Skip to main content

Used pickup trucks are the flavor of the day, and as such, we are tasked with finding what is the best of these lumbering lugs to pick from. Reliability is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a used pickup truck. While there are tried and true models like the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra, which have built their reputations on reliability, that doesn’t mean they aren’t other or even better options. In fact, one of the most reliable used pickup trucks might surprise you. 

A red 2023 GMC Sierra 2500HD driving down a gravel road. This is one of the most reliable used pickup trucks.
2023 GMC Sierra 2500HD | GM Media

What are the most reliable pickup truck models? 

With questions like this, the automotive world often builds an answer over time, and then that answer is set in stone for the rest of humanity. With that in mind, many truck people will tell you that Toyota has made the most reliable pickup trucks of any other brand, and they may be right. However, that doesn’t mean that Toyota is the most reliable or those other pickup truck models aren’t equally or even more reliable. 

It is worth checking out the field and seeing what other trucks are getting good health reports from mechanics and owners. One of the models that have popped up on Consumer Reports’ surveys as being one of the most reliable used pickup trucks is a little surprising, especially when you compare this HD truck to the veritable sea of little four-cylinder trucks that populate most of the “most reliable truck” lists. 

The GMC Sierra 2500 is one of the most reliable used pickup trucks

Consumer Reports surveyed pickup truck owners to see which trucks have more problems than others. One of the used pickup truck models that came back with above-average reliability was the 2018 GMC Sierra 2500. 

Consumer Reports makes the caveat that generally talking about used truck reliability is dangerous because there will certainly be outliers. Even still, the 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 earned plenty of praise from real owners. 

What makes the 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 so great? 

A 2022 GMC 2500 used pickup truck
2002 GMC 2500 | Wikimedia Commons

The 2500 camp is saved only for the big work trucks. The GMC 2500 and all-but identical buddy, the Chevy Silverado 2500, were built to work. As such, the trucks had to be sturdy and reliable. Despite the blue-collar nature of the Sierra 2500, GMC still included plenty of creature comforts – even some luxury elements. 

So of the features that GMC owners love about the Sierra 2500 is its monster diesel powertrain that can pull a house down and still manage to behave itself in public. Despite its boots and jeans look, the GMC Sierra 2500 still can be found with some techy safety features like forward collision warning and lane departure warning. 

When Consumer Reports tested the Sierra 2500, they found that the Z71 package made the suspension so stiff that it ruined the truck. However, Consumer Reports is known to value a smooth ride above many other attributes. 

It’s nice to see a heavy-rolling work truck making headlines as a reliable used pickup truck. We need the big boys, and we need them to work.