed with hard plastic pieces – not a surprise considering its price point – but it’s functional, and it will get you to IKEA and back. If niceties are important to you, the $35,000 top-of-the-line Lariat trim comes with synthetic leather upholstery and headed front seats.

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