The Pickup Trucks With The Lowest 5-Year Maintenance Costs

There’s nothing like a trusty pickup truck that will go for miles, carry everything you need, can handle some of the rough stuff, and ferry people around. Of some of the best pickup trucks we have had the pleasure of driving, it is the work-rate and off-road prowess that make them. However, depending on the truck you buy, not all are affordable to run and maintain over five years or 10 years, which sours the experience a little.

Full-sized models like the Ram 3500 can cost around $1,300 a year to maintain, or, in other words, at the same pricing level as some high-end SUVs. However, this is not the case for all, and some of the smaller pickup trucks on the market are a lot, lot cheaper to run and maintain over five years while still offering high work rates. Using five-year maintenance costs from CarEdge, we have found 10 pickup trucks with the lowest maintenance costs. Here’s information on each model’s repair schedules, what they are good for, and what you can expect to pay for each model’s maintenance.

Models are listed in descending order based on average five-year maintenance costs, from the most expensive to the least expensive to maintain.

Ford F-150

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,594

As the U.S.A.’s most popular pickup truck for decades, the Ford F-150 just gets the job done. The 2026 Ford F-150 is available from just under $40,000 to $71,400. There are eight grades available, including the base-level XL, the STX, the XLT, the Lobo, the Lariat, the Tremor, the King Ranch, and the top-tier Platinum. Engine choices range from a 325-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 to a 430-horsepower EcoBoost hybrid V6, all of which are mated to a 10-speed automatic.

There is a choice of Ford F-150 for most budgets, and considering that you can tow up to 13,500 pounds with the hybrid mill, and it is built for hard work, the average five-year maintenance cost can be seen as very reasonable. According to CarEdge, the F-150 is relatively cheap to maintain, and it will cost you just shy of $3,600 for maintenance over five years, or roughly $720 a year. RepairPal also says that it will cost you roughly this figure, with their own estimate of $788 a year, so either way, it is cheap to maintain for its work rate and availability at low starting prices.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,491

As the main competitor to the Ford F-150, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is slightly cheaper in terms of five-year maintenance costs. iSeeCars gives the Silverado 1500 a quality and reliability score of 8 out of 10, but owner reviews on Kelley Blue Book rate it slightly lower, at 3.9 out of 5. However, the reliability and overall J.D. Power rating for the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado make up for it, at 86 and 83 out of 100, respectively.

Starting prices for the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado are ever so slightly cheaper than the Ford F-150 at $38,345, and the five-year maintenance fee is also marginally lower, at just under $3,500. There are also eight trims available: the Work Truck, the Custom, the LT, the RST, the Custom Trail Boss, the LTZ, the LT Trail Boss, and the High Country, and four engine options.

While the Silverado is cheaper than the F-150 to maintain over five years, the F-150 does come equipped with a more powerful base-level engine, and, at the top end, out-tows the Silverado’s maximum capacity of 13,300 pounds.

Ford Ranger

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,443

The Ford Ranger is one of the most popular mid-sized pickup trucks in the U.S.A., and we can see why. Starting prices for the 2026 Ranger are just over $35,000; at the high end (excluding the Ranger Raptor), prices start at $49,150, and despite being a mid-sized truck, it can tow up to 7,500 pounds. There are four engine options for this year’s Ranger: a 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four rated at 270 horsepower, a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 good for 315 horsepower, a 405-horsepower 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 under the hood of the Ford Ranger Raptor, and a new 2.3-liter EcoBoost plug-in hybrid V6 good for around 514 pound-feet of torque.

There is a lot of choice in the 2026 Ranger lineup, and what makes it better is that the whole lineup (excluding the Raptor, which will undoubtedly have higher costs because of what it will likely be used for) has low maintenance costs. CarEdge says it will cost you less than $3,500 over five years for maintenance; RepairPal puts the average yearly maintenance cost at $615, and iSeeCars gives it a reliability rating of 8 out of 10.

Ford Maverick

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,341

The Maverick changed the compact truck market when it was released, and true-to-form, even the 2026 Ford Maverick boasts a lot of versatility, low starting prices, and low maintenance costs. Prices range from $30,000 to $43,300; it can tow up to 4,000 pounds; it can carry up to 1,500 pounds, and it is small enough to blast around a city (198.8 inches in length by 83.5 inches wide).

You might think this rig moves slower than a line to use the bathroom after a movie, but that is not the case. No, this truck isn’t the quickest thing on four wheels, you’ll never outrun an F-150 Raptor R, but the Maverick has ample off-the-line scoot and is plenty powerful in normal, everyday driving.

– Craig Cole for TopSpeed

The Ford Maverick is available with just two engine options: a 191-horsepower 2.5-liter hybrid inline-four as standard, and a 250-horsepower 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-four for the street-fighting Maverick Lobo. Alongside the low five-year maintenance cost south of $3,400, the Maverick can also be very fuel-efficient. According to FuelEconomy.gov, the hybrid Maverick can achieve 38 combined mpg, costing you just $1,500 a year for gas. For a small truck that can do a lot, and is cheap to buy and maintain, there isn’t much more to ask of it.

GMC Sierra 1500

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,193

Boasting an overall J.D. Power rating of 81 out of 100 and a reliability rating of 82 out of 100, the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 takes on the Silverado and F-150 in the half-ton truck segment with a little more class and cheaper maintenance costs. Starting prices are ever so slightly higher, at $39,745, and high-end prices are a lot steeper, at $88,000. The 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 comes equipped with the same four engine options as the 2026 Silverado, but you do get a fancier build that includes features like a seven-inch touchscreen, dual-zone climate control, real wood trim, and optional leather upholstery.

Though slightly posher (even at the low end), CarEdge says that it will be cheaper to maintain a Sierra over five years than either of its half-ton counterparts. iSeeCars rates the GMC Sierra 8 out of 10 overall, and 7.9 out of 10 for reliability (so nearly identical to the Silverado), while RepairPal gives it a rating of 3.5 out of 5. RepairPal says that it will cost slightly more per year to maintain, with an estimate of $727 per year, but with the $3,193 five-year-maintenance estimate by CarEdge, it looks as if costs even out.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,057

As the main competitor to the Ford Maverick, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is also a game-changer in the pickup truck segment. The 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz has a slightly higher starting price than the new Maverick, at $31,150, but it can tow 5,000 pounds compared to the Maverick’s 4,000 pounds. The base engine is rated the same as the Maverick’s (191 horsepower), but the optional 2.5-liter turbo-four available for the XRT and Limited trims kicks out more, at 281 horsepower. So there are certainly some pros and cons to the higher starting price.

This is a powertrain built and tuned for the street, with drive modes tuned for fuel efficiency or sportier handling.

– Justin Kaehler for TopSpeed

Kelley Blue Book owner-rated reliability ratings are already high at 4.7 out of 5, and iSeeCars rates the Santa Cruz 9 out of 10 overall. However, the biggest accolade for the new Santa Cruz here is that it will only cost you just over $3,000 over five years to maintain, making it one of the market’s cheapest trucks to upkeep. That averages out at roughly $600 a year, or better than what RepairPal says the average annual maintenance cost of a vehicle is in 2026: $652.

GMC Canyon

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $3,029

The 2026 GMC Canyon is GMC’s mid-sized pickup truck. It is versatile, available in some proper off-road trims, and relatively well priced. There are six 2026 GMC Canyon trims available: the 2WD Elevation, the 4WD Elevation, the AT4, the Denali, the AT4X, and the AT4X AEV, with prices ranging from $40,995 to around $68,000 for the top-tier AT4X AEV.

The GMC Canyon is the truck that proves luxury pickup trucks are not a waste of money; you get an upscale cabin with a decent amount of tech in the shape of an 11.3-inch touchscreen and an 11-inch driver’s cluster, and though the Duramax diesel engine was lifted from the lineup in 2023, the 310-horsepower turbo-four used on all trims still gets the job done nicely. On top of the luxe and useful build, the GMC Canyon is estimated to cost you a little over $3,000 over five years for maintenance, while an iSeeCars reliability rating of 8.1 out of 10 should instill some confidence in it.

Honda Ridgeline

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $2,810

Boasting an overall J.D. Power rating of 81 out of 100 and a reliability rating of 82 out of 100, the 2026 Honda Ridgeline is taking on the mid-sized pickup truck market in its own affordable way. Low-trim starting prices are a little higher than some of its competition, with prices starting at $42,290 and topping out at just south of $50,000, but you do benefit from a bulletproof Honda build, and a smooth-running and perky 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. The new Ridgeline is also equipped to tow up to 5,000 pounds and carry 1,583 pounds, which is well in line with some of its rivals.

The Honda Ridgeline has been rated 8.1 out of 10 for reliability by iSeeCars, and it receives a 3.5 out of 5 reliability rating from RepairPal. CarEdge says that it will cost you just $2,810 over five years to maintain, while RepairPal says it will cost you just $502 per year to maintain. So, either way, it is a cheap pickup truck to maintain. We have the rock-hard Honda build, and typically cheaper labor costs and parts to thank for that.

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $2,284

It is maybe a pickup truck you may not expect to see near the top of the list of the cheapest pickup trucks to maintain, but the Chevrolet Silverado EV is just that, with a reportedly exceptionally low maintenance and repair bill over five years. CarEdge says it will cost you under $2,300 to keep it roadworthy over five years. We do need to tread cautiously with five-year maintenance costs, though, as the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV is a new model line. There is the potential for expensive problems to make themselves known as the line gets older, but for now, the expectation of low maintenance costs looks very good.

The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV is available in eight trims, with prices ranging from $55,400 to a whopping $92,000. However, Chevy says that it can tow up to 12,500 pounds, sprint to 60 mph in as little as 4.5 seconds, and, in its most long-range flavor, give you an estimated range of 493 miles from a single charge.

Ford F-150 Lightning

Average Five-Year Maintenance Costs: $2,232

There unfortunately won’t be a 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning. After the fire at Novelis’s aluminum plant back in 2025 and low sales, the F-150 Lightning has been paused for now. We expect to see the next iteration in 2027, but instead of it being an EV truck, it will likely be a plug-in hybrid truck with a promised range of 700 miles. Of course, things could change before then, but we hope to see the nameplate back. The latest Lightning you can buy at the moment is the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning with a 452-horsepower/775-pound-foot electric motor motivating it.

Those of you with a strong desire to be the first off the line at every traffic signal will be pleased by the “lightning” quick throttle response… In fact, it’s almost as quick as the F-150 Raptor R, which has a quoted zero to 60 of 3.2 seconds.

– Lyndon Conrad Bell, TopSpeed Journalist

Despite low sales and a general lack of uptake, the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning is a good truck. It can tow up to 10,000 pounds, 0–60 mph times are rapid at 3.8 seconds when fitted with the 131 kWh battery range extender, and owners who left a review on KBB rated it 4.5 out of 5. Like the Silverado EV, the limited data available because of the short lineage should be taken with caution, but CarEdge says that it is one of the cheapest pickup trucks to maintain over five years, at $2,232. That works out to a mere $446 a year for maintenance, or in other words, cheaper than a Toyota 4Runner ($514 per year).

Sources: RepairPal, J.D. Power, iSeeCars, FuelEconomy.gov, Kelley Blue Book, and CarEdge