One of the biggest questions consumers often have: What are the best trucks for the money, and how long will they last on average?
A recent study by iSeeCars.com reveals the data you need to answer this question.
About the study: Best trucks for the money
The study first analyzed the prices of 8.3 million new vehicles sold from September 2023 through December 2023.
Then, they compared this information with a prior longest-lasting vehicles study of 181 million used vehicle odometer readings.
This information was used to calculate the average price per 10,000 miles.
Best 2023 midsize trucks
Looking at the data for 2023 midsize trucks, there are both expected and surprising results.
First, this is no surprise, the best-selling midsize truck, the Toyota Tacoma, tops the list. This truck is largely considered the most-reliable midsize truck and has historically had one of the highest resale values in the segment.
Next, is the Honda Ridgeline. While people will argue “it’s not a truck,” thanks to its unibody design, it has been pretty reliable with the average odometer reading outpacing the Tacoma.
[Related content: Talkin’ Trucks: Chevy Silverado 1500 issues, best trucks]
The top two trucks are followed by Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon. Keep in mind, this data is for the older models of the truck, and the jury is still out on the new 2023 models.
Finishing in last, and a big surprise, is the Nissan Frontier. This midsize truck has had good reliability ratings over the years; however, with the odometer reading being 100k less than the top two and an average new car price right around the midsize truck average, it sure doesn’t look like the Frontier is a good truck to buy.
| Rank | Model | Price per 10k Miles | Average New Car Price | Average Lifespan in Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota Tacoma | $1,746 | $41,727 | 239,028 |
| 2 | Honda Ridgeline | $1,817 | $44,225 | 243,431 |
| Midsize Truck Average | N/A | $2,056 | $42,406 | 206,219 |
| 3 | Chevrolet Colorado | $2,312 | $42,022 | 181,745 |
| 4 | GMC Canyon | $2,912 | $50,193 | 172,381 |
| 5 | Nissan Frontier | $2,936 | $42,490 | 144,722 |
Best 2023 full-size trucks
The best 2023 full-size trucks for the money are full of surprises as well.
In first place is the Chevy Silverado 1500 with an above average lifespan and a below average new-truck price. This truck has been pretty solid for reliability with some minor known problems.
Next, and this is a surprise, is the Toyota Tundra. Why a surprise? Because it isn’t first. Toyota has long claimed to be the most-reliable truck with the best resale value. It was literally edged out of first place by just $5. That $5 difference is going to be a talking point around Toyota’s offices this week.
After that you have the Ram 1500, which is right at the average for both price and lifespan. The current model has seen reliability improvements, and it will be interesting to see if the 2025 Ram 1500 keeps that trend going.
[Read more: What’s the most reliable 2020-2024 heavy-duty truck?]
Next the Ford F-150 comes in below average, and this is pretty surprising for a few reasons. First, the average truck price is much higher than the Chevy Silverado 1500. Why is that surprising? They both have massive truck businesses, and one would think the sheer volume of trucks would help reduce the average price. Second, the lifespan could be explained by the volume of sales. Yet, higher price and lower lifespan is sure to be a turn off for consumers.
The GMC Sierra 1500 comes in fifth. The average new price is a part of the problem here, and this makes sense with GMC becoming a more premium brand than Chevy, resulting in higher prices.
Finally, the Nissan Titan comes in last and is just another reason why Nissan ultimately pulled the plug on this truck.
| Rank | Model | Price per 10k Miles | Average New Car Price | Average Lifespan in Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | $2,863 | $57,129 | 199,544 |
| 2 | Toyota Tundra | $2,868 | $64,824 | 226,032 |
| Full-Size Truck Average | N/A | $3,272 | $61,353 | 187,490 |
| 3 | Ram 1500 | $3,352 | $61,212 | 182,593 |
| 4 | Ford F-150 | $3,469 | $61,554 | 177,465 |
| 5 | GMC Sierra 1500 | $3,598 | $66,086 | 183,652 |
| 6 | Nissan Titan | $4,008 | $57,758 | 144,115 |
What about heavy-duty and compact trucks?
We didn’t see heavy-duty or compact trucks in the study. iSeeCars specifically said it excluded the HD trucks from its list because it focuses on consumer-oriented studies, and heavy-duty trucks are often considered more commercial.
Compact trucks, the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, were also excluded. But this time there’s a reason: They were not “continuously in production over the last decade.”
The bottom line
When truck shopping, may it be for yourself or your soon-to-be college student, data analysis is a key component in the purchase decision. This study and others will help you become an informed consumer.
3 comments
Anonymous
The iSeeCars article uses an over-simplified method for determining the price / 10K miles. They simply take that average purchase price and divide it by the number of 10K mile “segments” in the average lifespan column. Using the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 as an example, the average purchase price is $57,129 and the number of 10K mile segments is 19.95 (199,544 / 10,000), so the average cost/10K miles is $57,129 / 19.95 = $2863. This method favors cheaper vehicles that are driven more and does not take into account the overall cost of repairs, etc. It ends up being not very useful information in my opinion.
Anonymous
It’s not oversimplified, it’s exactly what it says it is.. PRICE per 10k. What you are describing is more akin to operating costs.
Anonymous
Operating cost is much more useful than purchase price per 10K.