Top 12 Cheapest Pickup Trucks - The Short List

What are the most affordable new pickup trucks you can buy today? Keep reading and you’ll find out.

It’s funny, America’s most popular cars these days are actually trucks, with millions of them finding new homes every year. It seems in the 21st century, four-by-four crew-cab pickups have become the new family sedan.

But not everyone needs a truck for domestic duties. Some people use them to, you know, work. Fleet customers, contractors and bargain hunters alike don’t care about massaging leather seats, multi-panel sunroofs or the latest tech. They want a rugged vehicle with the lowest price. So, here are a dozen – YES, A DOZEN – of the most affordable new 2019 model year pickup trucks available today.

Kicking this list off is the popular Ford F-250, Dearborn’s entry-level Super Duty truck. In base XL trim with a regular-cab body, eight-foot bed and two-wheel drive it starts around 35 grand. At that price, you get a standard 6.2-liter gasoline V8 with 385 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. This engine is matched to a six-speed automatic transmission, which routes twist to a set of stylish 17-inch painted steel wheels!

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Toyota’s Tundra is not the newest full-size pickup on the market today – not by a longshot – but it’s probably the most reliable. When it comes to value, you can pick up an entry-level SR model for roughly $33,000 including delivery charges. That gets you an extended-cab body with a six-and-a-half-foot bed. Under the hood resides a 4.6-liter V8 that’s good for 310 horsepower and 327 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed auto-box and two-wheel drive round out this truck’s powertrain.

Next up, a truck that’s not a truck, because it’s kind of a minivan, the Honda Ridgeline. Rather than having a heavy, separate, ladder-style frame, this rig is based on a unibody architecture, sharing key components with other large Hondas like the Pilot, Passport and, yes, even the Odyssey.

A base, front-wheel-drive RT model can be yours for 31 grand and change. That gets you a 3.5-liter V6, a concealed in-bed trunk and a tailgate that both drops down and swings to the side. NEAT-O!

The Ridgeline is graced with 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, plus cylinder deactivation for enhanced fuel economy. A six-speed automatic is the only gearbox offered.

But if you want something more traditional, and with greater capability, Chevrolet will happily sell you an all-new Silverado 1500. A bare-bones Work Truck model can be had for less than $30,000 including delivery fees. That gets you a three-person bench seat and an eight-foot bed. A 4.3-liter V6 delivers the goods, 285 horsepower. Its 305 pound-feet of peak torque are routed through a six-speed automatic transmission spinning just the rear wheels, which happen to span 17 inches and be made of steel.

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Undercutting its crosstown rival by the price of a fancy steak dinner is the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150. In stripped-down XL trim it comes with a regular-cab body and a six-and-a-half-foot bed. At that price, you also get a 3.3-liter V6 augmented by both port and direct fuel injection, so it delivers more horsepower and torque than you might expect for a naturally aspirated unit of this displacement: 290 ponies and 265 pound-feet. Rounding out this powertrain is a six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive.

Now, for the best value in the full-size pickup segment, the Ram 1500 Classic! Even though FCA introduced an all-new light-duty Ram a year or so ago, they’ve kept the previous generation in production to offer customers more choice and even better value. You can take one home in Tradesman trim with a regular-cab and two-wheel drive for about $29,000. That also gets you a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard.

Dropping down to the MIDSIZE truck segment, let’s talk Ford Ranger. The most affordable version of this smart-sized pickup goes for less than $25,500 including delivery. That gets you an XL model powered by a muscular 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-banger matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission. This combo gives you 270 horsepower with 310 torques. Those figures enable a maximum payload rating of 1,860 pounds and the ability to tow up to 7,500 pounds.

For even less than the Ranger you can nab a Toyota Tacoma, which sets the standard in midsize-pickup longevity. A few Andrew Jacksons more than 25 large gets you an SR grade with the Access Cab body and a six-foot bed. Up front resides a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine with 159 horsepower. Its 180 pound-feet of torque is routed to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. This rig’s signature on-the-floor seating position is included free of charge.

Next, we go professional grade with the GMC Canyon. In entry-level SL trim, you get an extended-cab body for a bit of extra interior room plus a 74-inch-long bed that will haul plenty of stuff. Between the front fenders is a fire-breathing 2.5-liter four-cylinder that’s rated at 200 horses and 191 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic is standard. You get all this for around $23,295 including destination.

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But now for the most affordable new pickup truck in America, the Nissan Frontier. For a mere $23,135 including 1,045 bucks in delivery fees you can drive home in an extended cab S model of this popular-if-antiquated pickup. This gets you rear-wheel drive, a row-your-own five-speed manual gearbox and even a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Output is modest, clocking in at 152 horses and 171 pound-feet, but for the price it’s easy to look past some of the Frontier’s shortcomings.