Pickup trucks remain a major part of the U.S. light-duty vehicle market, but their statistics depend heavily on definition. The figures below use U.S. EPA production-based model-year data, configuration-level fuel-economy records, and clearly labeled comparison categories; they are not an ownership census or a calendar-year sales series.
Key Pickup Truck Statistics
The most broadly useful pickup truck statistics in the supplied U.S. EPA series are:
- In model year 2023–2024, pickups represented about 15% of U.S. new-vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, trucks under NHTSA’s regulatory classification represented 66% of U.S. new-vehicle production, including pickups, truck SUVs and minivans/vans.
- In model year 2024, truck SUVs represented almost 50% of U.S. new-vehicle production, separate from pickups.
- In model year 2024, Ford’s pickup share was 42% of its own U.S. production, the highest manufacturer-specific share reported.
- In model year 1994, pickups reached 19% of U.S. new-vehicle production, the series peak.
- In model year 2012, pickups accounted for 10% of U.S. new-vehicle production.
- In model year 1975, sedan/wagons represented more than 80% of U.S. vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, sedan/wagon production was below 25% of U.S. vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, car SUVs and truck SUVs together represented 60% of U.S. new-vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, average pickup fuel economy reached 20.5 mpg, the highest value in the EPA pickup series.
- Between model years 1975 and 2024, average pickup horsepower increased 138% in U.S. production.
- Between model years 1978 and 2024, calculated pickup 0-to-60 time decreased 50% in the EPA performance series.
- In model year 2024, average pickup footprint was about 65 square feet in U.S. production.
- In model year 2024, battery-electric vehicles represented 7.2% of all new U.S. vehicle production, not pickup production specifically.
- In model year 2024, plug-in hybrids represented 2.5% of all new U.S. vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, strong hybrids represented 9.5% of all new U.S. vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, mild hybrids represented 5.3% of all new U.S. vehicle production.
- In model year 2024, diesel represented 0.7% of all new U.S. vehicle production.
- Since model year 2015, pickups have accounted for more than half of light-duty diesel production.
- In the 2024 model year, the configuration-level range included 37 mpg combined for the Ford Maverick HEV FWD and 12 mpg for the Ram 1500 TRX 4×4.
Contents
- Key Pickup Truck Statistics
- Pickup Truck Production in the U.S.
- Long-Run Pickup Truck Trends
- Pickup Fuel Economy and Electrification
- Pickup Size, Horsepower and Performance
- Pickup Powertrain and Engine Technology
- Model-Year 2024 Pickup Fuel-Economy Data
Pickup Truck Production in the U.S.
EPA’s recent production data place pickups at about 15% of U.S. new-vehicle production in the model-year 2023–2024 period. This is a production share for vehicles made for sale in the United States, not a count of pickup owners, registrations, or calendar-year deliveries.
The broader regulatory truck category is much larger because it includes several vehicle types:
| U.S. production measure | Period | Share | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickups | Model years 2023–2024 | About 15% | Pickup vehicle type |
| Regulatory trucks | 2024 | 66% | Pickups, truck SUVs and minivans/vans |
| Truck SUVs | 2024 | Almost 50% | Separate EPA vehicle type |
| Ford pickups | 2024 | 42% of Ford production | Ford’s own production mix |
Source: The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Ford’s 42% figure should not be read as Ford’s share of all U.S. pickup production or sales. It measures how much of Ford’s own U.S. production was classified as pickups in model year 2024.
EPA’s 2024 database contains final data for 50 model years, from 1975 through 2024, based on official submissions to EPA and NHTSA. The database coverage describes the historical series, not the number of vehicles currently operating on U.S. roads.
Long-Run Pickup Truck Trends
The production series shows that pickup share has moved substantially over time. Pickups reached a 19% production share in 1994, then fell to 10% in 2012, before returning to about 15% in the recent model-year period.
The broader vehicle mix changed even more dramatically:
- Sedan/wagons made up more than 80% of U.S. vehicles produced in model year 1975.
- Sedan/wagon production was below 25% in model year 2024.
- Car SUVs and truck SUVs together represented 60% of U.S. new-vehicle production in model year 2024.
These figures describe vehicle production categories, not the installed fleet. Truck SUVs are also distinct from pickups, even though both may fall within the regulatory truck classification.
Among SUVs at or below 4,000 pounds inertia weight, the share meeting the regulatory truck definition reached 77% in model year 2024, the highest share in that EPA-defined subset since at least model year 2000. That statistic is an SUV classification measure rather than a pickup result.
Source: The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Pickup Fuel Economy and Electrification
Average pickup fuel economy reached 20.5 mpg in model year 2024, the highest value in the EPA pickup series. EPA identifies the value as an estimated-real-world measure, and historical comparisons reflect an evolving methodology.
The method weights city driving at 43% and highway driving at 57% in the current report. This weighting defines the estimate; it does not describe the exact driving pattern of every pickup owner.
EPA also reported that pickup fuel economy was 0.3 mpg higher in 2024 than in 2023 because 2% of pickups were battery-electric and none were plug-in hybrids. The report attributes this change to the production mix, not to a causal estimate of owner driving behavior.
For context, the 2024 all-vehicle production mix included 7.2% battery-electric vehicles, 2.5% plug-in hybrids, 9.5% strong hybrids, 5.3% mild hybrids, and 0.7% diesels. These are all-new-vehicle figures, not pickup-specific adoption rates.
Comparison categories also show why vehicle type matters: truck-SUV fuel economy increased 1.0 mpg to 25.7 mpg in 2024, while van/minivan fuel economy reached 26.1 mpg. Two percent of car-SUV production was battery-electric and 3% was plug-in hybrid in 2024.
Sources: The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975, About the Automotive Trends Data, and 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975, Executive Summary.
Pickup Size, Horsepower and Performance
Pickup capability has expanded alongside changes in physical size and power. Average pickup horsepower increased 138% between model years 1975 and 2024, while calculated 0-to-60 time decreased 50% between model years 1978 and 2024.
The 0-to-60 measure is calculated by EPA and is not a direct instrumented test for every pickup. Similarly, the horsepower trend describes production-weighted vehicle attributes; it does not directly measure towing performance, payload, or work completed.
| Measure | Period | Reported result | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average pickup horsepower | 1975–2024 | 138% increase | U.S. pickup production |
| Calculated pickup 0-to-60 time | 1978–2024 | 50% decrease | U.S. pickup production |
| Average pickup footprint | 2024 | About 65 sq. ft. | U.S. pickup production |
| Average all-vehicle footprint | 2008–2024 | 48.9 to 51.5 sq. ft. | U.S. new-vehicle production |
EPA defines footprint as the product of wheelbase and average track width. It is a regulatory size measure, not cargo-bed area.
For additional context, average horsepower across all new U.S. vehicles reached 258 hp in model year 2024, while the maximum horsepower of an individual new vehicle in the EPA dataset was 1,600 hp. Neither all-vehicle figure is pickup-specific or representative of a typical pickup.
Source: The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Pickup Powertrain and Engine Technology
The available technology figures combine pickup-specific observations with all-light-duty context. More than half of light-duty diesel production has been pickups since model year 2015, although EPA’s Trends scope excludes the largest heavy-duty pickups and vocational trucks.
Diesel-engine technology also changed over the long run:
- Diesel-engine specific power increased by more than 200% from model year 1975 to the latest EPA model year.
- Diesel fuel consumption per horsepower declined by about 75% over the same period.
Those two measures describe light-duty diesel engine technology, not a pickup-only diesel fleet result. They should not be interpreted as direct evidence about every pickup’s fuel cost or operating outcome.
The all-vehicle 2024 production shares provide context for the direction of powertrain adoption, but they cannot substitute for a pickup-specific share. In particular, the 7.2% battery-electric, 2.5% plug-in-hybrid, 9.5% strong-hybrid, 5.3% mild-hybrid, and 0.7% diesel figures apply across all new U.S. vehicles.
Source: The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Model-Year 2024 Pickup Fuel-Economy Data
EPA’s model-year 2024 CSV contains individual configuration rows. The values below show the range of reported combined fuel economy and MPGe across selected pickups; they are not sales-weighted nameplate averages or measures of the whole pickup fleet.
| 2024 pickup configuration | Fuel or energy measure | Combined result |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Maverick HEV FWD | mpg | 37 |
| Ford Maverick FWD | mpg | 26 |
| Ford Maverick AWD | mpg | 25 |
| Ford F-150 4WD hybrid | mpg | 23 |
| Toyota Tacoma hybrid 4WD | mpg | 24 |
| Ram 1500 HFE 4×2 | mpg | 23 |
| Nissan Frontier 2WD | mpg | 21 |
| Honda Ridgeline AWD | mpg | 21 |
| Ford F-150 2WD | mpg | 19 |
| Ram 1500 TRX 4×4 | mpg | 12 |
Source: Model Year 2024 Fuel Economy and Technology Data (CSV).
Electric configurations use MPGe, an energy-equivalent measure rather than gasoline mpg. The 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning extended-range 4WD reported 70 MPGe, the Chevrolet Silverado EV reported 63 MPGe, the Rivian R1T Dual Large with 21-inch wheels reported 78 MPGe, and the Rivian R1T All-Terrain Dual Large with 20-inch wheels reported 68 MPGe in EPA’s adjusted 5-cycle field.
E85 rows are also not directly comparable with regular-gasoline rows. The 2024 GMC Sierra 2WD E85 reported 13 mpg combined, while the Chevrolet Silverado 4WD E85 reported 12 mpg combined.
The configuration differences matter: engine, drivetrain, trim, wheel choice, hybrid system, and fuel type can change the reported result within a nameplate. EPA’s records therefore support configuration-level comparisons, not claims about sales-weighted model performance or real-world fleet use.
Source: Model Year 2024 Fuel Economy and Technology Data (CSV).
The EPA series is best read with its scope in view: model-year 2024 records are final, model-year 2025 values in the report are preliminary or projected, and portions of the light-duty Trends data exclude the largest heavy-duty pickups. Related SUV, van, all-vehicle, and diesel-engine figures remain useful context, but they should not be relabeled as pickup ownership, sales, or fleet statistics.