Today’s pickup truck market is more diverse than ever. The trucks you can buy today range from entry-level workhorses to full-on luxury vehicles, all of which are designed to pull their weight and then some.
But with more and more trucks being used as daily drivers, manufacturers are putting a lot of effort into making their pickups more fuel-efficient. You can see the results of that in our pickup fuel economy comparison, which shows how much truck efficiency has improved in the last 10 years.
Hybrid powertrains and diesel engines are contributing big fuel-economy improvements to the modern pickup market, but so is a new breed of compact trucks whose raison d’etre is a combination of utility and thrifty operation.
Here are the most fuel-efficient pickups you can buy today, presented in descending order of Natural Resources Canada’s combined fuel consumption estimates.
Compact hybrid pickup
2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid – 6.3 L/100 km combined
Canada’s most efficient pickup is the Ford Maverick Hybrid. New for 2022, the Maverick shares its platform and powertrains with the Escape compact crossover. The Maverick Hybrid uses a 2.5L gas engine, an electric motor, and front-wheel drive to generate 191 hp. Standard features in the base XL trim include 17-inch steel wheels, LED headlights, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, and forward collision mitigation. XLT models gain heated front seats and steering wheel, cruise control, and a locking tailgate.
Full-size diesel pickup
2022 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 2WD HFE (tie) 8.9 L/100 km combined
2022 Chevrolet Silverado diesel 2WD (tie)
The Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado are tied for top efficiency among full-size pickups with diesel engines. Both trucks offer 3.0L six-cylinder diesels as an option: In the Ram, it’s a V6 that makes 260 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, while Chevrolet’s motor is an inline six with 277 hp/460 lb-ft. Both come standard with an eight-speed transmission and rear-wheel drive. The GMC Sierra can be optioned with the same diesel engine as the Silverado, but can’t quite match the Chevy’s fuel economy. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s other claim to fame is its promise of 1,600 km of driving range on a single tank of fuel.
Compact gas pickup
2022 Ford Maverick AWD – 9.6 L/100 km combined
Ford also offers the Maverick with a turbocharged gas engine that comes standard with AWD. Despite the extra performance offered by its 250-hp, 2.0L four-cylinder, it’s still the thriftiest gas-powered compact truck in today’s market. The Maverick AWD adds a Lariat trim level that’s not available in FWD hybrid models and comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, power sliding rear window, power driver’s seat, dual-zone A/C, and passive keyless entry.
Full-size hybrid pickup
2022 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid 2WD – 9.7 L/100 km combined
Until last year, you could buy a Ford F-150 with a 3.0L diesel V6 that competed directly with the ones offered by Ram and Chevrolet. This year, the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid replaces the diesel as the truck’s most efficient powertrain option, despite making a substantial 430 hp/570 lb-ft of torque with its 3.5L turbo V6 and electric motor working together. And when you’re not driving the truck, you can tap its battery to plug in power tools or a power camping trailer.
Mid-size diesel pickup
2022 Jeep Gladiator 4×4 Ecodiesel – 9.8 L/100 km combined
Introduced in 2020, the Jeep Gladiator is the brand’s first pickup since the 1990s. Jeep’s relationship with Ram (both are part of the Stellantis group) means its most efficient performance comes from the same 3.0L diesel V6 as the Ram 1500. If you’re wondering why the mid-size Gladiator’s fuel consumption estimate is worse than the full-size Ram’s, it mostly comes down to high-speed aerodynamics: The boxier Gladiator’s highway fuel consumption rating is 8.5 L/100 km, while the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s is 7.1 L/100 km. Also working against the Gladiator’s efficiency is its standard 4WD system.
Full-size gas pickup
2022 Ram 1500 eTorque HFE V6 2WD – 10.4 L/100 km
The Ram 1500 makes its second appearance powered by its other available V6 engine, a 3.6L gas unit. On its own, it makes 305 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, but an optional eTorque mild hybrid system adds 90 lb-ft of launch torque to boost acceleration from a stop and contributes to the truck’s 10.4 L/100 km fuel consumption rating. You can also get the eTorque system with the Ram’s 5.7L V8, where it adds 130 lb-ft of launch torque to that motor’s 410 lb-ft.
Mid-size gas pickup
2022 Chevrolet Colorado 2.5L 2WD (tie)
2022 GMC Canyon 2.5L 2WD (tie) – 10.9 L/100 km combined
Finally, your most efficient choice in a mid-size, gas-powered pickup goes to GM’s Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon when equipped with their entry-level 2.5L four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drivetrain. GM’s 2.5L is the second-least powerful engine on this list, its 200 hp just edging out the Ford Maverick Hybrid’s 191 hp. The most efficient engine option in these trucks is a 2.8L diesel four-cylinder rated for 10.1 L/100 km with 2WD.