With gas prices skyrocketing, we thought it best to mention trucks that are a bit more efficient.
Right now, global events continue to send fuel prices through the roof — and you could argue even that’s an understatement. According to AAA’s gas price tracker, the national average gas price sits at $4.25 per gallon as of March 9. That’s an astounding $1.46 per gallon increase — or 35% — from where prices were this time last year. Unfortunately, the high costs may be with us for awhile to come.
Although supply chain shortages and low inventories continue to plague the new truck buying experience, we still wanted to cover some more fuel efficient options should you be in the market, and happen to land a decent deal. These five half-ton trucks offer better fuel economy than you might think, and would wind up saving you some serious cash in the short-term. Even when prices do normalize again, you’ll still be using less fuel in the long run, so that has to help the bottom line too, right?
Most fuel efficient half-tons*
*Figures shown are City/Highway/Combined MPG figures as estimated by the EPA, unless otherwise noted.
5. (2021) Nissan Titan
4×2 fuel economy: 16/21/18 MPG
4×4 fuel economy: 15/21/18 MPG
TFL test results: 18-19 MPG unladen; 11.9 MPG w/ a 5,000-pound trailer (video above, results at 16:40)
4. (2022) Toyota Tundra
4×2 fuel economy: 18/24/20 MPG
4×4 fuel economy: 17/23/19 MPG
TFL test results: 24 MPG unladen on our I-25 MPG loop; 11.7 MPG while towing (video above, results from 12:30 onward) — tests on premium fuel (91 octane)
Our road trip from Houston, Texas to Denver, CO saw an 18.6 MPG rating on 87 octane fuel, but we were going uphill and the truck’s engine was still breaking in.
3. (2022) Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid
4×2 fuel economy: 25/25/25 MPG
4×4 fuel economy: 23/23/23 MPG
TFL test results: 22.1 MPG unladen in Boulder/Longmont CO (mostly highway) loop — results above at 9:38
Managed 36 MPG unladen on the I-25 MPG loop (results below at 23:00)
An honorable mention: Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost V6
While the hybrid results are impressive, Ford does still offer the 2.7-liter EcoBoost as another fuel-sipping option. 2WD fuel economy ratings are 20/26/22 MPG, while 4×4 models manage 19/24/21 MPG according to EPA ratings.
In our real-world test (results at 9:00), we discovered it managed just 8.7 MPG while towing. While the 2.7 is solid when running empty, it’s not the most efficient hauling rig. The 5.0-liter Coyote V8, by contrast, got 9.8 MPG as part of the same test.
2. (2020) Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
4×2 fuel economy: 23/33/26 MPG (HFE model)
4×4 fuel economy: 22/29/24 MPG
TFL test results: 40 MPG unladen in the test shown above (result at 11:15). 33 MPG unloaded in a second test and 12.4 MPG towing.
1. (2021) Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500 Duramax
4×2 fuel economy (3.0L turbodiesel): 23/31/26 MPG
4×4 fuel economy: 22/26/24 MPG
TFL test results: The Chevy Silverado got 34 MPG on our 66-mile Hudson, CO MPG loop (results shown below at 20:00).
The GMC Sierra AT4 (shown above) managed 25.3 MPG in tough winter driving.
Honorable mention: Chevy Silverado 1500 2.7L Turbo
4×2 fuel economy: 19/22/20 MPG
4×4 fuel economy: 17/20/18 MPG
TFL test results: The 2.7L Turbo managed 24.2 MPG on our Hudson MPG loop (results shown below).
