EVERY PICKUP TRUCK IN AMERICA THAT COSTS LESS THAN $40K

There is no market quite as inflated as the pickup truck market. Somewhere along the way, automakers started realizing that America's appetite for utilitarian vehicles was quickly outstripping demand. The Big Three, and soon many others, were flooding our market with pickups of various shapes and sizes, and people were buying them up in droves, willing to spend more money on previously luxury features as the years wore on. The trucks grew in size, able to fit more people and all the features they could ever want, but the prices started rising right along with them, and before we knew it, we had pickup trucks approaching the six-figure mark.

Genuinely absurd if you ask us, which is why we wanted to compile a list of all the pickup trucks on sale in 2024 that cost less than $40,000. We know, $40,000 isn't cheap, but it's slowly become the floor for most pickup trucks, and it's a heck of a lot better than dropping $80,000 for something dripping in chrome that's never going to leave the pavement. These are workhorse trucks that are going to earn their keep. Just make sure you do your research before pulling the trigger.

Toyota Tundra

The newest generation of the Toyota Tundra has been a mixed bag, to say the least. Yes, it finally feels like a modern pickup that competes toe-to-toe with the best of them, but it's definitely lost some of the honesty and simplicity of the previous generation. Additionally, many were concerned that a switch from the bulletproof 5.7-liter V8 to a twin-turbo and hybrid V6 would create reliability issues. Turns out they were right, but at least Toyota appears to be owning up to the issue instead of shying away.

Honda Ridgeline

The Honda Ridgeline has rarely gotten the respect it deserves thanks to its unibody construction and softer appearance. Honda aimed to fix the looks with an update in 2021, and we think it helped substantially with making the truck look a little more rugged. Unfortunately, looks only get you so far, and horsepower, towing capacity, and payload all leave something to be desired compared to its competitors. It excels as an around-town truck thanks to its unibody construction, and if you're looking for a little attitude, the TrailSport trim should scratch that itch.

GMC Sierra 1500

The most expensive American truck to make it onto the list is, unsurprisingly, the GMC Sierra 1500. GMC makes some quality trucks, but their appeal only starts to shine when you hit the higher trims and start receiving some serious luxury for your money. At its base price, the Sierra and Chevy Silverado are basically the same, with the differences being a few thousand dollars and different aesthetics. From looks alone, we'd pony up the extra money and get the Sierra, but understand if that isn't worth it for most buyers.

Ram 1500

You don't see too many base models of the newest generation of Ram 1500, and after looking at the specs and the pricing, that's beginning to make a lot more sense. The model is only a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the Sierra, and for that price, you do get a quad cab pickup, but you're stuck with a shorter bed. Even worse, you have a wimpy Pentastar V6 under the hood, that makes okay horsepower and a pathetic amount of torque. The base towing and payload capacities do help its case, but only in the Quad Cab trim. Moving to the Crew Cab sees both numbers drop.

Ram 1500 Classic

The Ram 1500 Classic has had a long road, having been on sale since 2009 with the introduction of the previous generation. It first stayed on with the current DT generation because Ram saw the potential of offering a cheaper, older truck alongside the new one, and this continued to make sense once the newer generation dropped the V8. Unfortunately, the base model of this pickup doesn't get that V8 and its towing and payload capacities are rather sub-par. Despite this, we're going to miss this model in 2025 and recommend pulling the trigger on a HEMI one if you get the chance.

GMC Canyon

The GMC Canyon and its Chevy cousin are, in our opinion, absolute design home runs. It doesn't matter the angle you look at this truck at, it looks good from them all, but you're not just buying a pickup for its looks. Under the hood sits the 2.7-liter TurboMax four-cylinder engine, that outputs a healthy 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, which explains why the truck is rated to tow so much in its base trim. Is it going to be more expensive than other mid-sized trucks on the market? Definitely, but beauty and performance are worth the premium.

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Ford F-150

The Ford F-150 is the best-selling truck in America for a reason. Even in its base trim, it offers substantial performance at a great price, and all with a naturally aspirated V8 under the hood. Ford knows what its customers want, and this is a truck that's simple and rugged. Sure, the available EcoBoost engines will give you more power, but there's no need to complicate things in our book. Plus, it's one of the last regular cab trucks still on sale, which is a huge green flag if you ask us.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The other half of the Sierra is the value proposition at play. Sure, the Silverado 1500 may not be as good-looking as the GMC, but to most people, it's decent-looking enough, and every little bit saved helps. The price of the 2024 model only comes in a hair below that of the F-150, and the main difference is the turbocharged engine compared to the V8. Horsepower is down significantly on the Silverado, but torque is up, and fuel economy should be better too.

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger is an iconic nameplate, and now in its sixth generation, Ford aims to reposition the model near the top of the mid-sized pack thanks to extensive changes inside and out that have modernized the truck substantially. Under the hood of the base model is the same EcoBoost 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine as before, which offers a respectable amount of power in the base XL trim. It's just an honest truck with a cheap starting price, but unfortunately, it has a lot of competition.

Toyota Tacoma

The newest generation of the Toyota Tacoma has been a massive departure for the Japanese automaker. For the first time, the brand's mid-size pickup is turbocharged, with the company turning to a four-cylinder engine like almost everyone else in the segment. While this brings improved fuel economy across the range, not every model in the range gets a ton of power. In the base SR, the engine only makes 228 horsepower, which isn't great compared to others on this list. Fortunately, its starting price helps its case, as do the bed and cab length variations, and you can't forget about its available manual transmission.

Chevrolet Colorado

The Chevy Colorado offers a comfortable ride and solid performance at a great price. Every trim in the lineup features the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder, but in the base WT trim it only produces 237 horsepower. This should be good enough for a workhorse truck, as is its solid payload rating of 1,710 lbs. Unfortunately, you're stuck with four doors and a short bed, but as a run-around vehicle that looks pretty good no matter the trim, it's a great option.

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Nissan Frontier

Keeping with the Nissan tradition, the Frontier offers an old-school pickup truck experience for those looking for less frills. Under the hood is the naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 that debuted at the end of the previous Frontier generation, outputting a respectable 310 horsepower. This is the only powertrain across the range, making the base trim a little more compelling than others. The company is also making a slew of changes for 2025 that see an improvement to the infotainment system and the option of a 6.5-foot bed on every trim. If the company can keep the price in check, other automakers should be worried.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

As the second-cheapest pickup truck you can buy, the Hyundai Santa Cruz presents itself as a great bargain for those wanting a little more capability out of their daily driver. Look, we get it. No one who wants a "real" truck is seriously going to consider the Santa Cruz over any other model on this list, but we say you're missing out. It comes with a host of great standard features, and it's going to be much more comfortable in 90% of the situations most truck drivers are going to find themselves in. They say to never judge a book by its cover for a reason.

Ford Maverick

Coming in as the cheapest pickup truck in America for 2024 is the Ford Maverick, and we don't think any other truck on this list offers as much value as Ford's smallest pickup does. This little unibody truck has been a home run for the Blue Oval, selling in droves thanks to offering ample power with the base EcoBoost engine, but also great gas mileage if you move up to the hybrid powertrain. Towing and hauling aren't the best, but what this truck does is make the transition from an average car to a pickup seamless, and it's so darn cheap almost anyone can afford one.

More pickups like this, please.

2024-09-01T01:45:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd