Since the early 1900s, some American farmers and business owners have been purchasing cab-and-chassis automobiles and outfitting the vehicles with fabricated flatbeds or boxes. The result was an affordable, utilitarian vehicle that owners could use both for work and Sunday trips with their families. Thus, the love story between the Americans and theirs pickup trucks she was born.
Today, pickup trucks are the second most popular vehicle type in the US by sales volume, after crossover SUVs. The best-selling vehicle in the United States for more than 40 years has been a line of pickup trucks: the Ford F-Series.
Pickup trucks have come a long way since the first Ford Model TT rolled off the assembly line in 1917. Today’s pickup trucks are more powerful, loaded with technology, and more expensive than their forebears. With these developments; however, pickup trucks also became more expensive to repair and maintain. Pickup trucks are larger than cars, often put through more work than SUVs, and sometimes have high-compression diesel engines that require more frequent oil changes and part replacements than other types of vehicles. .
CarEdge’s repair and maintenance data shows us that the average sedan – driven 15,000 miles per year during its first 10 years of operation – will incur approximately $7,000 in repair and maintenance costs over that period. This amount translates to about $700 per year. The average crossover or SUV, in turn, will require about $910 per year.
On the other hand, light trucks, from compact trucks to half-tons like the Ford F-150, will average $1,030 a year in repairs and maintenance over the first 10 years. Beyond the half-ton truck segment, heavy-duty trucks like the 1-ton Ford F-350 or Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD will cost an average of $1,430 per year during the first decade of operation.
According to the same data, American pickups have the highest maintenance in the segment. Here are the 10 US models with the highest repair and maintenance costs as of 2023.
10 Fourth-generation Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD: $1,469 per year for the first 10 years
The Chevy Silverado 3500 HD is the 1-ton representative in Chevrolet’s pickup truck stable. When equipped with the right equipment, a dual-rear-wheel setup, and the legendary 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine with 910 lb-ft of torque, the 2023 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD can achieve a maximum payload capacity of 7,442 pounds and a maximum of 5. Wheel towing capacity of 36,000 lbs.
A brand new Chevy Silverado 3500 HD currently starts at $41,700, but you should prepare more than a third of that sticker price ($14,686) for the repair and maintenance costs this Chevy truck will incur during its prime 10 years of operation. 10-year maintenance costs (approximately $11,000) will take up most of this amount, while the remainder (approximately $4,000) will be for repairs.
9 Fourth-generation Ford F-550 Super Duty: $1,484 per year for the first 10 years
With a maximum gross vehicle weight rating of 19,500 pounds, the Ford F-550 is considered a Class 5 commercial vehicle. Companies or government institutions in the utility and construction industries are good target markets for the impressive Ford F-550 maximum payload capacity of 12,190 pounds and maximum 5th wheel towing capacity of 34,900 pounds.
During the first 10 years of operation, a new Ford F-550 will require $14,840 in repair and maintenance costs.
8 Fourth-generation Ford F-250 Super Duty: $1,493 per year for the first 10 years
The Ford F-250 is a 3/4-ton pickup truck that comes from the Blue Oval Group’s F-Series family. For truck buyers who need more payload and towing capabilities than the top-selling Ford F-150 can offer, the F-250 is the next logical choice. Using the 6.7-liter Powerstroke turbodiesel engine, the current generation Ford F-250 can achieve a maximum conventional towing capacity of 20,000 pounds and a 5th wheel towing capacity of 23,000 pounds. The maximum payload capacity, in turn, is rated at 4,268 pounds.
The Ford F-250 Super Duty will incur $14,930 in repair and maintenance costs during its first 10 years of operation. However, about 2/3 of that cost (roughly $10,000) will occur in the second half of that period.
7 Fourth-generation Ford F-350 Super Duty: $1,497 per year for the first 10 years
The Ford F-350 is a 1-ton truck that comes in a single rear wheel (SRW) or dual rear wheel (DRW) configuration depending on the purely aesthetic towing, hauling, or oven requirements of the truck buyer. With its 7.3-liter V8 engine option and DRW configuration, the Ford F-350 has a class-leading payload capacity of 7,647 pounds. Alternatively, with the high-output 6.7-liter Powerstroke engine, the F-350 can achieve a conventional towing capacity of 24,800 pounds and a 5th-wheel towing capacity of 32,900 pounds.
During its first 10 years of operation, the Ford F-350 will accrue $14,970 in repair and maintenance costs. Like its smaller 3/4-ton sibling, about 1/3 of that cost will come in the first 5 years, with the bulk coming in years 6-10.
6 Fourth-generation Ford F-450 Super Duty: $1,548 per year for the first 10 years
The Ford F-450 Super Duty is another Blue Oval commercial pickup that exclusively uses the 6.7-liter Powerstroke turbodiesel engine and DRW configuration. In this configuration, the Ford F-450 has a conventional towing capacity of up to 25,000 pounds and a 5th wheel towing capacity of up to 40,000 pounds. However, because the Ford F-450 doesn’t use the 7.3-liter V8 gas engine, its payload capacity comes in at 6,457 pounds, nearly 1,200 pounds less than the F-350.
During the first decade of operation, a Ford F-450 will incur $15,480 in maintenance and repair costs. About $10,000 of that amount will go toward maintenance, while the rest will go toward repairs. There is also a 44.27% chance of major repairs during this period.
5 5th Gen Ram 1500: $1,768 per year for the first 10 years
The Ram 1500 is the most expensive light truck to repair and maintain over a 10-year ownership period. As evidence, the Ram 1500’s average annual repair and maintenance cost of $1,768 is nearly 15 percent more expensive than the commercial-class Ford F-450.
Over 10 years, the owner of a Ram 1500 can expect to spend $10,500 on maintenance and $7,000 on repairs. There is also a 54.8% chance that the Ram 1500 will need major repair work during this time period.
4 5th Gen Ram 4500: $2,513 per year for the first 10 years
Ram heavy-duty and chassis-cab trucks are the most expensive vehicles to maintain, bar none. All of them have higher maintenance costs than the Porsche Cayenne ($20,552 over 10 years). For better context, this Porsche crossover SUV already holds the record for the highest repair and maintenance cost in the luxury segment.
The Ram 4500, for example, costs $25,513 to repair and maintain for the first 10 years of operation. With this amount, you can already cover the repair and maintenance costs of two medium crossover SUVs and a sedan.
3 5th Gen Ram 5500: $2,520 per year for the first 10 years
The Ram 5500 is a Class 5 commercial pickup truck that has a maximum towing capacity of 35,220 pounds (with the 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo I-6 diesel engine) and a maximum payload capacity of 12,510 pounds (with the 6.4 liter Hemi V8). engine). With all the stress its body, engine, suspension and tires will be subjected to, the Ram 5500 will have a pretty hefty repair and maintenance bill of $25,200 over the first 10 years of operation.
2 5th Gen Ram 2500: $2,546 per year for the first 10 years
The Ram 2500 is the Stellantis subsidiary’s 3/4 ton pickup truck model. This Ram truck offers a maximum payload capacity of 4,000 pounds with the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine and a maximum towing capacity of 19,980 pounds with the 6.7-liter Cummins power plant. While these performance numbers are well below those of the Ram 5500, the Ram 2500’s passenger comfort features, full body (not chassis-cab configuration), and technology features make the smaller pickup slightly more expensive to repair and maintain.
1 5th Gen Ram 3500: $2,584 per year for the first 10 years
At the top of this list of bank-breaking pickup trucks is the Ram 3500. This 1-ton Ram truck has the highest 10-year repair and maintenance cost of $25,840 among all vehicles in the North- American regardless of mass market or luxury categories. In fact, for the amount you’ll pay to repair and maintain the Ram 3500, you can already buy a base Toyota Corolla and still have a few thousand dollars in change.
Within the Ram truck family, the Ram 3500 is the most expensive to maintain, likely because it has the highest utility value of all models that can still offer passenger comfort, interior luxury, and overall exterior appeal.
Source: Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, CarEdge
