What are the longest-running workhorses on the road?
Truck prices have been heading for the stratosphere over the past few years, with even basic half-tons easily eclipsing the $40,000 mark. Many owners who’ve reached out to TFLtruck tend to keep their trucks for the long haul, and today’s market conditions give even more incentive to do that. But what models are the longest-lasting trucks out there? Thanks to a new iSeeCars study, there’s a new point of discussion on which models are the most likely to it at least 200,000 miles — and likely go even farther, with regular maintenance.
Looking at over 2 million vehicles in total. To qualify in this study at all, each model had to be in produced and sold for at least 10 of the past 20 model years. Of those in the top 20 vehicles on the list, 2.5% clocked at least 200,000 miles, while the top 1% had between 230,000 and 297,000 miles on the odometer.
“What we see is a list of highly-durable vehicles, capable of more than a quarter-million miles of use if properly maintained,” says iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer. “And to be clear, this study isn’t reporting the maximum lifespan of these vehicles. This is simply a measure of current odometer readings. Most of these cars are still in use and going strong.”
Top 10 longest-running trucks (according to the iSeeCars study):
| Rank | Model | Average Lifespan (among top 1% over 200K miles) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ram 1500 | 215,521 |
| 9 | Nissan Frontier | 215,775 |
| 8 | Ford Ranger | 220,980 |
| 7 | GMC Sierra 1500 | 221,691 |
| 6 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 230,515 |
| 5 | Ford F-150 | 232,650 |
| 4 | Nissan Titan | 233,295 |
| 3 | Toyota Tacoma | 235,070 |
| 2 | Honda Ridgeline | 248,669 |
| 1 | Toyota Tundra | 256,022 |
Given the relatively long mileages we’re talking about here, you can argue that all the top 10 trucks are within spitting distance of each other. That said, the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra’s podium positions in the study go to some length to reinforce the automaker’s reputation for durability. However, as Brauer points out, the odometer readings are more a suggestion of owners’ willingness to keep and run these vehicles over the long haul.
However, the “greatest potential lifespan”, as iSeeCars puts it, can still be a solid indicator of which truck may be the one to shop for, if you’re looking to eke as many miles out of your truck as possible. While it’s hardly surprising that the most popular trucks make the top 10, the Honda Ridgeline did carry a higher odometer measurement than far more popular trucks, like GM’s half-tons and the Ram 1500.
