For many people, cars are nothing more than a means of transportation. This is easy to forget as a car nerd. I love these stupid things. In fact, many of us willfully choose to pick the less or even least practical vehicle to drive every day. With that in mind, Consumer Reports listed nine of the easiest vehicles to drive. Admittedly, this isn’t a list I would ever think to make. However, there is something interesting here. Consumer Reports didn’t include a single pickup truck on the list. 

Are pickup trucks harder to drive than other cars? 

Consumer Reports looks at cars from every angle to best help customers pick the right set of wheels. There are certainly a few reasons why I would think most people wouldn’t be comfortable driving an F-250, but I’m a little surprised that Consumer Reports didn’t find a single pickup truck that seemed easy to drive. Not one. Not even the little Ford Maverick or the Hyundai Santa Cruz made the cut. 

What makes a car easy to drive? 

Consumer Reports nine factors that will keep a car from being easy to drive and live with on a daily basis. Here they are.

Reliability: No matter how good a car is in every other way, driving it will never be easy if it isn’t reliable. 

Access: The height at which a car stands matters. If a car is too tall or too short, getting in and out can be a hassle, and hassles are kind of like the opposite of easy. 

Comfortable seats: If you are someone who has to drive long distances, you know how much seat comfort can help. This includes materials, adjustments, and seating position. 

Driver position: If the driver’s position isn’t right, it can make the driver feel uncomfortable or even like they have less control over the vehicle. 

Gauges: If you have to spend more than a quick glance to read your gauges, that can be a hazard and an annoyance. 

Simple controls: Simple controls will make a car driving experience 10 times better. Complicated controls are annoying, dangerous, and a great way to kill an otherwise great car. 

Visibility: Large windows and thin roof pillars can literally save your life. Visibility is key. 

Quiet interior: Road noise can be distracting and annoying. Take the extra time to find the quiet ones. 

Smooth ride: a supple suspension will make your experience driving a car much nicer. This also translates to handling. Softer suspensions can be easier for some drivers to handle. 

It’s not looking great for pickup trucks

If you pour over this list, you’ll find that nearly every category conflicts with the very nature of pickup trucks. Sure, there are some trucks with comfy seats like the Ram 1500 or some trucks like the Toyota Tacoma that are reliable as hell. However, the Consumer Reports list is basically everything that a truck isn’t. Tough break, trucks. 

Whether you agree with this list or not, many people do find larger automobiles intimidating or even scary. I can see why the bigger trucks might seem harder to drive, but the newer midsize trucks seem to hit many of the marks but still weren’t included. This feels like Consumer Reports’ bias against pickup trucks poking its little head up. Then again, maybe it’s just that the cars and SUVs that did make the cut are just easier to live with. You can be the judge of that, dear reader.