The Most Loyal Truck Owners for Each Segment
From midsize to full-size to heavy-duty, truck owners and pickup drivers are pretty particular about their rigs. Once they find a brand they trust, most truck owners are pretty loyal. One organization that measures the loyalty of consumers to a specific manufacturer or segment model is S&P Global Mobility.
For the past 27 years, S&P Global Mobility, a leading provider of automotive data, analysis, and insights, has been handing out Automotive Loyalty Awards in a variety of categories. Let’s look at which pickup trucks were awarded segment model loyalty awards in the categories of midsize pickup, light-duty pickup, and heavy-duty pickup below.
S&P Global loyalty award winner: Midsize pickup truck
As S&P Global Mobility states, “the 2022 award winners were based on a fact-based analysis of 11.7 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the 2022 calendar year.”
The pickup truck awarded the 2022 S&P segment model loyalty award in the midsize pickup category is the Honda Ridgeline. This was a repeat win for the pickup, having also won the category in 2021. According to Kelley Blue Book, the 2023 Honda Ridgeline costs $38,800 for the basic Sport trim.
The Honda brand provides a sense of reassurance and dependability to drivers. Honda’s reputation, combined with the fact that the Ridgeline drives more like an SUV than a pickup truck, has many consumers hooked on this midsize pickup. It’s easy to see why too. Having a midsize pickup that handles better than competitors while providing the practicality of a pickup bed is a win-win for most pickup drivers in the midsize segment.
S&P Global loyalty award winner: Light-duty pickup truck
In the category of light-duty pickup trucks, the S&P model loyalty award winner is the Ford F-Series. It’s no surprise that the Ford F-Series swept top honors in the light-duty pickup segment, as the Ford F-150 has been America’s favorite truck for decades. As of 2022, the Ford F-Series has remained America’s best-selling truck for 46 years in a row. Additionally, the F-Series truck has been the best-selling overall vehicle in America for an impressive 41 years.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the Ford F-150 is its highest-rated full-size truck of 2023 and is a Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award winner. The 2023 F-150 offers consumers eight unique trim options. The base level XL trim starts at a low of $33,965. In comparison, the most tricked-out Ford F-150 in the Raptor trim has a starting price of $76,775. However, regardless of the F-150 trim level, every pickup in the F-Series is built to perform.
S&P Global loyalty award winner: Heavy-duty pickup truck
Taking top honors in the category of heavy-duty pickup is the Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500. These Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks are certainly heavy-duty as they are much heavier, longer, and taller than their little brother, the Silverado 1500. All this power means that the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 are built to haul and haul a lot.
The Silverado 2500 is a three-quarter-ton truck, and the Silverado 3500 is a one-ton pickup. The 2500 truck has a towing capacity of 14,500 lbs which can increase to 17,400 lbs with a gooseneck setup. Adding in a 6.6-liter diesel V8 option increases the towing capacity on the 2500 all the way up to 18,500 lbs. Meanwhile, the 3500 offers even more towing capacity at 20,000 lbs with the Duramax and 35,500 lbs with a gooseneck setup. Even the gas version 3500 with the 6.6-liter engine provides an impressive towing capacity of 16,800 lbs.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 has a starting price of $40,500, whereas the 3500 has a starting price of $41,700.
