Diesel pickup trucks make great work trucks for drivers that regularly tow and haul heavy loads. Diesel trucks are more expensive than average gasoline pickup trucks because of their unique capabilities. Does that mean that diesel trucks last longer? What is the average lifespan of a diesel truck?

What is considered high mileage on a diesel truck?

Diesel trucks are more powerful because of how diesel engines utilize fuel. This makes the powerful trucks ideal for construction work as well as towing. Since diesel engines use fuel differently than gasoline-powered trucks, does that entail a shorter or longer average lifespan?

According to Autotrader, heavy duty pickup trucks with diesel engines are typically designed to outlast light pickup trucks because they are typically used for hard labor. Buying a full-size pickup truck doesn’t necessarily mean that you are regularly going to tow or load thousands of pounds onto your truck on a regular basis. If you buy a truck with a diesel engine, you’re likely interested in that model because of its towing or payload capacity. Now that we’ve established that diesel trucks last longer, what’s considered high mileage on a diesel truck?

Prosource Diesel, a well-known diesel truck repair shop, claims that mileage above 350,000 miles is considered high mileage. According to iseecars.com, the consumers only keep the average new vehicle for about 8.4 years, which equates to roughly 113,400 miles.

This means that diesel truck owners can potentially keep their trucks for over three times the amount of time the average consumer keeps a new vehicle. The average lifespan of a diesel truck is about 350,000 miles which calculates to almost 26 years for motorists that drive 13,500 miles a year.

What is the best diesel truck?

While many diesel engines are reserved for heavy duty pickup trucks, some full-size pickup trucks have diesel engine options. Forbes Wheels calls the 2022 Ram 1500 the best diesel truck for 2022.

The Ram 1500 is considered the best full-size pickup truck. When equipped with Ram’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6, the Ram 1500 makes a whopping 260 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. It achieves 22 miles per gallon in the city and 33 miles per gallon on the highway.

The full-size pickup truck has a maximum towing capacity of 12,560 lbs and a max payload capacity of 2,090 lbs when equipped with the EcoDiesel engine. The Ram 1500’s EcoDiesel engine option costs an additional $4,995.

Should you buy a diesel truck?

The main advantages to buying a diesel pickup truck are towing capacity and fuel economy. If you need a stronger, more fuel-efficient pickup truck for daily use, diesel trucks are a good option. That being said, they do come with their own unique problems like fuel costs and an increased cost of ownership. Is a new diesel pickup truck in your future, or is diesel dead?