The 5 Most Reliable Used Full-Size Pickup Trucks From the Past Decade–According to a Dealer
If you ask most people to name the most reliable used full-size pickup trucks available, their answer comes down to brand loyalty. But Patterson Truck Stop is a pickup truck dealership located in Texas that offers every brand. When the truck specialist at Patterson ranked the most reliable used full-size trucks of the past decade they zeroed in on specific makes and model years, each for a specific reason. Here are the five most reliable used full-size pickup trucks from the past decade.
2013 Ram 1500
If you are considering pickup trucks a full decade old, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than the Ram 1500. This full-size truck won MotorTrend’s Truck of the Year. In addition it earned “Most Improved” on J.D. Power’s 2013 dependability rankings, its score jumping an unprecedented 30%. According to the Patterson Truck Stop experts, the 2013 Ram 1500’s major improvements include an all-new base engine, the 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter “Pentastar” V6. In addition it received an all-new ZF eight-speed automatic transmission for both the V6 and HEMI V8 engine. It even received new projector beam headlights and an improved infotainment system. The result is an especially reliable used full-size pickup truck.
Find out all the differences between fourth-generation and fifth-generation Ram 1500s.
2007-2012 Toyota Tundra
Toyota just debuted an all-new full-size Tundra pickup truck for the 2022 model year. This is good news for used truck buyers as it makes old second-generation Tundras depreciate even more quickly. The 2007-2012 Tundra is an especially good deal, as these model years are undervalued now but won J.D. Power’s Dependability award. If you find a used Toyota with the 5.7-liter V8 you’ll get a six-speed automatic, a powertrain that proved so reliable in used pickup trucks that Toyota continued offering it until 2021.
See which year Toyota Tundra received an ‘average’ reliability score.
2015 Ford F-150
Ford shocked the pickup truck world when it announced that it would build every 2015 F-150 with aluminum body panels instead of steel. Patterson Truck Stop’s experts point out that this choice shaves 700 pounds of the vehicle’s weight. The resulting truck was better at accelerating, stopping, handling, and carrying big payloads. This even made an efficient 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine a possibility. The aluminum panels did dent more easily than steel. What’s more, if a previous owner bolted steel aftermarket parts to the aluminum panels they risked corroding in salty northern climates. Both the risk and reward of buying a 2015 Ford F-150 are high, so it may be worth having an experience mechanic inspect before you invest.
2007-2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Back in 2007, MotorTrend named the all-new Chevrolet Silverado 1500 as its “Truck of the Year.” Since those days, the reliable Silverado just keeps trucking along. What’s the secret to why this used pickup truck is so reliable? Instead of turbochargers or mild hybrid systems, most Silverados from this era shipped with one of several simple pushrod V8s (options ranged from 4.8-liters to 6.2-liters).
2014-2017 GMC Sierra 1500
Because the GMC Sierra 1500 is mechanically identical to the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, you can’t go wrong with any used versions of this half-ton built from 2007-2017. That said, the GMC Sierra earned some of the top ratings for quality from 2014 through 2017. This is because the GMC Sierra is technically a higher-trim version of the Silverado. This “professional grade” full-size truck comes with more features standard. It costs slightly more when new, but often settles to about the same price as the Silverado on the used market.
Next, read about more often-overlooked used pickup truck options or watch an explanation of which used pickup trucks are the most reliable in the video below:
