The Toyota Tacoma has been a staple of the midsize truck segment since the third generation’s debut in 2016. Though it remains a solid, reliable truck, the 2023 Tacoma feels ancient. But this model year’s lukewarm reception has yet to hurt its popularity. On the contrary — Toyota Tacoma sales show this pickup is growing its dominance over the rest of its class. 

The Toyota Tacoma is the only midsize truck expanding its reach in 2023

GM Authority recently reported the sales figures for midsize trucks for the first quarter of 2023. The results are excellent news for Toyota but no one else. 

Toyota sold 53,383 Tacoma units in the first three months of this year, making it the top seller in the class after a sales bump of less than 1%. That doesn’t sound like much, but the incremental increase represents the only growth for any midsize truck in the findings and nearly half of all midsize trucks in that timeframe. 

Second place goes to the Nissan Frontier, which sold 16,926 units, a 24% decrease compared with Q1 2022. It’s followed by the Jeep Gladiator (13,575, down 24% from last year), the Chevy Colorado (13,256, down 39%), the Ford Ranger (11,500, down 35%), and the GMC Canyon (5,016, down 19%). 

However, it should be noted that these stats don’t include the Honda Ridgeline, which sold 12,918 units, because it toes the line between a midsize and a full-size pickup truck and, thus, doesn’t fit the criteria for the data. 

Year-over-year sales numbers further showcase the Tacoma’s dominance

Another perspective on the midsize truck market shows that the Toyota Tacoma’s consistent quality has been enough to dominate the competition. 

The Tacoma takes 47% of the market share, up an impressive nine percentage points year-over-year. Here’s how the rest of GM Authority’s list compares to Toyota’s truck. No one else fares nearly as well: 

• The Nissan Frontier has a 15% share, down one percentage point
• The Jeep Gladiator has a 13% share, down one percentage point
• The Chevy Colorado has a 12% share, down four percentage points
• The Ford Ranger posted a 10% share, down three percentage points
• The GMC Canyon maintained a 4% share

Still, Toyota’s midsize truck is in dire need of a redesign

The 2023 Toyota Tacoma is a decent truck, but the lack of innovation in its design is palpable. It hasn’t received a full update since 2016. And though the Tacoma still outsells its more advanced rivals, Toyota cannot coast on this success forever. 

That refresh is coming soon. The automaker unveiled the 2024 Tacoma on May 19 in Hawaii, and the fourth generation is remade from the ground up in many exciting ways. 

The revised Tacoma is built around a new high-strength boxed, steel-ladder frame and uses the TNGA-F global truck platform already used in the Toyota Tundra and Sequoia.

The 2024 Tacoma’s most significant changes are a redesigned multi-link coil suspension to improve handling, the option of two four-cylinder powertrains and an i-Force Max hybrid producing 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, and a segment-first IsoDynamic Performance Seat that keeps front-seat riders more stable and safer. In addition, the 2024 Tacoma will introduce a new Trailhunter trim, Toyota’s first purpose-built off-grid overlanding model. 

Toyota gave a late-2023 release date for the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and hasn’t announced pricing yet.