What Is The Cheapest New Truck Available In The US Today?

Pickup trucks used to be bought by professionals who used them solely for their work or projects. However, manufacturers have started offering these utility vehicles to consumers and their families, and pickup trucks have gotten bigger over the years. This meant that even if you're looking for a truck without any frills to use for work, you need to pay up. Thankfully, car makers realized that there's a need for more compact and affordable trucks — so they started making them, giving those with less budgets or who don't care about the extras some pickup models to choose from.

If you're looking for a new, simple truck that won't break the bank, the cheapest one you can get is the Ford Maverick compact truck. This affordable pickup has an MSRP of $28,145 for the no-frills XL Model. At this price, you get four doors and five seats, paired to a 2.5-liter hybrid engine driving the front wheels and a CVT. You can also choose the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission turning all four wheels via AWD for an extra $125. More than that, you get a 4.5-foot bed with a maximum payload of 1,500 pounds. If you want something even cheaper, 2024 Ford Maverick models could start as low as $23,920, but you have to find inventory available at that price.

Since this is the most affordable option, the Maverick XL only comes with 17-inch steelies wrapped in 225/65R17 all-season tires and cloth seats. Still, Ford includes some standard accessories and features that make driving this little truck comfortable and safer. It comes with an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), and LED headlamps.

While it seems like a great option for such an affordable truck, the Ford Maverick keeps getting recalled, so you might understandably be hesitant to choose this model. If that is the case, you don't need to worry, as there are several more cheap pickups you can get from other brands. For example, the Hyundai Santa Cruz SE starts at $28,750 – this is about $500 more than the Ford option, but you're getting a lot of included extras, including a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, several safety features, and a couple of extra bed storage compartments. It has a slightly smaller bed, though, at just 52.1 inches and a lower max payload of 1,411 pounds.

But if you're willing to spend extra for reliability and more space, then the best budget-friendly option is the Toyota Tacoma, which starts at $31,590 for the SR trim equipped with the XtraCab and a six-foot bed — this means that it can only seat two people, and the small space behind the seats are reserved for storage. If you want to bring the entire crew or family along with you on your off days, you need to shell out $2,200 more for the Tacoma SR Double Cab version with a five-foot bed.

The XtraCab has a maximum payload of 1,460 pounds, while the Double Cab version above can carry as much as 1,495 pounds. It surprisingly has less carrying capacity than the smaller Ford Maverick, but not by much. Still, you get an eight-inch multimedia display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus a host of other safety features brought by Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.