14 Of The Fastest Pickup Trucks Ever Made

When you think about pickup trucks, you usually think about work. Trucks are tailor made for towing, hauling, and getting around in the grass and dirt. The idea of the most powerful trucks usually conjures of visions of something like the Ford F-450, which can tow 40,000 pounds. Pickup trucks have long been measured by their ability to haul and transport mixed with how pleasant they are to work in. For that, the modern pickup truck has quite nearly perfected the recipe.

However, some trucks can also go really fast, much like a sports car. They don't hold a candle to the fastest cars you can buy today but having a truck that pulls a quarter mile in under 14 seconds is a different kind of powerful. Some trucks, like the Rezvani Hercules 6X6 Military Edition come equipped with 1,300 horsepower engines that can really help it move. Currently, the fastest truck in the world is the Volvo Iron Knight and its 2,400 horsepower engine. Let's take a look at some other speedy trucks that you can take to a drag strip and not be completely embarrassed. 

The 1991 GMC Syclone was one of the most unique trucks ever built. GMC built the truck specifically for racing, so its tow ratings and payload capacity is well under what most trucks can do. However, what the Syclone can do is race and that's exactly what GMC did with it. GMC outsourced building the truck to Production Automotive Services, which then took the guts of a Chevy van and turned it into a truck. GMC then shoved a turbocharged, 262 cubic inch V6 engine that made 280 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft of torque.

So how fast was this thing? It covered the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds and went from zero to 60 MPH time of 5.3 seconds. That's not only quick by 1991's standards but it's still pretty quick by today's, at least in regard to trucks. In a now-famous head-to-head battle, Car and Driver pitted it against a $122,000 (in 1991 dollars) Ferrari 348ts. The Ferrari cleared the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds, giving the Syclone the win. Not every truck can boast a victory over Ferrari in a drag race. 

The 2016 GMC Sierra Denali 4X4 doesn't have the fancy setup of some performance-oriented trucks or the cool history of the GMC Syclone. What it did have, however, was a surprisingly high speed for a consumer-oriented truck. The standard engine is a fairly reasonable 5.3-liter V8 that held its own against other trucks of its day. However, GMC had a surprise for those who opted for the other engine — a 6.2-liter L86 V8 that pumped out 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft of torque that could get the 4X4 variant of the truck flying. 

GMC's maxed out 2016 Sierra clears the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds and zero to 60 MPH in 5.8 seconds. The zero to 60 MPH time is a bit lower than the Syclone, but the truck makes up for it with a strong second half, pulling the truck to the quarter mile at 97.1 MPH. It also had the benefit of being able to do work, with a tow rating of 9,100 pounds. Even while towing 7,000 pounds, the truck could still get to 60 MPH in 13.3 seconds. 

Ford makes the first of a few appearances on this list with the 2004 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning. This Lightning came back when the nameplate was used for the performance model of the truck instead of EV version. Essentially, the Lightning was what the Raptor is today. In 2004, the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning boasted a supercharged, 5.4-liter V8 that generated 380 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft of torque. It also boasted a top speed of 148 MPH, which is still very fast by today's standards for a non-supercar. 

The 2004 SVT Lightning was one of Ford's faster ventures, covering the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds and zero to 60 MPH in 5.1 seconds. At the time, it was in a heated rivalry with the Dodge Ram SRT, so both companies did everything they could to edge out the other. As the Dodge Ram from that year hasn't been listed yet, you can guess who the winner was. Even so, Ford still had the faster truck most years, and the 2004 F-150 SVT Lightning was still an exceedingly quick truck. 

Say hello to the winner of the 2004 fastest truck wars. The 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 was Dodge's answer to the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning and, at least in 2004, Dodge made the faster truck. Part of that success is due to the comically massive 8.3-liter V10 that Dodge borrowed from the Viper. That absurd piece of machinery granted the SRT-10 with 500 horsepower and 525 lb.-ft of torque. Dodge was pulling out all the stops with this one, with reports that the company was sick of losing to Ford every year. 

The overengineering paid off with the SRT-10 blasting through the quarter mile in 13.3 seconds with a zero to 60 MPH time of 4.9 seconds. Those edge out the 2004 Ford F-150 by slim margins. Dodge raced this car professionally where it garnered several wins and records, including the Guiness Book of World Records for the world's fastest truck with a top speed of 154 MPH, a record it took from the 2004 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning's 148 MPH. It doesn't matter how you measure it — Dodge took all of Ford's marbles in 2004.

Apparently, monster trucks can go fast too, and few have ever been faster than the War Wizard. The monster truck is best known for competing in competitions where tricks and obstacle courses are the main attraction. However, this truck also did the occasional drag race. It set the world record for fastest monster truck in 2005. The record has since been beaten multiple times with the current holder being the Great Clips Mohawk Warrior, which set the record in 2020. 

However, the War Wizard does still have one Guinness World Record and it's for the fastest quarter mile. Driver Randy Moore managed to scoot the War Wizard through the quarter mile stretch in 13.175 seconds in March 2012. That's not only fast enough to make this list, but it's also the current standing world record as of this writing. According to Guinness, the truck completed the run at 96.8 MPH, which is less than 4 MPH off of the current world record. War Wizard isn't on the 2024 Monster Jam lineup, but it does still compete occasionally.

Toyota doesn't get mentioned in performance truck conversations nearly as often as the RAM TRX or the Ford Raptor, but it can also bring the heat and the 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged is a great example of that. The truck is part of the second-generation Tundra that lasted from 2007 all the way until 2021. We previously talked about the rivalry between Dodge and Ford for the fastest truck speed wars. In 2008, Toyota took the title from both of them. 

The 2008 Toyota Tundra TRD Supercharged runs the quarter mile in 13 seconds flat and can go zero to 60 MPH in 4.4 seconds. That's good enough to give it placement on the list and it also blew away the competition that year. Helping the Tundra get there was a 5.7-liter V8 engine developed by Toyota along with an Eaton Twin Vortices supercharger that helped the engine achieve 504 horsepower and 550 lb.-ft of torque. Ultimately, the 2008 Toyota Tundra would be just another muscle truck, but its 4.4-second zero to 60 MPH time was a world record in its day.

The 2021 RAM TRX is a special truck. It's not terribly different from the slightly faster 2024 RAM TRX that we'll talk about later in the article, but the 2021 model did achieve enough to make it worth listing, despite having similar specs to its younger sibling. Dodge stuffed the Hellcat 6.2-liter Hemi V8 into this truck, turning it into a veritable monster. The Hellcat is one of the most powerful gas engines that Dodge ever built and it's also one Dodge put into the Challenger on multiple occasions. 

That engine pushes the RAM 1500 TRX to the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds at 106 MPH. It also pushes the truck from zero to 60 MPH in 4.4 seconds. That second number is fairly significant because the 2021 RAM 1500 TRX was the first truck to sprint to 60 MPH as fast as the aforementioned 2008 Toyota Tundra Supercharged. So, not only is this truck fast enough to be on this list by its own merits, but it also matched a 13-year-old record. 

One of the things EVs are known for are their explosive torque and so it should be no surprise that some of the quickest trucks are also all-electric. Ford equips the F-150 Lightning with a dual electric motor that nets somewhere in the neighborhood of 580 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft of torque. The Lightning needs that power since the battery packs and large frame weigh 6,794 pounds. Despite being heavy, the truck can move forward very quickly if you tell it to.

In terms of raw speed, the Lightning doesn't disappoint. The dual electric motors can make the truck clear the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds with a zero to 60 MPH time of 3.8 seconds, handedly beating all but the very fastest trucks with gas engines. This is a trend we'll see quite frequently in the future as electric automobiles have fewer moving parts and less lag, allowing them to fly off the line as soon as the pedal is pushed. Ford did a good job making this thing quick, even though it's not the fastest EV truck on the list. 

Automakers have long pushed the envelope with fast trucks and that hasn't changed to this day. One such example is the 2024 RAM 1500 TRX. This is RAM's answer to the Ford Raptor, and it's equipped with equally impressive specs. Under the hood sits the same Dodge Hellcat 6.2-liter Hemi V8 as the 2021 model we talked about earlier, which still outputs 702 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft of torque. The expensive truck gets the engine regardless of which variant you choose in the 2024 model. 

Running one of Dodge's most powerful engines has its advantages. The Hellcat pushes the Dodge RAM 1500 TRX through the quarter mile in 12.3 seconds at 110 MPH and from zero to 60 MPH in 3.7 seconds. That's not quite as quick as the Ford Raptor R but that's still faster than many sports cars. It's honestly surprising that this massive truck can get up and go like that. Unfortunately, 2024 is the final model year for the TRX. Dodge discontinued the performance truck along with its gas-powered muscle cars in favor of electric vehicles.

The 2024 Ford Raptor R is what happens when Ford puts a sizable percentage of its R&D funds into making trucks and then decides to give it an absurdly strong engine. The Raptor has been the performance model of the Ford F-150 for a long time, and it's also the reason we tried not to double up truck models on this list. Otherwise, there would be a few Ford Raptors here. The truck is pleasant to drive, has decent tow numbers, and is surprisingly smooth on city streets. The real story, though, is the 5.2-liter V8 that came out of the Shelby GT500. It makes 720 horsepower and 640 lb.-ft of torque. 

That insane engine propels the Ford Raptor R through the quarter mile in 12 seconds with a zero to 60 MPH time of 3.6 seconds. For the record, the V6 variant of the 2024 Ford Raptor would've also made this list with a quarter mile time of 13.8 seconds with a zero to 60 MPH time of 5.1 seconds. In short, these trucks are among the quickest that money can buy.

The GMC Hummer EV is one unique truck. For starters, it's massive on a scale that could be described as comical. Second, it quite heavy at over 9,000 pounds. So, it's genuinely a surprise to see something this big and heavy so far up a list of the fastest trucks ever built. To get the fastest variant, you need the 3X trim with the 24-module battery pack. It's also powered by triple motor system capable of over 1,000 horsepower and 1,200 lb.-ft of torque. In short, everything about this truck is excessive and that's part of what makes it fun.

The exercise in excess makes this one of the fastest trucks ever. It burns through a quarter mile in 11.6 seconds and zero to 60 MPH in about three seconds. That is a lot of weight to move that quickly, and GMC certainly didn't spare any expensive getting people there. The truck has kept its fast times even through newer model years, but 2022 was the first one to do it. You can also get this in an SUV format.

Hennessey is an interesting automaker. The company is best known for taking trucks that other automakers build and then souping them up to excessive levels. As a result, there are several trucks made by Hennessey that could be featured this list, but we thought the VelociRaptor was a sweet name, so we went with that one. The 2024 Hennessey Ford F-150 VelociRaptor 1000 Super Truck is not only an incredible name but it's also a very powerful truck. It houses a 1,043-horsepower engine with a 3.8-liter supercharger.

What you get is a truck that is frighteningly fast. Per Hennessey, the truck runs the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds and has a zero to 60 MPH time of 3.1 seconds. Hennessey's 1,000 horsepower Mammoth 1,000 RAM TRX also clears the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds with a zero to 60 MPH of 3.2 seconds. These two trucks are the two fastest gas-powered trucks that we could find that weren't specifically modified for drag racing and the fact that they compete with electric vehicles is very impressive. You'll pay for the privilege, though, as Hennessey's upgrades are very expensive.

The Tesla Cybertruck is a bit of an odd ball, but it's quite quick. For starters, the thing looks like it was designed in Blender, which some people like and others don't. Regardless, the Cybertruck is quite capable. The engine is rated for between 600 and 845 horsepower and somewhere around 525 lb.-ft of torque. Exact figures aren't available because Tesla doesn't publish them. What it does publish, however, is the fact that it can tow 11,000 pounds, which is surprisingly decent for an all-electric vehicle. 

The real story is its speed. The Cybertruck runs the quarter mile in 11 seconds flat and it goes from zero to 60 MPH in 2.6 seconds. That is crazy fast on its own and the second fastest truck we were able to find. Tesla achieves this with a triple motor setup that makes around 845 horsepower, which tracks since the other high-performance EVs make similar horsepower and torque numbers. You certainly won't get the best range driving it that way, but it puts Tesla in rare company with trucks that can do the quarter mile in under 12 seconds with high-tuned gas engines and other EVs. It is not the fastest EV we found, though. 

The Rivian R1T is the Ford F-150 Lightning's closest competitor and the fastest truck we could find that wasn't modified for drag racing. The truck is Rivian's first consumer-oriented effort, and it has gone over well. The truck comes equipped with tons of niceties, which is good considering how expensive it is. It's also fairly capable with a tow rating of 11,000 pounds, narrowly edging out the F-150 Lightning's 10,000-pound tow rating. In fact, the Rivian R1T edges out the F-150 Lightning in most areas, and that includes speed. 

Rivian equips the R1T with either a dual electric motor or a quad motor setup. The dual motor in performance mode is very respectable with a 12.2-second quarter mile and a 3.5 second zero to 60 MPH time. However, it's the quad motor where things get gnarly. The stronger motor propels the Rivian R1T through the quarter mile in an astounding 10.5 seconds with a zero to 60 MPH time of 2.5 seconds. That not only blows the doors off of most trucks ever built, but it makes it the fastest non-modified truck we could find in the quarter mile run. 

There are plenty of ways to rank how fast something is, including top speed, how fast a vehicle can cross a quarter mile, and how fast a vehicle can go from zero to 60 MPH. For this list, we sorted the trucks based on their quarter mile drag times. It's not only a commonly used metric for speed across the automobile segment but it's also the standard for a NHRA drag race.  

We also listed the zero to 60 MPH times as a sort of tiebreaker. For example, the 2004 Ford F-150 Lightning and the 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 have the same quarter mile time but since the Dodge has a slightly faster zero to 60 MPH time, we give the win to the Dodge. Top speed is also a popular way to gauge speed but since these are consumer cars and likely have a mechanical or electronic governor, top speed results aren't always accurate to the truck. So, we believe the quarter mile and zero to 60 MPH times are the best methods.