Best Gas Mileage Trucks

The compact truck segment lay dormant for decades until a pair of SUV-based options resurrected the small pickup market in 2022: the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. While the payload and towing limits for these city-friendly runabouts are relatively low, their utility and ease of parking in crowded urban centers are undeniable.

Midsize trucks offer an excellent compromise between a city vehicle and a utilitarian pickup truck. Compared to compact trucks, this class of vehicle can accommodate bigger towing needs and bigger passengers, and they often have a more upscale cabin design and materials. Midsize trucks are small enough to park relatively easily and tend to get reasonable gas mileage. But the versions listed below are the best.

Full-size pickup trucks are both highly versatile and highly sought after by today's shoppers. In fact, three of the top six best-selling vehicles in the United States are full-size pickup trucks. These beasts prove their worth on a daily basis, but they can be expensive to own and operate, especially if you go with a relatively powerful and thirsty engine. To get the best fuel economy out of your full-size pickup truck, check out the options below.

This category is silly, but we figured we'd include it anyway. Why is it silly? Because heavy-duty pickup trucks don't get rated for fuel economy by the EPA. But we can tell you that within the heavy-duty class there are two levels: 2500 and 3500 (or 250 and 350 in Ford parlance). For the most part, the 2500 models have a single rear-wheel setup and the 3500s run with dual rear wheels. The added wheels mean the 3500s can tow and haul more but tend to get even worse fuel economy. If you aren't towing 25,000 pounds on a weekly basis, we recommend avoiding a dual rear-wheel setup.

It's also worth noting that all heavy-duty pickup trucks have a diesel option. Sure, they have beefy gasoline V8s as standard, but the optional diesel engines put out much more torque and therefore unlock higher towing ratings. Thanks to the inherent fuel efficiency of diesel engines, they also get better fuel economy. However, any diesel upgrade will cost you thousands relative to a comparable gas model, which wipes out your fuel savings in a hurry.

If you're interested in best-in-class fuel economy but you've also got a big trailer to tow, a different kind of fuel might be the right choice for you. From full-size to heavy-duty trucks, optional diesel powertrains offer increased fuel economy along with increased torque and towing power. Diesel engines with higher fuel economy also tend to have increased range, a helpful feature on road trips. Of course, depending on the truck, optional diesel powertrains can be prohibitively expensive up front, and diesel fuel has tended to cost more than regular gasoline over time. It's because of these cost factors that diesel engines that used to be widely available in midsize and full-size trucks are now nearly nonexistent in these classes. But if you like an extra bit of torque and some increased fuel economy to go along with your hauling power, check out these diesel choices.