New cars will always be a prominent part of the broader vehicular landscape. But amid all the shiny new metal on America’s roads is an equally robust pool of older vehicles that continue to rack on the miles for their owners. A recent study that was released recently appears to confirm what many have long suspected, trucks last longer than many other types of vehicles and have the highest chance of going over 250,000 miles too.
The Construction Of A Truck Plays A Prominent Role
ISeeCars published the study and discovered that trucks had a recurring ability to withstand the ravages of father time better than most other types of vehicles. The Ford F-350 won first place, with the Toyota Land Cruiser capturing second. The rest of the Top 10 was dominated by trucks, and we have provided a table for your viewing below. Exceptions are 6th and 10th place with the Honda Pilot and Toyota 4Runner SUVs nabbing those spots.
| Rank | Model | % Chance of Lasting 250,000+ Miles | Compared to Average |
| 1 | Ford F-350 Super Duty | 49.1% | 4.2x |
| 2 | Toyota Land Cruiser | 47.9% | 4.1x |
| 3 | Toyota Tundra | 47.9% | 4.1x |
| 4 | Toyota Sequoia | 47.1% | 4.0x |
| 5 | Ford F-250 Super Duty | 43.6% | 3.7x |
| 6 | Honda Pilot | 42.7% | 3.6x |
| 7 | Toyota Tacoma | 41.7% | 3.5x |
| 8 | GMC Sierra 2500HD | 41.3% | 3.5x |
| 9 | Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD | 41.2% | 3.5x |
| 10 | Toyota 4Runner | 41.0% | 3.5x |
So what’s going on here? Part of the answer lies in how these trucks are made. While many automakers have recently begun attempting to inject more family-friendly features into trucks (especially in the interior), trucks are still trucks at their core. This fact of life is noticeable in their structure, with many trucks having components that are made to be more durable while also enduring the rigorous demands that hauling places on them, especially with Heavy Duty models that often have even more heavy-duty components baked into them. Combined with the high MSRP price that many light and heavy-duty trucks have on them, it helps incentivize owners to keep them regularly maintained by a dealership or a repair shop. In the case of HD trucks, their optional diesel engines last longer than gasoline engines, and this has been proven with some examples surpassing one million miles on their diesel engines.
Another factor that helps trucks have an edge is how long they last between redesigns. Each significant update risks introducing teething problems to trucks (or any vehicle for that matter), with the first model year often being a prominent time for them to emerge. However, trucks can often go over four years without any major redesigns, with the Toyota Tundra going over a decade before it was finally overhauled. That long period of time allowed Toyota to iron out the teething issues in the previous generation model while also using the remaining period of time to make updates and revisions to enhance reliability. Other automakers don’t wait quite as long to do updates, but other automakers like Chevrolet, Ford, and GMC also follow the same core playbook for enhancing reliability.
To come to their conclusion, iSeeCars looked at over 260 million cars from the 2012-2022 model years to help them create a rough model for their findings. Not too long ago, 100,000 miles was often considered the threshold for most auto buyers before they replaced their car. But improvements in engineering and vehicle technology have caused the lifespan of a car or truck to increase, and some owners might be motivated to hang onto their cars or trucks longer to get the most out of them.
It will be interesting to see how the model evolves once EV pickups and SUVs begin to make a broader name for themselves in the marketplace. These electrified offerings are entering into new territory for electrification and often come with components, electrical hardware, and other items that make them more expensive than their ICE counterparts. Time will tell, of course, and we look forward to learning more as more of these offerings begin making their way to consumers. In the meantime, vehicle maintenance and how often you do it will play a prominent role in how long your car or truck lasts with good maintenance ad other care habits all contributing towards a long service life for your vehicle.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.