These Are The Best Modern Toyota Tacoma Years (And Some To Avoid)
The Toyota Tacoma was the fifth best-selling pickup truck in the United States in 2023, and amongst internationally produced pickup trucks, it was number one. The Toyota brand comes with a reputation for reliability, and the Tacoma has become a go-to vehicle that can appease the casual driver, the off-roader, and the hauler. I know the joys of the Toyota Tacoma firsthand as someone who has loved his 2010 model for the last 14 years.
As with any car, no two models of the Tacoma are created equal. Every year, Toyota tinkers with the vehicle to one degree or another, and the results fluctuate depending on what they do to the vehicle. This could be changes in safety, handling, aesthetics, or power that prevent the pickup truck from having a constantly upward trajectory for positive responses. Tacomas generally don't receive poor notices when a new model comes out, but that doesn't mean there aren't ups and downs.
Because Toyota Tacomas are highly rated vehicles, they are popular trucks to buy used, but if you plan on doing that, you may want to pay closer attention to the truck's model year. Some years, Toyota knocked it out of the park, and in others, they left something to be desired.
Tacoma years to consider
For this piece, the term "modern" will refer to those trucks made in the last 15 years. Anything older than that is stretching the credulity of that particular word. When SlashGear made its list of the most reliable Toyota models of all time, it was the 2008 Tacoma that made that list. For its consumer score, J.D. Power lists it at an 85 out of 100 overall, which is the highest amongst all Tacomas from the last 15 years, and at an even higher 87 is its score for quality and reliability. Although it is one of the oldest eligible trucks, it is still a remarkably rated vehicle, which also won the Dependability Award from J.D. Power that year.
If you want something a little more recently made, then the 2013 Tacoma is another great option, with an overall score of 82 and a quality and reliability score of 86. The 2015 model has the same overall score as well. When it comes to recalls, the 2015 one stands above the other three, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting just four recalls for the truck compared to 2013's six and 2008's 11. The 2015 model also took home two awards from J.D. Power, the Quality Award and Dependability Award.
When compared to other mid-size pickup trucks from the same year, these Tacomas all ranked at the top spot, either in a tie with another vehicle or the runaway favorite in the case of the 2008 model. If you want a used Tacoma, definitely start here if they are available.
[Featured image by SsmIntrigue via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
Tacoma years to avoid
In the opening of this piece, I mentioned that I drive a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. Ironically enough, this is one of the lowest-rated modern Tacomas out there. The average consumer score from J.D. Power for the 2010 model drops down to 79, while the quality and reliability score drops even further to 77. You pair that with a whopping 13 recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and you easily have the least reliable Tacoma in the last 15 years. My personal experience with the 2010 Tacoma doesn't reflect this downturn in quality, but if there's more of a consensus with it, that cannot be ignored.
The 2011 model posted very similar numbers to the one before it, though it does have four fewer recalls, and the same can be said for the 2016 model as well. One of the most recent model years is also one of its lowest-rated, the 2023 Tacoma. Although it received an 81 rating from consumers per J.D. Power, placing it behind four other mid-size pickups from the same model year, it currently has an abysmal overall score of 52 from Consumer Reports, citing poor handling and uncomfortable seating among its complaints.
The pattern with the Tacoma is that Toyota seemingly gets it right for a couple of years, loses a little bit of that spark for a couple, and then is right back to where it was when it comes to quality and reliability. However, this is all in degrees. There really hasn't been an outright terrible model year for the Tacoma. Some just get it more right than others.
[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public domain]