Cars and Drivers

These Are the Longest-Lasting Pickup Trucks in America

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 4, 2021 10:35 am

In general, cars and light trucks sold in the United States are better built and last longer. The period when cars built by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors were considered inferior to those made in Japan and Germany has passed. Widely followed car owner surveys from researchers J.D. Power and Consumer Reports support this.

One reason this change in public perception of cars and pickups is so important is that the three top-selling vehicles sold in America are the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado and the Ram brand, which is sold by Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler). Each is a considerable part of the revenue of the three companies. The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for over four decades.

Durability and quality seem to have extended the life of cars and light trucks. The average number of years an American car has been on the road is nearly 12, and that regularly rises. Some vehicles might be labeled super-durable. These are ones that have been driven over 200,000 miles. Based on research from iSeeCars, only 1.9% of pickups have made it that far.

To create its list of the longest-lasting cars, iSeeCars looked at 11.8 million preowned vehicles sold in 2020. They checked the odometers when they were listed for sale. One notable fact about pickups is their durability. iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer remarked about the results: “On average, pickup trucks are almost twice as likely to reach 200,000 miles with a 1.9 percent average for the segment, which is nearly double the average for all vehicles.”

The top three manufactured and marketed pickups did not make the top of the list. In fact, the figure of the Ram was below average. The top four spots on the list were pickups from Japanese companies. None of these have annual sales figures close to those of the F-150, Silverado or Ram.

In first place, the Toyota Tundra, 3.7% of which have driven over 200,000 miles. It competes directly with the American sales leaders. It has a base price of $33,825. The Toyota Tacoma, in third place, with 2.8% having driven over 200,000 miles, is slightly smaller, with a base price of $26,250. In second place with 3.4% having reached 200,000 miles is the Honda Ridgeway, the Japanese company’s only pickup model. Its base price is $36,490.

These are the longest-lasting light-duty pickup trucks:

Click here to see the longest-lasting cars in America.