The Best-Selling Trucks of 2023 in the US

Our story focuses on the nation’s best-selling pickups, which is why models that clocked under 50,000 units have been left out of the ranking. The first of the absentees is the crossover-based Hyundai Santa Cruz, which moved 36,675 examples last year. The remainder comprises the Ford Ranger (32,334), GMC Canyon (22,458), and soon-to-be-discontinued Nissan Titan (19,189).A further three absentees have to be mentioned, those being the Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer EV, and the aesthetically challenged Tesla Cybertruck. The folks at Rivian delivered a little over 50,000 vehicles in 2023, split between the R1T and R1S, but Rivian doesn’t offer separate numbers for the R1T and R1S. The same applies to the Cybertruck (bundled with the Model S and Model X in Tesla’s sales report) and the GMC Hummer EV (the pickup truck and SUV sold a grand total of 3,244 units).

At the other end of the spectrum, the F-Series is America’s favorite truck for the 47th year in a row. A crazy long streak, isn’t it? The F-150 Lighting also happens to be the best-selling electric pickup of them all, with Ford moving 24,165 units last year. The F-150 PowerBoost is the second most popular hybrid truck in the nation, whereas the Maverick Hybrid outsold its full-size brother by 2,231 units. That being said, let’s kick this off with Ford’s most profitable series-production vehicle.

Ford F-Series: 750,789

Advertised under the Lobo nameplate in Mexico, the F-Series entered its fourteenth generation in late 2020 for the 2021 model year. September 12, 2023 marked the mid-cycle refresh for 2024, bringing forth a plethora of aesthetic updates, a multifunction tailgate, and more tech. Ford has also spun off the STX into a separate grade, and the 3.3-liter V6 was removed from the lineup completely.

The 2.7-liter EcoBoost is the standard engine for 2024, a more powerful and torquier mill than the naturally aspirated sixer from before. Other choices include the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, a high-output version of said engine for the Raptor, the 5.0-liter Coyote, and the Raptor R-exclusive Predator V8. Speaking of which, the Raptor R now boasts more power than the Ram 1500 TRX. Be that as it may, the Hellcat-powered brute develops more torque.

Excluding the destination charge, Ford wants $36,570 for the work-oriented XL grade. The STX slots between it and the XLT. Customers in the market for the Lightning need to shell out $54,995 for a Pro or $64,995 for an XLT. As for the Super Duty line of extremely capable workhorses (think up to 40,000 pounds of available towing and 8,000 of available payload), the base MSRP is $44,970.

Chevrolet Silverado: 555,148

There’s no denying the Chevrolet Silverado sold fewer examples of the breed than the F-Series, but there’s a catch. GM has two full-size truck lines, namely the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. Their 2023 deliveries total 850,885 units. Otherwise put, General Motors bested crosstown rival Ford Motor Company in the full-size truck segment last year.

On the flip side, General Motors doesn’t have anything to compete against the F-150 PowerBoost or the Maverick Hybrid. Small-block V8 engines and a Duramax-branded I6 turbo diesel will have to make do. The Detroit-based automaker delivered a meager 461 units of the Chevrolet Silverado EV last year, whereas the GMC Sierra EV will become available sometime during the summer of 2024.

Starting at $36,800 for the half-ton version, the Silverado levels up to $43,400 for the 2500 HD. Curiously enough, Chevrolet’s website doesn’t show any pricing information whatsoever for the Silverado EV. Most likely, GM is ashamed of the near-$80,000 sticker price of the 4WT. Going forward, General Motors estimates a starting price of $54,748 for the Lightning Pro-rivaling WT.

Ram P/U: 444,926

P/U is Ram vernacular for the brand’s full-size truck. The 1500 Classic is still listed as a 2023 model with a starting price of $32,345, but heaven knows for how long before Stellantis will put the kibosh on this fellow. The 1500 Classic’s sole purpose and reason for existing is the lack of a mid-size pickup truck. Looking at the glass half full, Stellantis confirmed “all-new mid-size trucks in 2027” at the Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant.

2024 is the final year of the HEMI and Hellcat engines in the Ram 1500. The 2025 model is expected to start production on February 5th, and for 2025, the Ram 1500 comes with six-cylinder muscle exclusively. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is joined by the 3.0-liter Hurricane I6. Introduced by the Ram 1500-based Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer from the Jeep brand, the straight-six lump develops either 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet (636 Nm) or 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet (706 Nm). Not bad, yet a twin-turbocharged sixer works harder than the 5.7-liter version of the HEMI V8.

2025 also marks the arrival of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup and the Ram 1500 Ramcharger range-extended electric pickup. The Ramcharger is due to hit dealer showrooms in early 2025 with the aforementioned Pentastar rather than the Hurricane, two electric motors, and a 92-kWh battery pack. Ram targets 145 miles (233 kilometers) of electric range and up to 690 miles (1,110 kilometers) with a full charge and a full tank of gas. By comparison, the electric-only REV is estimated with 350 miles (563 kilometers) for the 168-kWh standard battery and 500 (805) for the optional 229-kWh battery.

GMC Sierra: 295,737

Best described as the Silverado with more standard kit and nicer styling, the Sierra is a few grand more than the equivalent Silverado. It’s money well spent, though, for the Sierra ticks all the right boxes. GMC waxes lyrical about best-in-class standard engine torque, whereas the $82,500 Denali is “the most advanced and luxurious pickup in its class.”

Coming in regular, double, and crew cab styles, the Silverado’s fancier sibling is available with short, standard, and long bed options. Similar to the Silverado, the base powerplant is a four-cylinder turbo that GM calls TurboMax. Referred to as L3B in the order guide, this engine is joined by a Duramax turbo diesel and two small blocks. All three larger engines feature a 10-speed automatic rather than the four-cylinder’s 8-speed automatic.

The heavy-duty line can be had with the cast iron-blocked L8T 6.6-liter small block or the L5P 6.6-liter Duramax V8 turbo diesel. Curiously enough, the 10-speed automatic features Allison branding on 2500 and 3500 trucks. Truth is, the Hydra-Matic 10L 1000 is made by GM, not Allision. If you want a true Allision box, consider the Chevrolet Silverado 4500, 5500, and 6500.

Toyota Tacoma: 234,768

The mid-size segment’s best-selling truck, the Tacoma received a ground-up redesign for 2024. Now based on the Toyota New Global Architecture – Frame of the Tundra, the newcomer started production in December 2023. The i-FORCE MAX hybrid will follow suit in April 2024, meaning that deliveries will kick off during the second quarter.

Also related to the 250-series Toyota Land Cruiser (a.k.a. Prado) and the 250-series Lexus GX, the Tacoma is available in eight grades. In addition to the inline-four turbo and the hybrid powertrains, the third largest change over the previous generation is the overlanding-specific Trailhunter trim level. Similar to the TRD Pro, it’s a hybrid-only affair. The 2024 range further includes the TRD PreRunner, an off-road truck that comes exclusively as an XtraCab with rear-wheel drive.

The TRD PreRunner, TRD Off-Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter sport an electronic locking rear differential. Toyota offers a six-speed manual as well, but said transmission is available on three grades: SR, TRD Sport, and TRD Off-Road. The Intelligent Manual Transmission is dubbed as such due to its anti-stall and rev-matching technologies.

Toyota Tundra: 125,185

Of the 125,185 Tundras delivered in the United States last year, 30,303 were optioned with the i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain. The Tundra-specific hybrid setup is built around a twin-turbocharged V6 as opposed to the Taco’s inline-four turbo. Pricing for 2024 starts at $39,965 as opposed to $31,500 for the 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

Being a full-size truck, there’s no manual to speak of. In fact, only two pickups can be had with a good ol’ stick shift in the US market as of January 2024. In addition to the Tacoma, the only other manual truck is the Wrangler-styled Jeep Gladiator. But more on the Wrangler’s truck-bodied twin later.

For model year 2024, the Japanese automaker improved the Limited grade with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (previously a 4.2-inch screen) and an optional Nightshade package. The TRD Off-Road Package is now available on the Platinum, but only in combination with four-wheel drive. Except for the TRD Pro, all trims can be optioned with a 3.0-inch lift kit. Payload and towing capacities carry over, with Toyota quoting up to 1,940 pounds (880 kilograms) and 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms).

Ford Maverick: 94,058

The compact segment’s undisputed leader, the Maverick sold 94,058 units last year. Of those, 52,361 left the factory as hybrids. Rather than the United States of America, the Escape-based Maverick is manufactured in Mexico at the Hermosillo assembly plant. Said factory also makes the Bronco Sport, which shouldn’t be confused with the big Bronco from the Wayne, Michigan plant.

In addition to their platform (C2), eight-speed automatic, and the 2.0-liter turbocharged gasser that became standard for 2024 in the Maverick, the compact truck and off-roader also share a twin-clutch rear drive unit. Exclusive to the Badlands and Tremor, the GKN-supplied unit allows for greater off-road capability thanks to a diff lock feature.

Part of the reason why the Maverick sold much better than the Hyundai Santa Cruz is the truck-like styling, but more importantly, Ford keeps it sensible with the pricing. At $23,815 for the front-drive EcoBoost, the Maverick is America’s most affordable new truck. For reference, Hyundai wants $26,650 for the SE in front-drive 2.5 NA spec. HTRAC all-wheel drive adds $1,500 to the tally.

Chevrolet Colorado: 71,081

Redesigned for 2023, the Colorado ranks second in the mid-size segment. It’s not clear why deliveries fell from 89,197 in 2022 to 71,081 last year, but chances are that supply chain-related issues hindered Colorado and Canyon production at the Wentzville assembly plant in the state of Missouri.

Similar to the 2024 Ranger, the 2023 Colorado sports an updated platform. Compared to the previous 31XX, the 31XX-2 is gifted with an entirely new front end. Colorado chief engineer Nick Katcherian further confirmed new chunks out back. The middle section is principally unchanged.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four with three power levels. General Motors dropped the mid-range option for 2024, meaning that prospective customers are presented with 237 or 310 horsepower. The 310-hp tune is optional for the WT and LT trims. $29,500 is the starting price of the Ranger’s direct rival, with GM boasting class-leading available camera views (10), class-leading available tie-downs (17), and segment-leading towing capacity (7,700 pounds or 3,493 kilograms).

Nissan Frontier: 58,135

A solid value play with rugged looks, the Nissan Frontier got even prettier this year with the retro-styled Hardbody Edition. As implied, the special edition harks back to the D21-generation Datsun Truck. Sold as the Hardbody in the United States, the D21 was replaced in 1997 by the D22 series.

This generation of the Frontier is the first one developed specifically for the United States market. Underpinned by the F-Alpha platform, the D41 comes with free-breathing V6 power exclusively. Its nine-speed transmission is produced under license from Mercedes by Nissan subsidiary JATCO.

Rated at 310 horsepower, the Nissan Frontier tops 6,640 pounds (3,012 kilograms) for towing capacity. Starting at $30,030 (sans destination), the 2024 model comes in King Cab and Crew Cab flavors. The Hardbody Edition is $44,040, and it’s only available as a Crew Cab with four-wheel drive.

Jeep Gladiator: 55,188

Just like the Colorado, the Gladiator can tow 7,700 pounds when properly equipped. But compared to Chevy’s midsizer, the Jeep Gladiator is an off-road truck by default. The bad news for 2024 is that Jeep dropped the EcoDiesel V6, leaving the Pentastar V6 to soldier on alone. This void will be filled in 2025 with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The problem is, we don’t know anything concrete about the PHEV‘s maximum output and electric-only driving range.

The only thing we know for certain is the Gladiator 4xe will enter series production at Toledo in 2025. Come 2028, the JL Wrangler will be succeeded by the J70 Wrangler, which has been confirmed with BEV and REPB powertrains. REPB is the Stellantis way of saying range-extended electric vehicle.

For the time being, those in the market for a Gladiator will have to settle for 19 miles per gallon (12.4 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle. Total range for the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is estimated by the EPA at 418 miles (673 kilometers). Regardless of trim level, the 2024 Jeep Gladiator is equipped with a 22-gallon (83-liter) fuel tank.

Honda Ridgeline: 52,001

The final truck on this list barely made the cut-off. Although 52,001 deliveries are a drop in the ocean compared to 750,789 for the F-Series, bear in mind that the Ridgeline is a completely different animal. Twinned with the Pilot and Passport crossovers, as well as the Odyssey minivan, the Ridgeline is a unibody with a car-like interior and plenty of standard kit. It’s a little pricey too, with Honda charging $39,750 for the nicely equipped Sport.

That stack of cash buys you an integrated trailer hitch (Class III), an in-bed trunk, a dual-action tailgate, a 280-horsepower V6, all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic, LED low beams, tri-zone automatic climate control, underseat storage for the rear seat, 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, remote engine start, 7 audio speakers, adaptive cruise control, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, and Blind Sport Information System. It’s a lot of stuff, hence the relatively high base MSRP.

The most exciting specification of the bunch is the TrailSport, an off-road-oriented grade with underbody protection, General Grabber all-terrain rubber, a special paint option, a specific front grille, off-road-tuned suspension, and all-season floor mats. The priciest specification, however, is the Black Edition. At the moment of writing, this trim level carries a suggested retail price of $46,350.