Buying a brand-new truck can be an extremely expensive process these days. Even if you’re shopping for a used truck, they can still cost quite a lot compared to many other car body types. In an effort to find the best used pickup trucks, though, iSeeCars did a study.

The Toyota Tacoma 

There are several reasons why the Toyota Tacoma is the best used truck according to iSeeCars, but most truck lovers probably saw this coming. The Toyota Hilux is infamous for being a truck that just doesn’t break down. While the Hilux isn’t available in America, the Tacoma is. And the Tacoma, while it’s not as indestructible as the Hilux is, is still extremely tough in its own right.

For example, the Tacoma was one of the few trucks that to reach 300,000 miles, according to iSeeCars. That said, while the Tacoma did last that long in iSeeCars’s study, the Tacoma wasn’t ranked as the longest-lasting pickup truck. The Tacoma was only second place.

Furthermore, as iSeeCars said, the Tacoma is a truck that doesn’t depreciate its value much. This means that over a period of a few years, the Tacoma will keep more of its value compared to its competitors. Again, Toyota is famous for this as the Toyota Tundra is another Toyota pickup truck that doesn’t depreciate much.

This low depreciation rate also ties into the low cost of maintenance of the truck. The Tacoma doesn’t cost much to repair, so even if it’s used, the new owner won’t have to spend a fortune fixing it up. And finally, Toyota is known for its dedication to safety, and iSeeCars cited the Tacoma’s safety rating as another reason why it ultimately won. 

The Honda Ridgeline 

The runner-up in this race was the Honda Ridgeline, which may shock some people, but it won’t shock others. The Ridgeline is considered by some, including Consumer Reports, as one of the best midsize trucks on the market today, even better than the Tacoma. While Consumer Reports and other media outlets are judging these two trucks when they’re brand-new, the Ridgeline does fall behind the Tacoma when both trucks are used. 

Regardless, iSeeCars mentions that the Ridgeline is incredibly reliable as well. For instance, the Ridgeline is the truck that’s most likely to make it to 200,000 miles, according to iSeeCars. This type of reliability is similar to what Toyota is known for, but to a lesser extent. For example, Autoblog mentions that the Ridgeline also has a relatively low depreciation rate. 

Autoblog says that the Ridgeline will depreciate about 38% of its value over 5 years. This is a lower depreciation rate than many other pickup trucks, but again, the Tacoma depreciates even less than that at just 32% over 5 years. And, just like Toyota, Honda is also known for taking safety seriously.

As a result, the Ridgeline, while it’s better than the Tacoma when they’re brand-new, is only slightly worse than the Tacoma when they’re used.

The Chevy Silverado 1500

While the iSeeCars study doesn’t mention the Chevy Silverado 1500 in-depth, the Silverado did make it in the study’s “Best Used Cars Under $30,000” list. The used Silverado, which was valued at about $25,000, is more expensive than both the Tacoma and the Ridgeline are. 

And obviously, as the Silverado is a full-size truck while the Tacoma and Ridgeline are mid-size trucks, the Silverado is more powerful and more capable than either of those trucks are. But, ultimately, the Silverado 1500 didn’t test out to be as reliable or as durable as the Tacoma or the Ridgeline were, so that’s why iSeeCars didn’t really talk about the Silverado in-depth.