These new trucks have the best MPG: Jalopnik

We’re a quarter of the way into the 21st century, so almost anything is possible, including pick-ups that can be economical. Still, the best results usually come from trucks that don’t have conventional gasoline engines under the hood (hint: hybrids and diesels). Not long ago, the idea of ​​a pickup with fuel economy comparable to a passenger car seemed about as likely as a V8 Prius. However, the 2025 Ford Maverick, a hybrid, gets up to 42 mpg in the city and has bragging rights as America’s most fuel-efficient truck. Throw a diesel into a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (or GMC Sierra 1500), and the federal government says this big truck can deliver 29 mpg on the highway.

Yes, this market segment has its share of gas guzzlers, including the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R, which gets an abysmal 10 mpg in the city and 15 mpg on the highway. However, truck buyers looking to minimize their gas station stops have numerous options. To dive into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) fuel economy ratings, we examined every 2025 model year pickup in the compact, midsize and full-size categories. Heavy-duty pickups (which haven’t been tested by the EPA) and all-electric trucks (we’ll save the MPGe conversation for another day) are excluded. Furthermore, the ratings mentioned do not reflect rugged upholstery or tires that could reduce fuel consumption.

At least until Toyota or another automaker enters the field, the compact pickup arena is a two-player contest between the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. With a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid setup as the base engine, the Maverick more than retains its championship status. The Starter Edition with front-wheel drive (FWD) delivers 38 mpg combined (42 mpg city/35 mpg highway). Adding all-wheel drive (AWD) drops the Maverick’s combined fuel economy to 37 mpg (40 mpg city/34 mpg highway). Of course, color has nothing to do with fuel economy, but you might be curious to see how the exterior palette of the new Ford truck compares to the great colors of the original Maverick.

The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder upgrade for the Maverick trades fuel economy for oomph (250 hp versus 191 for the hybrid) and standard AWD. EPA ratings of 25 combined mpg (22 mpg city/30 mpg highway) match the entry-level Santa Cruz. Hyundai’s base 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder with FWD delivers the same fuel economy as the turbocharged Maverick. Add AWD to the equation and the Santa Cruz’s ratings drop 1 mpg across the board (24 mpg combined/21 mpg city/29 mpg highway). The more expensive Santa Cruz trims have a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine and standard AWD. In this configuration, Hyundai’s pickup is rated for 22 mpg combined (19 mpg city/27 mpg highway).

Add in a few outliers – like the Honda Ridgeline, which can climb a hill even in the snow – and the midsize truck market is quite competitive. Yet only a handful of these Goldilocks-sized pickups manage to sip less and carry more. Using the EPA’s combined rating as a benchmark, the category leaders are the four-wheel drive (4WD) Toyota Tacoma with a hybrid-enhanced 2.4-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine and the Ford Ranger based on a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with rear-wheel drive (RWD). Both trucks have an estimated fuel economy of 23 mpg.

The Tacoma without the hybrid powertrain (but otherwise the same 2.4-liter turbo engine) and RWD also delivers 23 mpg in some configurations. These same three trucks lead in city fuel economy, with the hybrid Tacoma’s 22 mpg, followed by the Ranger’s 21 mpg (with RWD) and the Tacoma’s 20 mpg (with RWD) with turbos only.

If highway fuel economy is the priority, the Ranger and its base turbo-four can claim 26 mpg highway for RWD and 4WD configurations. Some versions of the non-hybrid Tacoma (with RWD) are also rated at 26 mpg on the highway. The second level of highway fuel sipping occurs at 24 mpg. This includes the hybrid Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier (with a 3.8-liter V6 and RWD), the Honda Ridgeline (with a 3.5-liter V6 and AWD), and some configurations of the turbo-only Tacoma with RWD. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon can only get 23 mpg on the highway when equipped with the 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-4 with RWD. This GM duo leads the way in the other fuel economy categories.

The efficiency of diesel power is highlighted by General Motors’ use of the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six Duramax in the Chevy Silverado 1500 and its business twin, the GMC Sierra 1500. With RWD, these full-size pickups deliver a combined fuel economy of 26 mpg, better than any pickup from 2025, with the exception of the hybrid-powered Maverick. With 4WD, this pair has a combined rating of 24 mpg. City fuel economy is 22-23 mpg (depending on powertrain and configuration). All other trucks in this class, including GM products with gasoline engines, take a backseat to the Duramax.

If diesel power isn’t on the checklist but class-leading fuel economy is, the Ford F-150 with a twin-turbo, hybrid-assisted 3.5-liter V6 (and 4WD) deserves attention with a combined rating of 23 mpg (22 mpg city/24 mpg highway). A RWD-equipped F-150 with a 2.7-liter V6 tops out at 25 mpg on the highway, but lags behind otherwise (19 mpg city/21 mpg combined). Highway fuel economy remains the same with the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 in the engine bay.

The Ram 1500 with the 3.6-liter V6 and RWD delivers a combined fuel economy of 22-23 mpg (depending on configuration), while highway ratings rise to 24-26 mpg. With the new-for-2025 3.0-liter inline-6 ​​”Hurricane” twin-turbocharged engine, the same truck is rated at 25 mpg on public roads (here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Ram 1500). Since its redesign in 2022, the Toyota Tundra no longer has a V8. Power comes from two versions of a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (including an upgraded hybrid engine), delivering highway fuel economy of 23-24 mpg when running on the rear wheels. Regardless of brand, adding 4WD to the equation typically reduces fuel economy (city, highway or combined) by 1-2 mpg.