The Best 2024 Pickup Trucks You'll Wish You Bought This Year
With fall approaching and the year almost ending (where did the time go?), it's time for motoring enthusiasts and those in the market for a new vehicle to gleefully pour over the pages of auto magazines, looking for their 2025 purchase of the year. Or, maybe you're looking to capitalize on the end-of-year sales as dealerships look to make room on their showroom floors.
In any case, here are some of the best pickup trucks of 2024 you'll wish you bought.
2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz
The small but mighty Hyundai Santa Cruz is one of the smallest trucks on our 2024-must-haves list, but it's there for a reason: It's fun to drive and looks funky. Most people will be satisfied with the hauling capability of the Santa Cruz, despite its size, particularly if you outfit it with the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine.
The Santa Cruz is capable of 0 to 60 in just 6.5 seconds and has an impressive 8.6 inches of ground clearance, making it perfect for the casual off-roader or slippery-road driver. Its bed space is 52.1 inches and offers 27 cubic feet of storage space. It also does an impressive 23 MPG.
2024 Ford Maverick
The 2024 Ford Maverick is another smaller truck on our list, but deserving of a spot in your driveway. Not all trucks have to be big and bulky to be the best drives of your life. This is the case with the Ford Maverick, with a standard turbocharged 2.0L engine—a 2.5L hybrid option is also available.
The Ford Maverick will do 0 to 60 in only 6.4 seconds, and while not offering the most comfortable ride in the world, the Maverick feels like your typical truck—which is perfect if that's what you're after. The Maverick has a towing capacity of 4,000 pounds and a payload maximum of 1,500 pounds. It's got a better MPG range than the Santa Cruz at 25 MPG.
2024 Ford Ranger
Completely redesigned for it's 2024 release, the Ford Ranger is one of the classic mid-size pickups from Ford. File this one under "Do It All"—drawing upon the Ford F-150 for its design inspiration, the Ranger comes with a 2.3L 4-cylinder engine, but a V6 turbocharged version is available. Each engine can be equipped with two or four-wheel-drive.
The 2024 Ranger has a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds and 17,11 pounds of payload capacity with the four-wheel drive, whereas the two-wheel drive version bumps that up to 1,805 pounds. Its fuel economy is impressive for such a large vehicle, coming in at 25 MPG , or 23 MPG with the V6 turbo engine.
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2024 Chevrolet Colorado
The 2024 Chevrolet Colorado is an all-around beast designed to take you far, both on-road and off. It's powered by a turbocharged 2.8L 4-cylinder engine, with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Offering between 237 and 310 horsepower, depending on which model you select, the Colorado was built to do it all.
The towing capacity is 7,700 pounds on this thing, meaning it can tow a boat or a camper without issue. The off-road ZR2 version of the Colorado features 35-inch tires and a huge ground clearance of 12.2 inches. It'll do 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds and will give you 23 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway—the best of rear-wheel drive models.
2024 Honda Ridgeline
The 2024 Honda Ridgeline is what you'd expect from Honda: practicality over peak performance. It doesn't have an off-road version, nor does it have any bed-size options (one size only), but it does offer an incredibly smooth ride and a 5,000 pound towing capacity that rivals most other mid-size trucks.
It's only got one powertrain option: a 3.5L V6 producing 280 horsepower and getting you from 0 to 60 in six seconds. This smooth ride (thanks to its independent rear suspension) is perfect for an everyday driver and it can seat five with decent legroom.
2024 Ford F-150
This absolute beast of pickup might literally not fit in your garage—if you choose the extended cab and bed, it is a whopping 20 feet long. Its "XL" base model is powered by a 2.5L twin turbocharged V6, offering 325 horsepower. It does 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds. Meanwhile, the upgraded "Tremor" base model will do 0 to 60 in just 5.3 seconds.
It's worth noting that the Ford F-150 comes in multiple models and trims, so you'll be spoiled for choice. This gargantuan of a full-size pickup has a massive tow capacity of 12,700 pounds with the hybrid model, with that bumping up to 13,500 pounds with a 400 horsepower twin-turbo V6 engine.
The Ford F-150 was designed to do everything you might need—and then some! One of the best pickups ever built does it again in the 2024 year.
2024 Dodge Ram 1500
The Dodge Ram 1500 is the ultimate ride for a full-size pickup. Having both the ability to haul, tow and provide a smooth ride. With the Ram 1500, you start with a 305 horsepower V6 or a 395 horsepower V8: those are your choices—power and more power. Opting for the Ram 1500 "Rebel - Level 2" version will get you a remote start, front and rear parking sensors, and a 115-volt power outlet. You can also get either a 26-gallon fuel tank (standard) or a whopping 33-gallon tank).
It will tow 12,750 pounds—second only for the Ford F-150 in its class and much more than most people need. In general, the fuel economy of the Ram 1500 models will be between 23 and 25 MPG. Standard fare for full-size pickups.
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2024 Toyota Tundra
The 2024 Toyota Tundra offers a smooth ride without compromising on power delivery and composite bed design, and its material will limit the dents and scratches that can happen when you're hauling and towing. For a powertrain, it has the 3.5L V6 engine with a turbocharger, without offering a V8 option (sad face). But fear not: The 10-speed automatic transmission and 4WD will still get you from 0 to 60 in 6.6 seconds.
The Tundra offers ample legroom for everyone, seating five in total. On its dash, you can have an optional 14-inch touchscreen paired with either Android Auto or Apple Car Play. When it comes to hauling and towing, the Tundra has a 11,120-pound capacity—which isn't necessarily write-home worthy, but good enough for most purposes. If you need extra storage space, however, get the CrewMax four-door version.
2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty
The Ford F-250 is the do-it-all truck of the year, rivaled only by the 2500 Dodge Ram. The Super Duty models are known for their extreme hauling and towing capacities, which the 2024 F-250 does not disappoint on: The maximum towing capacity (with a gooseneck) of the F-250 is a stunning 40,000 pounds. Its regular capacity is 13,700 pounds. And payload? A jaw-dropping 8,000 pounds.
For all that towing, you'd need some serious engine power, which it derives from either a 6.7L V8, producing 400 horsepower or a 7.3L V8 that produces 430 horsepower. The Super Duty does it all, and offers a 20 MPG fuel economy—not bad for this massive beast of a pickup.
2024 Dodge Ram 2500
A rival to the above-mentioned 2024 Ford F-250 is the Dodge Ram 2500. Available in two bed/cab length models, the Tradesman and Lone Star, it's also available as a diesel engine option, for more power and torque. For such a large vehicle, the Ram doesn't so much roar as glide down the road, offering an impressively smooth ride.
The engines on offer are either a 6.7L diesel (in the Rebel version) or a 6.4L gas V8 in the Power Wagon version, the latter offering an impressive 410 horsepower and doing 0 to 60 in a respectable 8.3 seconds. If you're looking for a big truck that'll do it all and don't want to go with the Ford, then the Dodge Ram 2500 is a great option.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
Another full-size beast with a can-do attitude. The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD is the perfect option if you regularly haul large equipment around. You'll have a choice of either a 6.6L V8 or a 6.6L turbo-diesel V8, for that extra power. Both the base 6.6L V8 and the turbo-diesel options produce 470 horsepower and give you a 0 to 60 time of 6.4 seconds.
The towing capacity and payload of the Silverado 2500 are an impressive 17,400 pounds (gas) and a whopping 36,000 pounds for the diesel variant. It has a payload capacity of 7,442 pounds. While its fuel economy is only 18 MPG, you might expect it of such a large truck.
2024 Toyota Tacoma
The 2024 Tacoma was, by all accounts, a huge improvement on the previous model year. Digital displays are standard now, as well as a smooth leather interior, and a two-cab and bed configuration is now available. There's also a 326 horsepower hybrid model, which is a law unto itself.
The best model of the 2024 Tacoma range is the SR5, featuring a 278 horsepower, turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine and 17-inch aluminum wheels for the ultimate off-roading experience. It has a modest tow capacity of 6,500 pounds and can haul a payload of up to 1,705 pounds. Offering a fuel economy of between 23 MPG and 26 MPG in two and four-wheel drive respectively, the Tacoma is a respectable mid-size truck for the year.
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2024 Rivian R1T
The 2024 Rivian R1T has been called "one of the most capable EVs ever". And that's true. You might not expect that an electric engine and a truck would go together so well—but they do! The Rivian R1T is available in a Dual-Motor or Quad-Motor setup, with the former creating 533 horsepower, while the latter (featuring four electric motors) generates a stunning 665 horsepower. Its 0 to 60 time? It's one of the quickest trucks ever, at 3.0 seconds with the quad-motors and 3.4 seconds with dual motors. Crazy fast.
Air suspension is included as standard and raises the ground clearance from eight to 14 inches and gives it a decent off-road capability. While the claimed combined fuel economy is an amazing 70 MPGe, testing by car reviewers indicate a disappointing sub-40 MPGe performance. You might not want to tow too much with the Rivian R1T, as doing so significantly reduces its battery life—but it'll tow 11,000 pounds, should you need it.
2024 GMC Sierra 1500
The 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 is another excellent mid-size truck that's built to compete with the big wigs in its class. Available as either a single-cab, double-cab, or four-door crew cab, and with a bed length of between 5.2 and 8.2 feet, it's got almost as much brawn under the hood: a turbocharged four-cylinder as standard, a Duramax diesel, a 5.3L V8, or a 6.2L V8 are all available.
It has a maximum towing capacity of 13,200 pounds (among the strongest in-class), a 2,240-pound payload capacity, and will go from 0 to 60 in just 5.4 seconds. Its fuel economy is modest, offering between 15 MPG (city) and 20 MPG (highway). All in all, it's easy to see why the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 was one of the best-selling trucks in the United States this year.
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2024 Tesla Cybertruck Recall
Of course, the Tesla Cybertruck had to make an appearance, if only because it looks like... well... something out of a Sci-Fi movie and is seriously fast. Unfortunately for Cybertruck drivers in 2024, that speed was permanent. The 2024 model of the Cybertruck featured a fatal flaw that killed one driver in August of this year. The NTSA conducted an investigation which resulted in Tesla recalling all of its Cybertrucks for a faulty accelerator pedal that left drivers traveling at full-speed.
