It’s hard to imagine any truck outranking America’s best-selling Ford F-150. And it’s equally tough to think the bowtie brand’s popular Silverado would lose to another manufacturer based on value. But both American truck makers have been dethroned. In the contest for the Best Value Truck Brand of 2021, Toyota earns the nod and takes the crown.

So, what goes into determining which truck offers the best value? And does that mean Toyota builds a better pickup than Ford and Chevrolet?

What is Vincentric’s Best Value Truck Brand award?

If you’re unfamiliar with Vincentric, here’s a quick primer. The company provides objective data that determines overall brand value. In its Best Value Truck Brand of 2021 decision, the company considers average trim levels within each model and estimates ownership costs.

Vincentric’s cost-of-ownership analysis is comprehensive. Using a propriety database, the service calculates over 3,000 variations of depreciation, repairs, maintenance, fuel economy, taxes, and insurance. The process is thorough and unbiased in determining expected and predicted vehicle ownership costs and value.

According to Vincentric, its data “is used by organizations such as AOL, Yahoo Autos!, Cars.com, General Motors, Toyota, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Business Fleet Magazine, Mercedes-Benz USA, BMW of North America, and Fleet-Central.com as a means of providing automotive insight to their clientele.”

Toyota won the Best Value Truck Brand of 2021

After the dust from Vincentric’s calculations settled, Toyota emerged as this year’s Best Value Truck Brand. And the results point to model-level wins from both the smaller Tacoma and the full-size Tundra.

With its best-in-class performance, Toyota beat seven other brands to claim the crown. So, does this distinction mean Toyota builds a better truck than Ford, Chevy, and Ram? It may be contingent on how you define “better.”

Why Toyota trucks offer better value

Toyota already has a reputation for designing and building reliable and dependable vehicles across its portfolio. So it might not surprise you to see the automaker fare well in Vincentric’s evaluation. With affordable MSRPs, including a base price of $26,150 for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma and around $33,675 for the Tundra, both trucks are easy on the wallet upfront.

Considering cost-of-ownership factors, such as fuel economy and maintenance, Vincentric determined the Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are more affordable in the long run than any other pickups.

Ford and Chevy lost the value race this year

Toyota shut out Ford and Chevy for this year’s value award. But both brands have stood on the Vincentric podium before. In 2018 and 2019, the Ford-F-150 won the Best Value in America award in the full-size half-ton pickup category. And the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 earned the distinction in 2020.

Plus, in reviews from publications such as The Car Connection, the Toyota Tacoma ranks ninth in its class, and the Tundra ranks 11th. That means Ford and Chevy both outrank Toyota in other arenas. Though Toyota won Vincentric’s value award for 2021, the automaker doesn’t necessarily produce the best truck overall.

When you’re considering value, your buying process should take into account how much truck you’re getting for the price. You’ll likely consider other factors you need in a truck, too, such as towing capacity, engine size, and functionality. If you need the best towing, you might prefer the Ford F-150. If you want a fuel-efficient diesel engine or Consumer Reports’ most reliable pickup, you might want to consider the Chevy truck.

But in terms of insurability expenses, gas mileage, maintenance costs, and ownership value, no one does it better in 2021 than Toyota.