These Pickup Trucks May Have The Cheapest Gas Prices

Drivers everywhere are feeling the same pain at the pump. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), national average retail prices for gasoline in the United States just made history. For the week starting on March 14, the EIA shows national retail average gas prices at around $4.41 USD, surpassing their previous high in 2008 at $4.14. As The New York Times reports, the reason for surging gas prices is Russia's war with Ukraine. With the U.S. and its allies imposing sanctions on Russia, the price of gasoline won't likely fall any time soon. 

Consumers looking to buy a new truck in the near future will likely want to pay careful attention to fuel efficiency, balancing the benefits of the power of a pickup with the costs of keeping their truck up and running. Here you'll find a list of the most fuel-efficient trucks on the market, based on the EPA's fuel economy listings.

The EPA's public records show vehicle fuel economy rankings for cars and trucks expected to be driven 15,000 miles annually inside the United States. The current most fuel-efficient truck in the EPA's category for "Small Pickup Trucks" available on the market in the U.S. today is the 2022 Ford Maverick. 

SlashGear gave this vehicle a test drive earlier this year and confirmed it was able to achieve 40 mpg while carrying 1,000 pounds of cargo. The EPA's listing suggests the 2022 Ford Maverick gets 42 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and a 37 mpg rating for combined city and highway driving. As of March 17, 2022, the EPA says it will cost just $1,750 to keep this truck gassed up for a year.

We are certainly fans of what Ford has accomplished with the latest Maverick series. As mentioned in our test drive, we would prefer it if Ford offered its excellent hybrid drivetrain with an all-wheel-drive option, but it is always considering the market and the company hasn't ruled it out at this stage. 

Showing how competitive the pickup segment has become from a fuel efficiency standpoint, the EPA lists four pickups as the top picks in the standard pickup segment with all achieving a very respectable 26 mpg. These include the Chevrolet Silverado, the GMC Sierra 2WD, the Ram 1500 2WD, and the Ram 1500 HFE 2WD. All models are equipped with a 3.0 L 6-cyl turbo diesel engine while the Chevrolet and GMC pickups come with 10-speed autos and the RAM trucks both have 8-speed transmissions.

As of March 17, 2022, the EPA lists each of these four pickups with a yearly gas $3,050 in gas driving 15,000 miles over 12 months. The EPA also points out that each of these pickups will cost owners an extra $3,250 over five years compared with the "average new vehicle." So while each of these pickups is a good performer for their category, their extra size and extra utility will come at a premium. However, given the popularity of the category historically, even with the spike in current gas prices, the American appetite for pickups isn't going to disappear anytime soon.

Spare a thought, however, for owners of the Ram 1500 TRX. Sure, they might have one of the biggest and baddest pickups going around, but they pay for it at the pump. The EPA currently lists the Ram 1500 TRX as the "least efficient" standard pickup truck on the market today. Its 6.2 L 8-cylinder supercharged engine guzzles 12 MPG for an annual gas bill of $6,300. Over five years, TRX owners will pay a whopping $19,500 extra in gas compared to the average new car owner.

If you want to fully realize the cost benefits of electric motors right now, the current oil crisis is a great time to own an all-electric pickup like the Rivian R1T. The EPA rates it as the most efficient EV pickup currently on the market and arrives at this conclusion by using a formula that converts the cost of charging it at home into a gas price equivalent. Based on this formula, the Rivian achieves an incredible 70 MPG with an estimated "fuel" cost of only $950 annually. This can be improved, of course, by using any publicly available free EV charging station.

As we found during our first drive review of the 2022 Rivian R1T, it is not only inexpensive to run, it's a great pickup in its own right. The styling is head-turning without being unnecessarily outlandish, and it performs extremely well off-road. It is the complete package and definitely worth a look if you can stump for its $67,500 starting price before U.S. federal tax incentive. 

As it is with every truck on our list today, the purchase of any vehicle should include consideration for the total cost of ownership over a period of years. While, the Rivian R1T might seem expensive up front, the fuel savings might end up bringing it back into your realm of overall affordability. As of March 17, 2022, the EPA estimates that the Rivian R1T costs $7,250 less in fuel over a five-year period compared to the average new vehicle.