Canada's 4 most fuel-efficient pickup trucks for 2024

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Who likes pickup trucks? A lot of Canadians do, judging by the sales numbers. But who likes paying to fill them up? A lot fewer Canadians do, we’re guessing, and that’s why we’ve rounded up a list of the most fuel-efficient pickup trucks on the market today. We’ve divided them by segment, including a relatively new niche in the market: the all-electric pickup truck.

Now here’s where we throw in the “your mileage may vary,” and it really applies here. Towing or driving your truck heavily loaded will affect your mileage, as can where and how you drive, such as in hilly terrain or with a heavy right foot.

Four-wheel-drive will also cut into your fuel economy, since the system weighs more. And some of the winners on our list got there because they run on diesel or have a hybrid system.

We’ve exclusively used the officially-rated fuel figures from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and have compared them using the number for combined city/highway driving.

Our list handles compacts through full-size light-duty, but doesn’t include the so-called “heavy duty” trucks — the 250/2500 and 350/3500 trucks, colloquially known as three-quarter-ton and one-ton trucks, respectively. Consumption ratings aren’t required in Canada for trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR, which is the weight of the vehicle plus its maximum payload of passengers and cargo) over 3,856 kg (8,500 lbs), so the heavy-duties are out.

For the record, NRCan also excludes cargo vans with that 8,500-lb limit, as well as SUVs and passenger vans with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs) or more.

Most Efficient Compact Truck: Ford Maverick — 6.3 L/100 km

Some people turn up their noses at the Maverick, claiming it’s “not a real truck” because it’s a unibody and built on the same platform as the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport. We say if it has a bed, it’s a truck — and in this case, a small-footprint, city-friendly truck that can be just right for people who don’t want or need something oversized.

The fuel-sipping Maverick hybrid uses a 2.5L four-cylinder engine that makes 162 horsepower on its own, while you get 191 horsepower when the engine and hybrid electric motor are working together. It’s front-wheel-drive (FWD) only, while the gas version – which uses a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder making 250 horses – comes only in all-wheel-drive (AWD). Last year, the hybrid was the default and the gas-only was the option; for 2024, it’s the other way around, and it’s $500 to move up to the hybrid.

• Fuel Economy: 5.6 city / 7.1 highway / 6.3 combined (L/100 km)
• Canadian MSRP: $33,600 + $2,195 destination charge
• Comprehensive warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
• Powertrain warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km

Alternatives: The gas-only Maverick rings in at 9.6 L/100 km in combined driving. Alongside it, the only other compact truck on the market right now is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which is essentially a Tucson with a bed instead of an SUV back end. It comes only in AWD, but lags behind both Maverick versions, rated at 10.6 L/100 km.

Most Efficient Midsize Truck: Chevrolet Colorado — 10.9 L/100 km

Our midsize-truck category has traditionally been led by the Jeep Gladiator when equipped with its EcoDiesel engine, but that off-roader gets a major makeover for 2024, and that engine doesn’t carry over. As a result, the crown now goes to the Chevrolet Colorado, which itself was made over into an all-new model for 2023.

There is a caveat: That 10.9 L/100 km is for a Colorado in two-wheel-drive, and the only trim that offers it is the base WT (Work Truck). If you order your Colorado as a 4×4, consumption rises to 11.8 L/100 km, and one of the alternative trucks listed below beats that.

All Colorado models use a turbocharged 2.7L four-cylinder engine with eight-speed automatic transmission, but you can opt for three power levels. The base Turbo gives you that 10.9 L/100 km and hands you back 237 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque. Go for the Turbo Plus – which you can option in the WT and next-step-up LT, while it’s standard in trims above that – increases output to 310 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, and takes you to rated combined fuel consumption of 11.1 L/100 km.

Beyond that, the Turbo Plus can then be dialed up to the Turbo High-Output, at the same 310 horsepower but with 430 lb-ft of torque. If you already have the Plus and want the High-Output’s extra grunt, it’s an extra-charge computer flash that can be done by a dealer.

• Fuel economy: 11.8 city / 9.9 highway / 10.9 combined (L/100 km)
• Canadian MSRP: $35,399 + $2,200 freight charge
• Comprehensive warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
• Powertrain warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km

Alternatives: Next in line is the Ford Ranger, which is all-new for 2024. The base engine is a turbocharged 2.3L four-cylinder, good for 270 horsepower and a combined rating of 11.0 L/100 km; go up to the turbo 2.7L V6 and its 315 horses, and you’ll see just a mild penalty of 11.5 L/100 km. That latter number matches the consumption of the Honda Ridgeline, based on an SUV platform and with a 3.5L V6 engine.

Other midsize trucks sneaking in under 12.0 L/100 km are the Nissan Frontier (11.6) and all-new-for-2024 Toyota Tacoma (11.9). What about the GMC Canyon, you may ask, which is a mechanical twin to the Colorado? It’s moved upscale from its Chevrolet sibling — it now comes only in 4×4 and with the high-output engine, and so it’s rated for combined driving at 12.2 L/100 km.

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Most Efficient Light-Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 Duramax — 9.2 L/100 km

This time, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 shares its crown with its GMC Sierra 1500 mechanical twin, when both are equipped with their optional 3.0L inline-six turbodiesel, which pumps out 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. That’s also with 4×2 configuration, although if you opt for 4×4, its rating of 10.4 L/100 km in combined driving still puts it next-in-line for the fuel efficiency crown.

Of course, while diesels are all about low-end torque grunt and great fuel economy, these engines are also pricier than their gasoline-burning cousins. On the Silverado 1500, the diesel is available on the LT and up – the lower WT (Work Truck) and Custom trims don’t offer it – and only on double-cab or crew-cab trucks, not with a regular cab.

On the LT double cab, it’s an additional $4,190 to add the diesel, which pops the cheapest diesel-equipped version to a tag that exceeds sixty grand; and then on top of that, oil changes are pricier, and you’ll need to add diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), which helps reduce harmful emissions out the tailpipe. You’ll have to figure out how you’re going to use your truck, and if the long-term fuel savings will make up for the engine’s extra price tag.

Diesels are still a mainstay in heavy-duty trucks for their power, but not so much in light-duty full-size trucks. GM is the last holdout, with Ford and Ram having discontinued their oil-burner engines in lieu of leaning more towards hybrids — more on those after the break below.

• Fuel economy: 10.1 city / 8.1 highway / 9.2 combined (L/100 km)
• Canadian MSRP: $60,289 + 2,200 freight charge
• Comprehensive warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
• Powertrain warranty: 5 years / 160,000 km (diesel warranty)

Alternatives: As we said above, hybrid helpers are now a key component for Ram and Ford, although right now they’re taking different approaches — and earning the same fuel economy numbers either way. Both sit directly behind the Silverado/Sierra diesel figures, at 10.8 L/100 km in combined driving. That’s the rating for the Ram 1500 with 3.6L V6 and eTorque, a mild-hybrid system that provides some extra fuel-free oomph when accelerating, although it can’t drive on its battery alone.

The Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid can, with its twin-turbo 3.5L V6 with hybrid system, but it takes a very light foot to make that happen — instead, Ford uses that electric motor to boost output to 430 horsepower and 570 lb-ft of torque, while still staying below 11.0 L/100 km. Toyota’s Tundra i-Force Max Hybrid works on the same principle, pulling an even-more-grunty 583 lb-ft of torque out of its twin-turbo 3.5L V6, and with a higher-than-Ford but still-damn-impressive combined rating of just 11.7 L/100 km.

Most Efficient Electric Pickup: Rivian R1T — 2.8 Le/100 km

So, what’s up with “fuel efficiency” on a vehicle that doesn’t directly burn any fuel? EVs are rated by NRCan, but unlike liquid-fuel vehicles, they’re rated in Le/100 km — the “Le” stands for litres equivalent, which compares the electric energy consumed to an equivalent of gasoline energy. EV purists may prefer to figure out how many kilometres a vehicle can go on one kWh (kilowatt-hour) of energy, but the Le/100 km tends to be easier for those who are used to L/100 km. (In the U.S., vehicles are rated at mpg-e, for miles per gallon equivalent, which is also relative to gasoline energy consumption.)

Among the relatively few all-electric pickups currently on the market – no pun intended! – the Rivian R1T comes out the winner, in its Dual-Max configuration with 21-inch tires. That model also has the longest range among its competitors, at a rated 661 km (410 miles) on a charge. Of course, as with gasoline vehicles, how and where you drive can make a considerable difference, as can ambient temperature.

Rivian was founded in 2009, and according to the company, the name is derived from Indian River, a waterway in Florida near where founder RJ Scaringe grew up. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, but its R1T truck and R1S SUV are made in Normal, Illinois, in a plant that used to build Mitsubishi vehicles.

The Rivian offers three outputs, all with all-wheel-drive, starting with the Dual-Motor which puts out 533 horsepower and 610 lb-ft of torque and is our efficiency champion here. The Performance increases that to 665 horsepower and 829 lb-ft, while the Quad-Motor takes it to 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft. The Rivian seats five, and can tow up to 11,000 lbs.

• Fuel economy: 2.6 city / 3.0 highway / 2.8 combined (Le/100 km)
• Canadian MSRP: $105,000
• Comprehensive warranty: 4 years / 95,000 km
• Battery pack and drivetrain warranty: 8 years / 240,000 km

Alternatives: Next up for fewest electrons consumed is the Ford F-150 Lightning with extended-range battery, which rates at 3.3 Le/100 km in combined driving and has a range of 515 km (320 miles). The Chevrolet Silverado EVT, which is slated to be here shortly, rates close behind at 3.5 Le/100 km.

Ram’s electric pickup is still to come, and while the Tesla Cybertruck has been spotted a couple of times in Canada – including at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto – it hasn’t yet officially been rated by NRCan. The other electric truck in the segment, the GMC Hummer, is rated at 4.5 Le/100 km, with a range of 500 km (310 miles).

Of course, selecting the right truck in any segment is dependent on a number of factors, including price, capability, and how it drives. But fuel economy can be a factor too, and now you know what trucks are tops for 2024.

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