We're 1/4 of the way through the 21st century, so almost anything is possible, including pickups that can be fuel-efficient. Yet, the best results mostly come from trucks that don't have conventional gas-burning engines under the hood (hint: hybrids and diesels). It wasn't too long ago that the idea of a pickup with passenger-car-like fuel economy seemed about as likely as a V8 Prius. However, the base 2025 Ford Maverick, a hybrid, gets up to 42 mpg in the city and has bragging rights as America's most fuel-efficient truck. Drop a diesel into a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (or GMC Sierra 1500), and the federal government says this full-sized truck can deliver 29 mpg on the highway.
Yes, this market segment has its share of gas guzzlers, including the 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R, which gets an abysmal 10 mpg in the city and 15 mpg on the highway. However, truck buyers wanting to minimize their gas station stops have numerous options. To dive into fuel economy ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we examined every 2025 model year pickup in the compact, midsize, and full-sized categories. Heavy-duty pickups (which aren't tested by the EPA) and all-electric trucks (we'll save the MPGe conversation for another day) are excluded. In addition, the ratings mentioned don't reflect ruggedized trims or tires that might reduce fuel economy.
At least until Toyota or another automaker enters the field, the compact pickup arena is a two-player contest between the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. With a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid setup as the base engine, the Maverick maintains its champion status by a far margin. The starter front-wheel drive (FWD) edition delivers 38 combined mpg (42 mpg city/35 mpg highway). Adding all-wheel drive (AWD) drops the Maverick's combined fuel economy to 37 mpg (40 mpg city/34 mpg highway). Of course, color has nothing to do with fuel economy, but you might be curious about how the exterior palette of Ford's new truck compares to the original Maverick's great colors.
The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-banger upgrade for the Maverick trades fuel economy for oomph (250 horsepower versus 191 for the hybrid) and standard AWD. Its EPA ratings of 25 combined mpg (22 mpg city/30 mpg highway) align with the entry-level Santa Cruz. This Hyundai's base 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder with FWD manages the same fuel economy performance as the turbo Maverick. Add AWD to the equation, and the Santa Cruz's ratings decrease by 1 mpg across the board (24 mpg combined/21 mpg city/29 mpg highway). Higher-end Santa Cruz trims have a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine and standard AWD. In this configuration, Hyundai's pickup is rated for 22 mpg combined (19 mpg city/27 mpg highway).
Throw in a few outliers — like the Honda Ridgeline, which can go up a hill, even in the snow – and the midsize truck market is reasonably competitive. Yet, only a handful of these Goldilocks-sized pickups manage to sip less and haul more. Using the EPA's combined rating as a benchmark, the category leaders are the four-wheel-drive (4WD) Toyota Tacoma with a hybrid-enhanced and turbocharged 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder and the Ford Ranger with the base turbocharged 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder and rear-wheel drive (RWD). Both trucks have an estimated fuel economy of 23 mpg.
The Tacoma without the hybrid powertrain (but the otherwise same turbo 2.4-liter unit) and RWD also delivers 23 mpg in some configurations. These same three trucks lead the pack in city fuel economy, with the hybrid Tacoma's 22 mpg, followed by the Ranger's 21 mpg (with RWD) and the turbo-only Tacoma's 20 mpg (with RWD).
If highway fuel economy is the priority, then the Ranger and its base turbo-four can claim the high road with 26 mpg for RWD and 4WD configurations. Some versions of the non-hybrid Tacoma (with RWD) are also rated for 26 mpg on the highway. The second-tier for highway fuel-sipping occurs at 24 mpg. This includes the hybrid Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier (with a 3.8-liter V6 and RWD), the Honda Ridgeline (with a 3.5-liter V6 and AWD), and some configurations of the turbo-only Tacoma with RWD. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon can only muster 23 mpg on the highway when outfitted with the base turbocharged 2.7-liter inline-4 and RWD. This GM duo trails in the other fuel economy categories.
The efficiency of diesel power is highlighted by General Motors' use of the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six Duramax in the Chevy Silverado 1500 and its corporate twin, the GMC Sierra 1500. With RWD, these full-size pickups deliver a combined fuel economy of 26 mpg, better than any 2025 pickup except for the hybrid-powered Maverick. With 4WD, this pair has a combined rating of 24 mpg. City fuel economy is 22-23 mpg (depending on the drivetrain and configuration). All the other trucks in this class, including GM products with gasoline-based engines, take a backseat to the Duramax.
If diesel power isn't on the checklist, but leading fuel economy is, the Ford F-150 with a twin-turbocharged, hybrid-supported 3.5-liter V6 (and 4WD) deserves attention with a combined rating of 23 mpg (22 mpg city/24 mpg highway). An RWD-equipped F-150 with a 2.7-liter V6 excels on the highway at 25 mpg but lags otherwise (19 mpg city/21 mpg combined). Highway fuel economy stays the same with the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 in the engine bay.
The Ram 1500 with the 3.6-liter V6 and RWD delivers a combined fuel economy of 22-23 mpg (depending on the configuration), with highway ratings increasing to 24-26 mpg. With the new-for-2025 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 "Hurricane" engine, the same truck is rated at 25 mpg on the open road (here's everything to know about the 2025 Ram 1500). Since its 2022 redesign, the Toyota Tundra no longer packs a V8. Power comes from two versions of a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 (including an upgraded hybrid engine), which deliver highway fuel economy ratings of 23-24 mpg when spinning on the rear wheels. Regardless of the brand, adding 4WD to the equation typically reduces fuel economy (city, highway, or combined) by 1-2 mpg.
