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It’s always hard to say a new truck is a good investment. After all, they do lose a LOT of their value the second you drive one off a dealer’s lot. But not all trucks are created equal and some simply don’t last. But what about the Honda Ridgeline pickup?

The Honda Ridgeline is expected to go 250,000 miles

A dark-gray 2023 Honda Ridgeline midsize pickup truck model driving over snow as the sun shines over a hill
2023 Honda Ridgeline | American Honda Motor Co., Inc

The Honda Ridgeline ranks among the top as one of the longest-lasting trucks you can buy. In fact, this midsize truck comes in second to the full-sized giant Toyota Tundra for trucks that have a potential lifespan of 250,000 miles. According to to iSeeCars, which ranks cars and trucks based on their potential lifespans, the Tundra is expected to hit 256,000 miles while the Ridgeline makes it to 249,000. Honda cars and trucks are known for their reliability and long lifespans, so it makes sense that the Ridgeline would make the list.

Of course, to collect that data, that means that iSeeCars had to survey a lot of folks with older trucks. It’s hard to drive 250,000 miles in just a couple of years. Many of those trucks are likely first-generation Ridgelines, which Honda made from 2005 to 2016. Though the Ridgeline has seen some updates, in many ways it’s remained the same durable truck for years.

Is a Honda Ridgeline a good purchase?

Honda Ridgeline Swing Tailgate Open and bed trunk open
Honda Ridgeline Swing Tailgate | Honda
2023 Ridgeline interior in grey
2021 Ridgeline Sport with HPD Package | Honda

According to U.S. News and World Report, the Ridgeline is a good purchase. It made the No. 1 spot on that magazine’s list of Best Pickups for Your Budget. While many trucks today, like the Toyota Tundra, can easily see sticker prices into the mid $50,000 range, the Ridgeline starts at $38,000 and is a uniquely Honda take on a pickup truck.

Also, the Honda Ridgeline tops both Consumer Reports’ and Edmunds’ lists of best midsize pickup trucks because it’s reliable and competent. The unibody Honda Ridgeline has a couple of tricks up its sleeve that make it a great alternative pickup. Its in-bed trunk provides waterproof, lockable, storage in the composite bed. Its tailgate swings out like a door or flops down like a traditional tailgate.

Like the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz pickups, the Honda is based on a car-like frame. But, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a truck. It can tow 5,000 pounds and hold more than 1,500 pounds in the bed. But, unlike other trucks, it also has a clever lockable trunk in the bed that’s waterproof.

The Honda Ridgeline just does things differently

The Ridgeline makes a great daily driver truck, too, because it can seat five in SUV-like comfort with standard all-wheel drive and a punchy 3.5-liter V6 that makes 280 horsepower. It’s based on a Honda Pilot SUV, and in many ways drives like a Pilot with a bed. It’s also Top Safety Pick+ at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. All that makes it, objectively, the top pick at both rating publications.

Now, thanks to the HPD package, it also looks a bit tougher than the older versions. Honda has done some work to update the look of the Ridgeline with a refresh in 2021. It added the Honda Performance Development, or HPD appearance package that adds a blackout grille, fender flares, and bronze wheels. While that’s just an appearance package, it does give the truck splashy bed graphics that most trucks seem to just need on the back.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.