6 Cheaper Alternatives To The Jeep Gladiator

SlashGear reviewed the 2020 Jeep Gladiator shortly after the legendary off-road automaker brought its pickup model back to offer truck utility to fans of the iconic Jeep Wrangler. At the time, our review praised the Gladiator's style, off-road capability, spacious cabin, flexible storage, and user-friendly Uconnect infotainment system. During its inaugural year, the lowest-priced Jeep Gladiator carried an MSRP of $33,545. Five years later, the four-wheel-drive 2025 Jeep Gladiator Sport starts at $38,695, making it more expensive than many other midsize trucks. Its high price has led many consumers to search for cheaper alternatives without losing the Gladiator's most favorable characteristics. 

While the Gladiator is among the best looking Jeep trucks ever designed and is the only convertible-top pickup truck on the market, consumers often choose it due to its combination of off-road prowess and hauling capability. The 2025 Gladiator is hard to beat as an off-roader with its available locking differentials, sway bar disconnect, and trail camera. It also offers up to 1,725 pounds of payload capacity and as much as 7,700 pounds of towing to compete with the most capable midsize pickups. Depending on your needs, there are plenty of Gladiator alternatives that are priced from a few hundred to several thousand dollars less. If you like what the Gladiator offers but don't quite have room for one in your budget, consider these other off-road ready gear haulers.

The 2025 Jeep Wrangler is an attractive alternative to the Gladiator, especially for Jeep fans. While the Wrangler offers similar features like a removable top and doors, sway bar disconnect, and locking differentials in various combinations throughout its range, it doesn't have a truck bed. That will be a deal-breaker for some, while for others reducing the calls to help friends move will be a mark in favor of the Wrangler.

Even without a full bed, the 2025 Wrangler provides 31.7 cubic feet of interior cargo volume. The 2025 Wrangler Sport two-door model starts at $32,690 and comes with a 285-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 engine backed by a six-speed manual transmission. Upgrading to the four-door Wrangler Sport boosts towing capacity to 3,500 pounds and increases the base MSRP to $37,290, still under the Gladiator's base price by more than $1,400. It's one of the rare vehicles that allows doors-off cruising, along with the next entry on our list.

While it's not much cheaper than the Gladiator, the base 2025 Ford Bronco features the same open-air feel as the Gladiator and Wrangler thanks to the removable doors and top. The base model's 275-horsepower, 2.3-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine is backed by a seven-speed manual transmission that includes a low-speed crawler gear. The part-time selectable 4x4 system features an electronic two-speed transfer case.

The base Bronco can tow up to 3,500 pounds when equipped with the available Class II Trailer Tow Package. That number remains the same for all 2025 Bronco trims and engine/transmission options except for the four-door Bronco Raptor equipped with the 3.0L EcoBoost, which can tow as much as 4,500 pounds. Unfortunately, the only 2025 Bronco that comes in cheaper than the Gladiator is the two-door base model at $37,995. Upgrading to the four-door version or choosing a higher trim level pushes the cost of a Bronco above $40,000.

You can get a Toyota Tacoma in eight trim levels, and a few of them are quite affordable. The Tacoma SR ranges in price from 31,590 to $36,990, and SR5, TRD Pre-Runner, and TRD Sport Tacomas can also be had for less than the price of a Gladiator. The SR trim Tacomas come with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 228 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque. The part-time four-wheel-drive pickup features an electronically-controlled transfer case with high and low range. 

While it offers a cheaper entry price, the Tacoma isn't quite as good at hauling heavy stuff as the Gladiator. The Double Cab 2025 Toyota Tacoma SR can carry a maximum payload of up to 1,500 pounds and has a tow rating of up to 3,500 pounds. Stretching your Tacoma budget won't quite get you to the payload and towing capacities of the Gladiator, either — Tacomas with the i-Force MAX hybrid drivetrain have a maximum tow rating of 6,500 pounds and can carry a 1,705-pound payload.

Much like the Toyota Tacoma borrowed its name from a city in the Washington Cascades, the Colorado is one of several Chevrolet models named after real places. All 2025 Chevrolet Colorado pickups come standard with the 2.7-liter TurboMax engine. This 16-valve four-cylinder delivers up to 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque, and it's backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Two of the five trim levels of Chevy Colorado are cheaper than the Jeep Gladiator. The Colorado WT starts at $31,900 and the LT trim version starts at $35,800. When paired with a Crew Cab body, a TurboMax-powered Colorado has a maximum tow rating of 7,700 pounds. The WT comes with 17-inch wheels with all-season tires, an 11.3-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus an 11-inch digital dashboard. You also get Chevrolet's Safety Assist package, which includes emergency braking, lane keep assist, and forward collision alert systems.

The 2025 Nissan Frontier comes in several versions that are cheaper than the Jeep Gladiator, especially if you're willing to forgo four-wheel drive. In fact, all of the two-wheel-drive Frontier trims except the range-topping SL are cheaper than the base Gladiator, including the crew cab Frontier PRO-X starting at $38,470. It's hard to envision a Jeep Gladiator alternative without four-wheel-drive, so the 2025 Frontier Crew Cab S 4x4 Standard, starting at $36,450, is worth a look.

Like all 2025 Nissan Frontiers, the Crew Cab S features a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 with 310 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque. Shifting duties fall to a nine-speed automatic transmission and the four-wheel drive system is managed by a switch-operated transfer case with high and low ranges. The crew cab S 4x2 Standard Frontier delivers a respectable max towing capacity of 7,040 pounds. The King Cab SV 4x2 offers the most impressive hauling capabilities of any Frontier with maximums of 7,160 pounds of towing and 1,620 pounds of payload.

For the 2025 Ford Ranger to qualify as a cheaper alternative to the Jeep Gladiator, buyers will have to forgo the high-horsepower Ranger Raptor. To stay under budget, Ranger trim options are narrowed down to the two-wheel drive XLT starting at $36,110 or the XL with either drivetrain (the four-wheel drive Ranger XL starts at $36,725). The XLT comes with different front fascia treatments, LED vs halogen fog lamps, power-folding side mirrors, and additional driver safety aids.

The 2025 Ford Ranger XL and XLT each come standard with the 2.3L EcoBoost engine featuring auto start/stop technology for improved fuel economy and a 10-speed automatic transmission. The available part-time 4x4 system features electronic shift-on-the-fly capability, and the optional electronic-locking rear axle only adds $420 to the cost of a Ranger XL. While we're adding options, consider Ford's trailer tow Package, a key element to reach the Ranger's 7,500-pound maximum tow rating. The package adds a Class IV hitch receiver and upgraded wiring harness that includes a 7-pin connector, although the additional $495 could push the price of the Ranger XL slightly higher than the Gladiator.

First and foremost, we wanted to highlight only cheaper Jeep Gladiator alternatives that offered at least some of the Gladiator's capabilities. For that reason, we didn't include every compact or midsize pickup, any smaller crossovers or Subaru SUVs, nor any 4x4 that we'd be embarrassed to park next to a Gladiator. Off-road ability, payload, and towing capacity were measured against the Gladiator's to identify these worthy challengers.