Needing a 4×4 truck doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to emptying your wallet at the gas pump. These fuel-efficient pickups will help you do more and spend less.
When it comes to pickups, more is usually better. More towing, more payload, and (especially) more power.
But with pump prices hitting record highs, we’re looking at trucks with the lowest numbers — ones that will use the least amount of fuel while still giving you 4×4 or AWD for traction in all conditions.
The 10 Most Fuel-Efficient 2022 4×4/AWD Trucks
We’ve used the EPA’s official ratings to find the 10 new trucks that can send power to all four wheels — and with the lowest fuel consumption on the market. Some of the results, or at least their places on the list, surprised us.
What didn’t surprise us was that these 4×4 fuel sippers come in almost every powertrain imaginable, from good old gas engines to diesel and hybrids to electric trucks.
Here they are, from number 10 to number one, using their official combined EPA fuel economy ratings.
10. Honda Ridgeline AWD (21 MPG)
Number 10 on our list, though it is by no means a gas-guzzling pickup, is the Honda Ridgeline. Honda’s Pilot-based pickup might have been the inspiration for the Hyundai Santa Cruz, but this big, unibody midsize pickup is no slouch.
Its 3.5L V6 makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, AWD is standard, and it is matched with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The Ridgeline can tow up to 5,000 pounds with this combination. It also has a maximum payload of 1,583 pounds, which makes it competitive with most of the more conventional trucks on this list.
The Ridgeline returns an EPA estimated 18 mpg city, 24 highway, for a combined 21 mpg. It starts from $37,640 (all prices plus destination).
9. Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon 2.8L Duramax Diesel 4×4 (22 MPG)
The Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon twins offer the same fuel-efficient 2.8L Duramax diesel — offering massive displacement for just four cylinders. The payoff for these four big pistons is just 181 horsepower but a whopping 369 pound-feet of torque at just 2,000 rpm.
We think this truck could rank higher on the list, but the only available transmission is a six-speed automatic. In a world of eight-, nine-, and even 10-speeds, this just isn’t enough for max mpg.
Maximum towing for these diesel midsize pickups is 7,700 pounds for the 4×4 models, while the top payload is 1,490 pounds. Fuel economy is 19 mpg city, 28 highway, and 22 combined. A Colorado outfitted with the diesel engine starts from $39,610, while GMC says to check your dealer for pricing.
8. Ford Ranger 4×4 (22 MPH)
While Chevy/GMC went one of two routes to lower fuel economy for a midsize pickup, the Ford Ranger took the other: a small-displacement turbocharged gas engine with plenty of gears. And the Ranger sits one spot better on the list, which largely answers which method works best for improving fuel economy.
The Ranger uses a 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder connected to a 10-speed automatic transmission and the massive gear ratio spread that comes with it. The combination is good for 7,500 pounds of towing when equipped with 4WD and as much as 1,650 pounds of payload.
Ford’s little engine offers 270 horsepower, and the turbocharger helps it make 310 pound-feet of torque. The Ford Ranger is estimated to give you 20 mpg city, 24 highway, and 22 combined and starts from $29,355 for an extended cab XL.
7. Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid 4×4 (23 MPG)
While hybrid powertrains are known for producing astounding fuel economy in small cars, Ford went a different way with the F-150 PowerBoost. Instead of making less power than the 3.5L non-hybrid EcoBoost engine, the PowerBoost’s hybrid assist gives this pickup 30 horsepower more for a total of 430 horsepower. Torque is also boosted by 70 pound-feet thanks to the electric motor, for a total of 570 pound-feet.
Offered only on SuperCrew four-door trucks, the 4×4 PowerBoost can tow up to 12,400 pounds when properly equipped. Its peak payload is 1,830 pounds, on par with most of the full-size trucks on this list.
The Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid should return 23 mpg city, 23 highway, and 23 combined. The PowerBoost driveline adds $4,495 to the price of a SuperCrew pickup, giving the truck a starting price of $45,735.
6. Hyundai Santa Cruz AWD (23 MPG)
The Hyundai Santa Cruz might be the most unique pickup on this list. Based on the Hyundai Tucson crossover, the compact pickup has a unibody design. It is much more like a crossover with its cargo cover removed than a traditional truck.
Hyundai offers the Santa Cruz with two different 2.5L engines. The naturally aspirated (NA) option makes 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. The turbocharged engine option comes in at 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet.
While both have eight-speed automatics and offer available AWD, the turbo is a dual-clutch version, not a conventional torque converter automatic transmission. The reason we’ve included both here is they get nearly identical fuel economy: 21 city, 27 highway, 23 combined for the NA option, and 19/27/22 for the turbo.
The bigger difference comes into play when towing, where the 2.5L turbo can lug 5,000 pounds compared to the NA engine’s 3,500 pounds. The NA engine has a max payload of 1,753 pounds versus the turbo’s 1,609.
The Santa Cruz has an MSRP of $25,640 for the SE trim NA model and $35,830 for an SEL Premium 2.5T.
5. Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 4×4 (24 MPG)
This isn’t the only time this 3.0L V6 diesel engine will show up on this list. But the Ram 1500 pickup is the vehicle where the engine offers the most capability.
The turbodiesel engine makes 260 horsepower and offers a healthy 480 pound-feet of torque at 1,600 rpm for towing and hauling. Speaking of which, the 4×4 truck offers a maximum towing capacity of 9,830 pounds when properly equipped and has a peak payload capacity of 1,820 pounds.
While its 21 mpg can’t match the city rating of the next truck on the list, it does offer 29 mpg on the highway; so if that’s where you’re spending most of your time, this impressive powerplant might offer you the fuel efficiency you’re looking for.
The diesel is a $4,995 addition to a Big Horn trim Ram truck for a starting MSRP of $49,350.
4. Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 3.0L Duramax Diesel 4×4 (24 MPG)
While the executives in charge of each brand won’t be happy to hear it, we’ve included these nearly identical trucks from Chevy and GM in the same spot on the list. Equipped with GM’s 3.0L inline-6 diesel engine, badged Duramax, these pickups offer better fuel economy than any other full-size pickup on the market — though they’re neck and neck with the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel.
This engine can produce 277 horsepower and makes its 460 pound-feet of torque from just 1,500 rpm. The 3.0L Duramax comes exclusively with a 10-speed automatic that helps the truck be so fuel-efficient. A 4×4 Duramax can tow up to 13,000 pounds, and has a maximum payload of 2,210 pounds, though this will depend on your configuration and options.
Both trucks are EPA rated at 22 mpg in the city, 26 on the highway, and 24 combined.
Chevrolet offers the diesel starting on the Silverado LT trim double cab trucks for $50,565, while GMC offers it on SLE trim and up, from $51,475. That’s $2,365 more than the 2.7L gas four-cylinder and just $845 more than a 5.3L gas V8.
3. Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel 4×4 (24 MPG)
The diesel-powered version of the Jeep Gladiator pickup is one of several trucks on this list that gets 24 mpg combined. But it moves up a slot thanks to a tiebreaker from the EPA’s bureaucrats and their sorting method.
Like the Ram 1500, the Jeep comes with the Stellantis EcoDiesel, a 3.0L turbocharged V6, tuned for the Jeep to make 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque from 1,400 through 2,800 rpm.
Thanks to an eight-speed automatic, the 4×4 EcoDiesel Jeep Gladiator can tow up to 6,500 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1,325 pounds — though both figures decline as you climb through the trim range toward the Rubicon. On that truck, the payload is 1,075 pounds while towing tops out at 6,000 pounds. The Rubicon’s off-road rubber and lift also drop city and highway mpg by one mpg each.
The remaining Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel models should get 22 mpg city and 28 highway. The diesel engine is offered on Willys Sport and up as a $4,010 option, plus $2,000 for the mandatory eight-speed automatic, which puts the starting price at $44,195 for a 4WD EcoDiesel Gladiator.
2. Ford Maverick 2.0T AWD (25 MPG)
The Ford Maverick is the best gas-powered truck on the list when it comes to fuel efficiency. The AWD version of Ford’s new small pickup comes with a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder engine to help boost power and torque. The eight-speed automatic gives the Maverick plenty of gears so the truck can accelerate when it is loaded and keep rpm down on the highway.
The engine offers 250 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, impressive for such a small package. It’s enough power to give this small pickup a 4,000-pound tow capacity when equipped with the Max Tow Package and a peak payload of 1,500 pounds. While that tow rating can’t quite match larger pickups, the payload rating is competitive with even some full-size trucks.
EPA estimated fuel economy is 22 city and 29 highway for a total of 25 combined.
A Ford Maverick XL with the 2.0L engine and AWD starts from $23,300.
1. Rivian R1T (70 MPGe)
At the top of the list is a pickup that is also one of the newest and certainly the most innovative on the list: the 2022 Rivian R1T. The first all-electric pickup to go on sale in the U.S., the AWD R1T in quad-motor configurations starts from $85,000.
The Rivian pickup gives you an estimated 314-mile range on electric power when equipped with the Large battery pack while the four motors deliver 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque. That gives the R1T the highest figure on the list for both of those crucial truck measures.
And when it comes time to use the pickup truck bed, the R1T can hold up to 1,760 pounds of cargo, and max towing is an impressive 11,000 pounds. Rivian’s MPGe, the electric equivalent of miles per gallon, is 74 city, 66 highway, and 70 combined.
Editor’s Note
You might be wondering about the GMC Hummer EV as well as the Ford F-150 Lightning and why they’re not on this list. Yes, both are advertised as 2022 model year vehicles, but the Hummer doesn’t have or need an official EPA rating and the Lightning hasn’t been delivered yet.
GMC Hummer EV (47 MPGe)
The Hummer EV isn’t on the list because it’s so darn big. Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating — the maximum allowable weight of the truck including the vehicle, passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue weight — of more than 8,500 pounds don’t have to list their economy figures. The curb weight of the Hummer EV empty is already just over 9,000 pounds, so GMC can keep the figures hush-hush.
It’s as heavy as an HD pickup, but it has the ability to tow 7,500 pounds and a maximum payload of 1,300 pounds. The 1,000-horsepower, $110,295 Hummer EV does truck work like a midsize. EPA documents show the Hummer EV to get 51 MPGe city, 43 highway, and 47 combined. That would put it third on the list.
Ford F-150 Lightning AWD (68 MPGe)
The Ford F-150 Lightning isn’t expected to arrive until later this spring, so it hasn’t made it to the list yet. Ford has just released the official EPA range estimates for the Lightning, though.
Ford’s standard range Lightning, starting from $39,974 with twin motors and AWD makes 426 horsepower, while the extended range truck makes 563, and both offer 775 pound-feet of torque. Maximum towing is estimated at 10,000 pounds, and the pickup’s max payload is estimated at 2,000 pounds.
A leaked window sticker shows the Lightning will offer 76 MPGe city, 61 highway, for a 68 MPGe combined figure that puts it just slightly behind the Rivian and in second place on this list.
