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America is obsessed with the pickup, and for good reason. These trucks combine work-a-day ruggedness with pampering luxury and the latest tech.
Top Dogs
The full-size pickup segment is the best-selling automotive segment in the US by a wide margin. It’s also the most competitive. Major automakers put a vast amount of resources into making their full-size truck offerings as good as they possibly can be. As a result, our list of the best full-size trucks is a rundown of some of the best vehicles on the market. These trucks can serve as a luxury living room on wheels, a worksite office, or a boat-hauling vacation cruiser, or all three in the span of a single day. Whether you need a capable and affordable work truck, or the swankiest and most advanced pickup money can buy, you’ll find what you’re looking for below.
6. Nissan Titan
The Breakdown
Platinum Reserve trim is fully loaded
Standard V8 makes plenty of power
Long list of standard driver assistance aids
Relatively weak fuel economy
Wi-Fi hotspot is not standard
Competitors offer larger infotainment screens
Titan would benefit from an all-new generation
CARSFORSALE.COM SCORE
7.5/10
How Do We Score?
CarsForSale.com takes into account key metrics to compile an aggregate score. Click to learn more.
MSRP
$40,005 - $58,695
BEST FUEL ECONOMY
16 City / 21 Hwy (MPG)
The Nissan Titan provides decent value and a generous driver assist suite, but neither get it close to its rivals. In many ways, the Titan feels more like a space filler in Nissan’s lineup than a committed effort to contend with the best full-size trucks out there. Take for instance Nissan decision to go with just one engine option. The Titan’s 5.6L V8 does provide 400 horsepower, the most from any base model in the segment, but that’s also the only engine available. Mediocre fuel economy and a relatively weak 9,320-lbs tow rating are the result. The Titan’s cabin is good by modern automotive standards, but clearly dated compared to the best the segment has to offer. Material quality doesn’t match the price of the truck until you get into the upper trim levels. Standard safety and driver assist technology is one of the Titan’s strengths. With a starting price over $40,000, the Nissan Titan also ignores the bottom end of the market, the basic work truck. Overall, the Nissan Titan can be a decent truck, but it’s really there for brand loyalist, first and last.
5. Toyota Tundra
The Breakdown
Fantastic powertrain
Spacious interior
Smooth ride
Screen is too close
Infotainment UI needs polish
Just two powertrain configurations
CARSFORSALE.COM SCORE
8.3/10
How Do We Score?
CarsForSale.com takes into account key metrics to compile an aggregate score. Click to learn more.
MSRP
$37,645 - $61,000
BEST FUEL ECONOMY
18 City / 25 Hwy (MPG)
The Toyota Tundra received a long awaited and thorough overhaul for 2022. The result is a more competitive pickup with a few new tricks up its sleeve. One of those is the Tundra’s new powertrain options all based around a new 3.5L twin-turbo V6. The base configuration offers a stout 405 lb-ft of torque and good fuel economy. The real headline comes with the hybrid version that adds significantly to both. Power increases to 476 lb-ft and a 22 city / 24 highway MPG rating, with power topping out in the tuned TRD trim at 583 lb-ft. A great new 10-speed transmission is smooth and highly capable. Towing comes in at 12,000 lbs. The Tundra’s interior was also updated. The roomy cabin features a huge new infotainment touchscreen and tons of available storage. Even with all these updates and improvements, the Toyota Tundra still isn’t as fancy or feature laden as the top of the segment. For those that want solid build quality and great fuel efficiency, it remains a solid choice.
4. Chevrolet Silverado
The Breakdown
Base 4-cylinder makes 430 lb-ft of torque
Most trims have 25″ of screen real estate
ZR2 has impressive off-roading components
So. Many. Different. Trim. Configurations
Unimpressive fuel economy for 4WD diesel
Super Cruise requires High Country trim
A Silverado for any possible need
CARSFORSALE.COM SCORE
8.7/10
How Do We Score?
CarsForSale.com takes into account key metrics to compile an aggregate score. Click to learn more.
MSRP
$39,895 - $59,395
BEST FUEL ECONOMY
19 City / 22 Hwy (MPG)
It’s at this point on our list that the competition gets tight. The Chevrolet Silverado is one of a pair of GM trucks (the other being the GMC Sierra) and offers nearly everything you could want in a full-size pickup. Four powertrain options range from a surprisingly powerful turbocharger four-cylinder to two V8s (a 5.3L and a 6.2L) to a six-cylinder diesel. Max towing impresses at 13,300 lbs. The Silverado also offers three different bed options up to 8.2 ft in length. Handling is good and has the Silverado feeling closer to a mid-size SUV than a full-size truck. Tech needs to wow in this segment and the Silverado delivers with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 13.4-inch touchscreen. And there are many, many more features, from the practical, like the multifunction tailgate, to luxury amenities like heated and cooled front seats. And Chevy offers the Silverado in various forms, from the basic Work Truck to luxed-out High Country to off-road oriented ZR2. In all, the Silverado is one of a handful of great trucks that top our list.
3. Ram 1500
The Breakdown
Outstanding power across the lineup
Best in class handling and comfort
Incredible towing capability
Center infotainment system lags at times
Overly complex trim lineup
Pricey no matter what trim
Can we have a street-focused TRX?
CARSFORSALE.COM SCORE
8.8/10
How Do We Score?
CarsForSale.com takes into account key metrics to compile an aggregate score. Click to learn more.
MSRP
$33,975 - $72,490
BEST FUEL ECONOMY
20 City / 25 Hwy (MPG)
The RAM 1500, and really all the top three trucks, have evolved from purpose-built work machines into do-it-all luxury pickups equally at home on family road trips, on the worksite, or going off-road as almost no other factory-built vehicle can. The RAM 1500 offers four different engines, two V6s and two V8s. At one extreme is the V6 diesel, the most fuel efficient powerplant, at 23 city and 33 highway MPG. At the other end is the off-road oriented RAM TRX and its 6.2L HEMI V8 making an absurd 702 horsepower. Of course, the latter gets a comically bad 12 MPG combined. Fuel economy isn’t the RAM 1500 strongest attribute, instead that’s its impressive handling and smooth independent suspension. The RAM is as comfortable as it is capable (towing comes in at 12,750 lbs). On the other hand, the RAM 1500’s interior might be its other strongest attribute. The RAM 1500’s cabin, like the rest of the truck, is versatile. Comfortable and roomy, it’s great for daily commuting and family trips. Loaded with tech and work friendly features, it’s a rolling office. And then there’s all the luxury level features and great fit and finish. Infotainment software is intuitively designed and comes housed in a giant 12-inch touchscreen (if so optioned). Like the Silverado and Sierra, the RAM 1500 has its own multifunction tailgate. Aside from middle-of-the-road fuel economy (or bad in the case of the TRX) and its overall expensiveness, the Ram 1500 is about as good as it gets in full-size pickup.
2. Ford F-150
The Breakdown
A hybrid with 570 lb-ft of torque
FX4, Tremor, and Raptor offer 3 off-road flavors
Stow the console shifter for a flat workspace
Exceptional 12-inch touchscreen
Power Stroke Diesel option is gone
There is an F-150 to suit anyone
CARSFORSALE.COM SCORE
9/10
How Do We Score?
CarsForSale.com takes into account key metrics to compile an aggregate score. Click to learn more.
MSRP
$31,685 - $76,030
BEST FUEL ECONOMY
19 City / 24 Hwy (MPG)
The best-selling vehicle in America for 44 years, the Ford F-150 has been wildly popular for a long time. And today’s F-150 just might be the most impressive iteration to date with pricing and features to serve a broad spectrum of customers. The F-150’s choice of powertrains does a great job of doing just that. A pair of naturally aspirated engines (a V6 and a V8) are offered along with three EcoBoost turbocharged engines and even a powerful and highly efficient new hybrid option producing a staggering 570 lb-ft of torque. From great fuel economy to power enough to tow up to 14,000 lbs, the F-150 has whatever it takes. The F-150s interior is equally impressive. There’s lots of practical touches like copious storage options and a fold away shifter producing a large flat workspace. But there’s also numerous amenities that sound more like features on a Mercedes than a Ford like heated and massaging front seats, a pair of 12-inch digital screens, and a panoramic sunroof to name but a few. And of course, the F-150 is loaded with the latest in automotive tech including Ford’s CoPilot 360 2.0 safety suite and, on higher trims, their BlueCruise active drive and parking assist. Ford truly has both ends of the full-size truck market covered with their base model sitting just under $32,000 and the fanciest, luxury-level Limited at an eye-watering $76,000. So, whether you need a barebones work truck or the height of full-size luxury, the F-150 has you covered.
1. GMC Sierra
The Breakdown
Impressive luxury in Denali Ultimate trim
AT4X sports Miltimatic DSSV dampers
40″ of combined screen spacce
New front end has buff good looks
Supply chain snafus mean it’s not yet for sale
Stepping way up on the luxury truck promise
CARSFORSALE.COM SCORE
9.1/10
How Do We Score?
CarsForSale.com takes into account key metrics to compile an aggregate score. Click to learn more.
MSRP
$32,495 - $80,395
BEST FUEL ECONOMY
19 City / 22 Hwy (MPG)
At the top of our list of full-size trucks sits the GMC Sierra. The Sierra is more than a badge swapped version of the Chevy Silverado. While it shares the same underpinnings, the Sierra is graced with additional tech and luxury features that put it not just ahead of its sibling but ahead of the rest of the segment as well. Great looks, capable powertrains, and the best interior and tech in the segment keep the Sierra a cut above. The Sierra’s base 2.7L inline-four makes a stout 420 lb-ft of torque. There are also two V8s available, a 5.3L and a 6.2L, the latter good for 13,000-lbs of towing capacity. And then there’s the Duramax straight-six diesel with 460 lb-ft of torque, a 13,200-lbs tow rating, and an impressive 23/30 MPG rating. It’s the Sierra’s cabin that stands out, however. From fit and finish, to material quality, to design, tech, and luxury features, the Sierra’s interior is astounding. Take the 16-way, heated, cooled, massaging front seats for example. Or the 12-inch digital gauge cluster, 13-inch infotainment touchscreen, and 15-inch heads-up display. And then there’s the Sierra’s Super Cruise, GM’s advanced driver assistance technology which rivals that of Tesla’s AutoPilot system. Of course, GMC offers eight separate trims of the Sierra from a well-equipped base to the priciest pickup around, the Sierra Denali Ultimate. Even if you’re not going for the top trim, the GMC Sierra really is the ultimate in full-size trucks.
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