A fuel-efficient truck was once considered an oxymoron. Today, fuel economy is one of the most important factors in choosing a truck.
Fuel economy is more important than ever. With more models moving to hybrid and EV variants, trucks are stuck in limbo between saving gas and capability. Several years ago, it would be thought impossible to own a truck that saves gas. Now many trucks get 30 MPG. What's even more incredible, the truck with the best gas mileage makes well over 40 MPG on the highway, making it more fuel-efficient than many sedans.
Trucks evolve at an extraordinary rate to keep up with the fuel-efficient craze sweeping the world. In the past, to achieve the best gas mileage, performance was often sacrificed, leaving the blandest vehicles. Luckily, thanks to modern engineering, we can have the best of both worlds, trucks that save gas and trucks with excellent performance. While EVs may take over the truck market one day, these are the 10 pickup trucks with the best fuel economy for 2022.
When pulling up to the pump, you probably notice the rise in gas prices. While trucks aren't ordinarily great on gas mileage, the Ford F-150 PowerBoost attempts to establish itself as a truck that saves gas. It does pretty decently, too, with a twin-turbo 3.5L EcoBoost V6. It's not the best, at 25 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway.
For a long time, many considered diesel the only way to get towing and great gas mileage, but the F-150 PowerBoost can tow up to 12,000 lbs. That level of pulling should be impossible to achieve from a hybrid engine, yet Ford coaxes the capability and claims a range of 700-miles to go with it.
Ford crafts another truck that saves gas. In fact, the Maverick Hybrid is the truck with the best gas mileage for 2022. It has a market-leading 42 MPG rating in the city and 33 MPG on the highway. The Ford Maverick creates these incredible fuel economy numbers thanks to a 2.5L four-cylinder CVT hybrid engine with 191 horsepower.
The Maverick is a truck with more than 30 MPG even in non-hybrid models and is faster than the hybrid version. Despite the increase in power, the Maverick Hybrid can still tow 2,000 lbs and starts at an affordable $20,000. What's nice about the hybrid version is the tax rebates which further reduce the cost of this fuel-efficient beast.
Toyota wants hybrids for every model within the next few years. To make a statement, they fitted the Tundra with a 3.5L twin-turbo hybrid V6 engine that makes 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. The new iForce Max engine allows the Tundra to be more fuel-efficient while maintaining performance.
The Toyota Tundra makes the best gas mileage of any Tundra to date, with 20 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway. Unfortunately, the 12,000 lbs towing doesn't set the Tundra apart from its American counterparts, especially as the hybrid doesn't make nearly as solid gas mileage numbers as brands like Ford and Ram.
Chevrolet produces one of the most compelling pickups on the market. The Colorado saves gas better than many sedans and does so using a RWD platform with a Duramax diesel engine. Sitting at 20 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway, it's one of the few trucks that get 30 MPG fuel economy.
The Duramax diesel engine produces insane power for a four-cylinder. It's capable of 181 horsepower and an incredible 369 lb-ft of torque to provide up to 7,700 lbs of towing. Not only does the Colorado Duramax get great gas mileage, but it is one of the most potent pickups on the market.
Fans of the Wrangler rejoice; the Gladiator is a truck with great gas mileage. Much like the Colorado, the Gladiator benefits from a diesel engine, a 3.0L V6 EcoDiesel, to be exact. At 24 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway, the Jeep Gladiator has some of the best gas mileage for a truck.
Jeep's EcoDiesel has more torque than the Pentastar gasoline-powered engine with 442 lb-ft of torque. It can also produce 280 horsepower and tow 6,000 lbs, which is very solid for a mid-sized pickup. Plus, it's off-road ready with removable doors and roofs, making it a fuel-efficient alternative to the Wrangler.
GMC uses a similar Duramax engine from the Colorado in the Sierra 1500. The most significant difference is that the 1500 uses a 3.0L engine instead of the smaller four-cylinder. Regardless, the 2WD models with the Duramax engine make some of the best gas mileage for a truck at 24 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway. Yet another truck that makes 30 MPG or better.
The Sierra 1500 makes 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque combined with the Duramax engine. Making the Sierra 1500 even more fuel-efficient is the ten-speed automatic. It's suitable for towing up to 9,000 lbs, and GMC tested the engine extensively in Death Valley and Northern Canada.
Very similar to the GMC Sierra is the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2WD Diesel. The Silverado 1500 is another fuel-efficient truck thanks to the 3.0L inline-six Duramax diesel engine, making great gas mileage at 23 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highway.
Again, like the Sierra, the Silverado 1500 makes 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. That's good enough for 9,300 lbs towing, and while the 2WD is the most fuel-efficient, the 4×4 versions also offer great mileage with 30 MPG on the highway.
Ram isn't left out of the fuel-efficient diesel game as they field the Ram 1500 2WD EcoDiesel. This fuel-efficient truck makes 22 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highway. Further, it leads the competition with 480 lb-ft of torque to go with the 260 horsepower.
The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel also leads competitors with 12,560 lbs of towing and more than 2,000 lbs of cargo capacity. To make it even better, Ram gave the 1500 EcoDiesel the capability to run on B20 biodiesel, making it a truck with one of the best gas mileages for 2022.
Hyundai's compact truck, the Santa Cruz, gets a lot of hate for being so small. What makes the Santa Cruz better than many others is that, unlike other trucks, this one gets better fuel efficiency with AWD instead of 2WD. In fact, with AWD, it makes a decent 19 MPG in the city and even better fuel economy on the highway at 27 MPG.
In real-world testing, Car and Driver stated they hit 30 MPG in the Santa Cruz. That's yet another truck with more than 30 MPG fuel ratings. Plus, the 2.5L turbocharged engine makes 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, attached to an 8-speed automatic. It even tows up to 5,000 lbs, the same as the Honda Ridgeline.
Ford lays claim to covering every size of pickup possible. It helps that each of these trucks is pretty fuel-efficient. The Ranger's small 2.3L four-cylinder engine achieves 21 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. While gas mileage is less than the Santa Cruz and much less than the Maverick, it still has one of the best mileages for 2022.
The Naturally aspirated four-cylinder produces 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. It's good for 3,500 lbs of towing. It's the odd-ball out, with the Maverick and Santa Cruz outperforming it in the compact space and the F-150 and Silverado being compelling arguments against the mid-size truck. Regardless, it still surpasses the Tacoma, and that's all Ford cares about.
Michael Stroup is a seasoned automotive author with experience in SUVs, Trucks, and JDM sports cars. He credits his passion to gearhead friends and active involvement with car-related ghostwriting assignments. You can find Michael in the mountains, where he dedicates time to snowboarding, hiking, or off-roading!
