If you’re looking for a vehicle that can do it all, a new pickup truck could be the way to go. The best pickup trucks are capable of nearly everything, performing well as family transport and as durable workhorses, smashing long distances on the road, conquering the wilderness off it.
This is our expert round-up of the best pickups on sale in the UK in 2024, including our award-winning pickup truck of the year 2024. If you want to find out more about secondhand vehicles available in the UK then head to our dedicated article on the best used pickup trucks in the UK.
Pickups come in a wide variety of types and sizes. Some are as luxurious and well-equipped as modern SUVs. Others are focused on work, with easy-to-clean interiors and great towing capability. The very best pickup trucks will even give you the best of both worlds all in one.
Which type of pickup is best for you?
Double-cab pickup
If you want a multipurpose vehicle, perhaps for carrying the kids as well as the building supplies or surfboards, then a double-cab pickup makes the most sense.
Sometimes also called crew-cab pickups, these have four proper doors and five proper seats and though the middle rear one might be tight for adults, passenger space is otherwise usually very generous. These typically look the most premium, too, but will also have the shortest load beds and the highest price. Four-wheel drive will be fitted as standard and automatic gearboxes are common.
Most pickups sold in the UK are double-cab 4x4 trucks, precisely because they are so versatile. They are also the most popular with buyers as a result.
But some brands also offer single-cab pickups and extended-cab pickups.
Single-cab pickups
These are sometimes known as regular-cab pickups, have just two doors and two seats. These are almost always basic working vehicles, with the longest load area and high payload capacity. Interiors are usually finished in easy-to-clean materials but may lose out on standard equipment. Some will also only be rear-wheel drive, so watch out for that if you need some off-road capability.
Typically, these have narrower bodies than other types, making them the smallest pickups in the UK in terms of width. But they are often also longer than other types of pickup, which can make them trickier to move around, especially off-road.
Extended-cab pickups
Extended-cab pickups are also known as king-cab pickups, super-cab pickups and club-cab pickups and have two proper front doors and two proper front seats plus a set of smaller rear doors and occasional rear seats, splitting the difference between single-cab and double-cab models. The rear doors often open back to front. That means you need to open the front door to get in the back, but the opening created by the design gives easy access to the rear.
Again, these tend to be more basic pickups than their double-cab equivalents but offer good versatility if you only occasionally need to carry extra passengers as they have longer load beds and sometimes higher payload ratings. They cost less, too.
Best pickup truck UK
These are the best pickup trucks available to buy in the UK in 2023, a quick synopsis of what we think of them and a link to our full reviews of each one.
Our award-winning pickup truck
The Ranger has the measure of almost all of its rivals in practically every area. It's great to drive, has an interior that is second to none in the class, is brilliant off road and it is stronger and more capable than ever before.
We say almost all of its rivals because there is a very close relative to the Ranger, in the form of the VW Amarok. The two trucks are fundamentally the same vehicle, having been developed alongside one another. They share the same engines, interior layout and underpinnings. The Ranger has the edge, though, as all of its versions are capable of taking a 1,000kg payload, to you can be sure that whichever model you choose is up to the job and won't hit you with a big tax bill.
Read our full Ford Ranger pickup review
Pros
- Excellent to drive on road
- Adept at tackling tough off-road terrain
- Fantastic interior design and quality
Cons
- Entry-level versions are more rugged
- 2.0-litre engines are a bit noisy
Best pickup for warranty - it gets 10 years - and rugged reputation
The rest of the Hilux's historically appealing traits remain though. It’s great off-road, refined, and should prove every bit as reliable as Toyota’s long-standing reputation would suggest. Backing this up, as of June 2021, the Hilux comes with a 10-year warranty. It’s not the most comfortable choice for on-road driving but is available in all three body types, which is a rarity in this class.
There is also a wide selection of trims, from the rugged and basic Active up to the well-equipped and lifestyle-focused GR Sport.
This all meant it was crowned our best pickup in 2023, only losing its crown in 2024 to the excellent Ford Ranger.
Read our full Toyota Hilux pickup review
Pros
- Tough and durable
- Backed up by 10-year warranty
- Comes in a wide range of models
Cons
- Smaller engine lacks power
- All versions can tow 3,500kg
Best pickup for those that want a touch of lifestyle luxury
There is a fair amount that is different about this version, though, as it is the first commercial vehicle to be produced as a result of the partnership between Ford and VW. This means that the new Amarok shares a lot with the new Ford Ranger, including engines, gearboxes and other technical elements.
It's priced competitively with the Ranger, but avoid the top trims - they don't get the 1,000kg payload that is necessary to qualify for advantageous van tax rates. This is largely down to the huge alloy wheels that it comes fitted with, so this small visual upgrade could cost you dearly.
Read our full Volkswagen Amarok review
Pros
- Refined on the road
- High-quality interior
- Good on and off-road
Cons
- Top versions have sub-1,000kg payload
- Fewer models than rival Ford Ranger
Best pickup for working toughness and modern safety kit
You'd be forgiven for not noticing the details of the facelift in 2023, as the tweaks are are relatively minor - the grille and some elements of the interior are updated, but the engines and trims remain unchanged.
While the lifestyle variants – now badged V-Cross – are fancier than ever, the D-Max remains a working truck at heart, making it tough and dependable if not quite as polished as the Ranger. With just 164hp, it’s not very powerful. But it also doesn’t weigh much, has high payload ratings and every model can tow 3,500kg.
Read our full Isuzu D-Max pickup review
Pros
- Five-star Euro NCAP crash rating
- Lots of choices and well equipped
- Good workhorse
Cons
- Only one relatively small engine
- Rivals offer much more in the way of luxury
Best pickup for off-road pace and lifestyle image
The end result is a highly entertaining if not exactly practical pickup truck. Because of all the additions and modifications, it hasn't improved its payload sufficiently to be classed as a commercial vehicle, so you'll not qualify for all the related van tax benefits, specifically the reclamation of VAT. It won't be that cheap to buy as a result, and the petrol's 20mpg official economy figure doesn't help with running costs. You will still be able to get the diesel version too, though, should you want a little more efficiency.
Still, it is excellent to drive and unlike anything else out there.
Read our full Ford Ranger Raptor review
Pros
- Hilariously good fun to drive
- Comfortable to drive on road
- Excellent off road, and fast with it
Cons
- Expensive to buy and run versus rivals
- Doesn't qualify for van tax breaks
A new name for the Musso, but the same value-packed offer
While this and the decent five-year warranty, 100,000-mile might make it seem like it's aimed at lifestyle buyers but it has plenty of payload and towing capability.
Particularly impressive is the way it can combine the two – it has an enormous gross train weight (GTW – the total allowed weight of vehicle and trailer) of 6,450kg, which means it can tow to its 3,500kg maximum and still carry over 1,000kg in the back.
A facelifted version went on sale in late 2023 which brought a striking new front grille and a higher trim offering for the longer model.
Read our full SsangYong Musso pickup review
Pros
- Impressive towing and payload combination
- SUV-like interior
- Five-year, 100,000-mile warranty
Cons
- Shorter model has small loading bay
- Long model only offered in one trim
Things to consider if you’re thinking about buying a pickup truck in the UK
Pickups are very versatile machines. Pros include offering plenty of passenger space, off-road capability, toughness, easy-to-clean load areas (no need to worry about getting the boot carpet dirty here) and most of them are also far cheaper to tax than similarly sized SUVs
They aren’t free of cons, however. Being so big they are more difficult to park and far less fuel efficient than almost any modern SUV, and ride comfort is usually far worse (even if pickups have gotten much better in recent years).
Heavier pickups, including some Ford Rangers and Toyota Hilux models, will be subject to van speed limits, which are lower on many roads than they are for cars.
The load bed may be easy to clean but it’s also more difficult to secure and keep dry compared with a conventional van. Though there are plenty of solutions to these problems for working and lifestyle use, this will mean extra expense.
There are image issues as well. You might love the big, bold looks, but in our increasingly environmentally conscious times, don’t expect everyone else to agree with you.
This goes hand-in-hand with the running costs – not only should you anticipate using plenty of fuel, but servicing is more frequent than with other types of vehicle and pickups are fundamentally heavy, which makes them hard on brakes and other consumable items.
Are there any small pickup trucks in the UK?
At various times in the past, there have been a number of small pickups available in the UK, including early versions of the Volkswagen Caddy, the colourful Skoda Felicia Fun, the surprisingly capable Proton Jumbuck, the classic Subaru Brat and various old Ford P100 models.
There are no current equivalents of these, as present tax rules only allow pickups with payload ratings greater than 1,000kg to qualify as commercial vehicles, and there simply doesn’t seem to be a market for smaller lifestyle models in the UK.
The closest you can get if you want a small pickup in the UK right now would be something based on a van, and even then there would be some effort required. You can get a platform cab version of the Vauxhall Vivaro, for example, but then you would need to fit the back onto it.
Why are pickups so popular?
While the UK has never fallen quite as much in love with pickup trucks as other parts of the world – in the USA for example, the Ford F-150 pickup has been the bestselling vehicle of any kind since 1977 – they are incredibly useful vehicles, with an image that reflects this.
Not only do they look rough and tough, they usually actually are rough and tough, with strong ladder-frame chassis construction and four-wheel drive systems that give them the ability to perform well off-road. This isn’t just useful for farmers, but also so-called lifestyle buyers – people who want a pickup to support their hobbies and reflect the kinds of things they do away from work.
That open load space in the back is as ideal for chucking in kayaks and bodyboards as it is DIY or building supplies, and you never have to worry about the load bed getting dirty because you can simply hose it out later on. Any 4x4 pickup will easily scramble across a muddy field, sandy beach or slippery slope to get where you need to go, too.
On the inside there’s plenty of space for adults, and while most pickups aren’t as comfortable as ordinary cars, they do now offer all the same technology – from the latest infotainment systems with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to up-to-date safety tech such as autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.
What’s more, because most of them come under the same tax rules as vans, they offer big road tax and company car tax savings compared with many regular cars.
Which pickup truck is the most reliable?
When you buy a pickup truck, you are buying a commercial vehicle. This means you speak to van dealerships, rather than the car equivalent. If a van is off the road, a business is losing money, so it is in everyone’s interest – the dealer included – to get it sorted as quickly as possible.
This is the theory anyway, although the reality might not always match up. According to the latest data from our sister publication Fleet News, Ford is the brand with the best dealerships, boosted by its Ford Liive systems that can monitor vehicles and is there to help companies keep their commercial vehicles moving.
Ford is also the most reliable commercial vehicle brand according to the research. The surveys were carried out before the launch of the new Ranger, which bodes well for the 2024 vehicle.
Volkswagen is the next highest-rated manufacturer that sells a pickup truck, in third, while Toyota is rated sixth.
However it is worth pointing out that no pickup trucks made it into the top 15 most reliable commercial vehicles in 2023’s results. However, vans outsell pickups by a large proportion, so there is more data on them.
In the past, the Hilux has featured, being rated the tenth most reliable commercial vehicle in 2022.
Which pickup truck has the best mpg?
The good and bad news if fuel economy is your priority is that there isn’t a huge difference between the least efficient and most economical pickup trucks in the UK. They are all big, tall, bluff-nosed vehicles that are designed to carry heavy loads.
The KGM (formerly SsangYong) Musso is the class leader when it comes to fuel economy, with an official figure of 34.0mpg. Ford Ranger and the mechanically identical VW Amarok both offer an official figure of 33.6mpg, but this is identical to that offered by the Isuzu D-Max. The Toyota Hilux isn’t far behind though, with a best figure of 33.2mpg.
It’s worth bearing in mind that to get these economy figures you usually have to go for the most basic version with the lowest powered engine with the manual gearbox rather than the often more desirable auto. In the case of the Musso it is the entry-level EX trim that you need to pick, which is the only version that comes with a manual ‘box.
