Best used midsize pickup trucks, ranked by owner data
We ranked 7 used midsize pickup trucks sold in the US and Canada in the last five years against each other on three measured things: problems reported by owners, the used asking price, and EPA combined fuel economy.
Data from October 2026. Sources: owner reports, Auto.dev US listings, EPA ratings. How we rank · Best midsize pickup trucks
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC)
#1 of 7
Ford Ranger
Score 91 out of 100
- Owner reliability (45 of 45 points): 1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent: the fewest on this list
- Price (25 of 30 points): median used asking price $24,383 (47 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 83% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (21 of 25 points): 21 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 83% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- Used price
- $19k–$27k (median $24,383)
- Fuel economy
- 21 mpg
- Owner reports
- 1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- Dated interior and infotainment relative to refreshed competitors
- Best recent year
- 2023
Best for
Most reliable by owners
1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent. Ranked #1.
Lowest used price
Median used asking price $22,125. Ranked #5.
Best fuel economy
21 mpg combined (EPA). Ranked #1.
The full ranking
- #1
Ford Ranger
Score 91- Used price
- $19k–$27k (median $24,383)
- Fuel economy
- 21 mpg
- Owner reports
- 1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- Dated interior and infotainment relative to refreshed competitors
- Best recent year
- 2023
Why #1
- Owner reliability (45 of 45 points): 1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent: the fewest on this list
- Price (25 of 30 points): median used asking price $24,383 (47 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 83% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (21 of 25 points): 21 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 83% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #2
Honda Ridgeline
Score 62- Used price
- $22k–$31k (median $28,088)
- Fuel economy
- 21 mpg
- Owner reports
- 1 very frequent problem and 5 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Transmission problems (2017-2019 6-speed)
- Best recent year
- 2021
Why #2
- Owner reliability (26 of 45 points): 1 very frequent problem and 5 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 58% of this list
- Price (15 of 30 points): median used asking price $28,088 (45 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 50% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (21 of 25 points): 21 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 83% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #3
GMC Canyon
Score 49- Used price
- $20k–$36k (median $28,500)
- Fuel economy
- 18 mpg
- Owner reports
- 3 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent
- Main owner complaint
- Infotainment and gauge cluster screens failing to display or going blank
- Best recent year
- 2020
Why #3
- Owner reliability (37 of 45 points): 3 recurring problems in owner reports, none very frequent: fewer than about 83% of this list
- Price (10 of 30 points): median used asking price $28,500 (46 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 33% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (2 of 25 points): 18 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 8% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #4
Nissan Frontier
Score 46- Used price
- $13k–$32k (median $24,520)
- Fuel economy
- 19 mpg
- Owner reports
- 1 very frequent problem and 6 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- SMOD (Strawberry Milkshake of Death) - Coolant contamination in transmission
- Best recent year
- 2018
Why #4
- Owner reliability (15 of 45 points): 1 very frequent problem and 6 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 33% of this list
- Price (20 of 30 points): median used asking price $24,520 (47 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 67% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (11 of 25 points): 19 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 42% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #5
Chevrolet Colorado
Score 40- Used price
- $18k–$28k (median $22,125)
- Fuel economy
- 18 mpg
- Owner reports
- 3 very frequent problems and 5 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Bluetooth and Android Auto pairing failures, including phones unable to connect or re-pair
- Best recent year
- 2022
- Years to avoid
- 2016
Why #5
- Owner reliability (8 of 45 points): 3 very frequent problems and 5 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 17% of this list
- Price (30 of 30 points): median used asking price $22,125 (38 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): the lowest of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (2 of 25 points): 18 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 8% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #6
Jeep Gladiator
Score 37- Used price
- $28k–$35k (median $32,649)
- Fuel economy
- 19 mpg
- Owner reports
- 2 very frequent problems and 3 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Electrical system failures
- Best recent year
- 2023
Why #6
- Owner reliability (26 of 45 points): 2 very frequent problems and 3 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 58% of this list
- Price (0 of 30 points): median used asking price $32,649 (44 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 0% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (11 of 25 points): 19 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 42% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
- #7
Toyota Tacoma
Score 26- Used price
- $23k–$35k (median $29,725)
- Fuel economy
- 21 mpg
- Owner reports
- 3 very frequent problems and 6 recurring in owner reports
- Main owner complaint
- Rough-shifting/failing 8-speed automatic transmission
- Best recent year
- 2020
Why #7
- Owner reliability (0 of 45 points): 3 very frequent problems and 6 recurring in owner reports: fewer than about 0% of this list
- Price (5 of 30 points): median used asking price $29,725 (45 US listings, all model years, Auto.dev): lower than about 17% of the cars still sold new
- Fuel economy (21 of 25 points): 21 mpg combined (EPA): better than about 83% of the gas and hybrid cars on this list
How we rank
- Owner reliability, 45 points. Problems that owners report again and again, from our owner reports. A very frequent problem counts twice. Fewer problems than the other cars on this page earns more points.
- Used price, 30 points. The median asking price in US listings (Auto.dev), all model years together. Cheaper than the others earns more.
- Fuel economy, 25 points. EPA combined rating. Electric cars are compared only with other electric cars, in MPGe.
- No guesses. A car needs enough owner reports and three years on sale to be ranked. A number we don't have earns 0 points and says "No data yet". We never compare NHTSA complaint counts between models, because they grow with the number of cars sold.
Questions
- What is the best used midsize pickup truck?
- The Ford Ranger ranks #1 of 7 with a score of 91 out of 100. 1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent, and its used price is $24,383 at the median.
- Which midsize pickup truck has the fewest owner-reported problems?
- The Ford Ranger: 1 recurring problem in owner reports, none very frequent.
- Which midsize pickup truck still sold new is the cheapest to buy used?
- The Chevrolet Colorado, with a median used asking price $22,125, based on US listings.
- How does CarWizz rank midsize pickup trucks?
- Each car is compared only with the other cars on this page. Owner reliability is worth 45 points, used price 30 points and EPA combined fuel economy 25 points. A car without enough owner reports is not ranked, and a missing number earns no points.
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