5 Of The Best Years To Consider If You're Searching For A Used Honda Ridgeline

Although SUVs have had a significant rise in popularity in recent years, the vehicles that inevitably top the list of the best-selling in the United States year after year are pickup trucks. With the domination of the Ford F-Series on the market, along with the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Toyota Tacoma, Ram 1500, and more, it is abundantly clear that many hundreds of thousands of Americans each year want a large vehicle with a truck bed, whether they find themselves hauling large payloads or not. Of all the pickup trucks on the market, and indeed amongst all the vehicles from the automaker, the Honda Ridgeline is an underrated model that's certainly worth another look.  

Introduced for the 2006 model year, it still sits in Honda's line with the well-reviewed 2024 Ridgeline, and is currently the only pickup truck that Honda makes. The Ridgeline has been mostly consistent in terms of reliability and quality, albeit with a few terrible years sprinkled in too. Sales for the truck have picked up in the 2020s, after a decade-long slump following its strong first few years. As they're such well-made vehicles, they can be pretty good bets if you are looking for a truck on the used market. Based on customer reviews and reliability ratings from trusted sources, here are five Honda Ridgeline model years you should look for if you want to get yourself a quality used truck.

[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

For the first entry on our list, we are going to go back to nearly the beginning of the Honda Ridgeline with its sophomore year, the 2007 model. That first year was a rocky affair, with the 2006 Ridgeline on a list of trucks you should steer clear of, as it was subject to 14 different recalls.

The number of reported issues for the 2007 model on CarComplaints dropped by over 60%, with the most common notices having to do with the paint, and even then, those complaint numbers are small. According to Consumer Reports, the reliability score increased by 10 whole points from the 2006 model's 50 out of 100. J.D. Power's reliability score was an 87 out of 100, and it listed the Ridgeline as its highest ranked mid-size pickup truck of 2007, along with the Toyota Tacoma. Granted, this model was subject to 10 recalls, but most of these were air bag issues that affected many Honda vehicles and weren't specific to the Ridgeline.

Drivers agree with the high marks, as the 2007 Honda Ridgeline has received over 4.5 out of 5 stars on average from customers on Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, and Cars.com. No matter where you look, you'll see praise for the pickup, and nowadays, you are likely to find one selling between $7,000 and $12,000.

[Featured image by Rutger van der Maar via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

It would be two years later that the Honda Ridgeline would receive its first major refresh. This didn't completely overhaul the vehicle, but a number of significant changes were made that definitely set this one apart from the previous models. Changes were made inside and outside of the truck, including a redesign of the grille and bumpers, standardizing a tow hitch to every single trim, a new steering wheel design, and bringing in more modern technology like Bluetooth and a rear-view camera. Overall, 50 enhancements were made from the previous year's model, which is quite a lot when you aren't doing a new generation.

Even with all of those changes, that did not stop the Ridgeline from having that same great reliability that it already had. In fact, it may have improved in this refresh. No longer did it have to share the top spot in J.D. Power's annual ranking as the best mid-size truck of the year with the Tacoma. It had the position all to itself. This was also the highest reliability rating that the Ridgeline had received from Consumer Reports thus far with a 64 out of 100, and CarComplaints had the number of reported issues drop nearly 75% from the 2008 model. So, with a mix of modernity and reliability, and an average price between $8,000 and $10,000, the used market for the 2009 Ridgeline is quite accommodating.

[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

Unlike the differences between the 2007 and 2009 models — which were surprisingly drastic for such a short time frame — the changes between the 2009 and 2013 models were quite slight. The 2012 refresh included improved fuel economy and a Sport edition of the Ridgeline for those who wanted that kind of trim. In 2013, the rear-view cameras — that were initially just an option for the upper tier RTL models — became standardized across the entire Honda Ridgeline range. Out of these two years, 2013 wins on reliability and owner satisfaction ratings.

The Consumer Reports reliability score was a 65 out of 100, which is 11 points better than the second-best truck of that size that year, and it also has a full 5 out of 5 owner satisfaction score. The 2011 model is the only other year to get that score, but that's before the aforementioned upgrades. J.D. Power gave this model year the same quality and reliability score as the 2009 model, with 86 out of 100, while it also had a low number of reported problems on CarComplaints too. As we inch closer to the present, the prices on these trucks start increasing a little, and you can find a 2013 model for anywhere from $12,000 to $15,000.

[Featured image by order_242 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

Production of the Honda Ridgeline ceased in 2014, but it did return for the 2017 model year with a new redesign. Most notably, it eliminated the diagonal arch that attached the cabin to the truck bed, making it look more in line with all of the other pickup trucks out there on the street. Like with the first generation launch, this first year back was somewhat rocky. Reported problems to CarComplaints jumped up nearly 700% from the 2013 model, and the reliability score on Consumer Reports plummeted nearly 30 points too. Just like that previous generation, Honda was able to straighten things out when it came to the sophomore 2018 model year.

The reliability score from Consumer Reports for this year did improve to a more respectable, average place at 44 out of 100. That sounds low, but was reasonable in comparison to other pickups from the time. The owner satisfaction score did earn a strong 4 out of 5 for further assurance, and those CarComplaints issues dropped over 70% as well. In the consumer rankings from J.D. Power, the Ridgeline bested the second place finisher by four points, for an overall score of 83 out of 100. Average customer scores on Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, and Cars.com all clear the 4.5-star threshold as well. The price range for a 2018 Ridgeline is rather wide, with vehicles found for $18,000 at the lowest and up to $30,000 for more premium trims.

[Featured image by Paul Albrecht via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 4.0]

If you are someone who wants to get a brand new Honda Ridgeline, but do not want to pay the prices that come with purchasing an automobile direct from the factory, then your best bet to recreate that experience with a used model is to get yourself one from the 2022 model year. Your first instinct may be to go back one year to 2023, but across the board, the 2022 model receives better ratings than that newer edition, which is good considering you are likely to get one for a slightly lesser price as well.

Consumer Reports gives the 2022 Ridgeline the same 65 out of 100 reliability score as the previously recommended 2013 model. Over on J.D. Power, it once again received a very good reliability score of 80 out of 100. We named it one of the best pickup trucks of 2022 as well. To put it in perspective with the newer 2023 model, the reliability score from Consumer Reports dropped nearly 30 points to a 37. Clearly, this is the newest Ridgeline you want to get without getting one brand new, and in terms of price, you can get one between $30,000 and $36,000, depending on the trim. That's quite a lot of money, but considering the current Ridgeline has a starting price of $40,150, you are still getting a discount.

[Featured image by RL GNZLZ via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

The Honda Ridgeline hasn't even been around for 20 years, but it was still tricky to pick only five models for this list. Narrowing it down to just five couldn't rest solely on the opinion of one person, so a wide-ranging consensus from various publications was used to demonstrate consistency of opinion. Most importantly, the model required strong reliability scores from the likes of Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and CarComplaints, as getting a quality used vehicle depends so heavily on whether the car you are getting will be able to withstand wear and tear.

Beyond that, the reviews of reputable publications and our own previous work was taken into account. Once all of these factors were considered, these five Honda Ridgeline model years were chosen.

[Featured image by McChizzle via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]