2016 Mid-Size, Full-Size Pickup Truck Driving Ranges

CARS.COM — The driving range of a vehicle – how far you can go before you need to refuel — is often touted by manufacturers as a competitive advantage and is the type of stuff that vehicle owners brag about with their buddies.

Related: 2017 Mid-Size, Full-Size Pickup Truck Driving Ranges

Even if you aren’t the type that can drive several hours between stops, it pays to know how far you can go and how frequently you will have to pull off the road to fill the tank.

With most vehicles, all models have the same size fuel tank. With full-size pickup trucks, though, larger fuel tanks that stretch the range are usually available as an option.

The range of any vehicle depends on several factors, including the engine, transmission, weather, how much you’re carrying and your driving style.

The information here lists the estimated driving range for model-year 2016 mid-size and full-size light-duty pickups based on the EPA combined city/highway rating for the powertrain configuration (engine, transmission and number of drive wheels) and fuel-tank size that produces the longest distance between fuel stops. With all pickups, the EPA combined rating is higher with two-wheel drive than with four-wheel drive.

The EPA combined rating is based on 55 percent city driving and 45 percent highway driving, so extended periods of highway driving should increase the range. Conversely, driving mostly in a congested urban area, carrying heavy cargo or frequent hard acceleration could reduce the range. Bottom line: These are estimates and your mileage will vary.

Ranges are listed only for light-duty pickups because heavy-duty trucks (those with gross vehicle weight ratings of more than 8,500 pounds) are not tested for fuel economy, so they do not have EPA estimates.
Note that the longest range may not come from the most efficient engine offered. In some cases, for example, a diesel may not have the longest range because it’s available with a smaller fuel tank than a gas engine.

Driving Ranges for 2016 Mid-Size Pickups

Chevrolet Colorado
Configuration: Turbo-diesel 2.8-liter four-cylinder, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 25 mpg
Fuel capacity: 21.0 gallons
Driving range: 525 miles

GMC Canyon
Configuration: Turbo-diesel 2.8-liter four-cylinder, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 25 mpg
Fuel capacity: 21.0 gallons
Driving range: 525 miles

Nissan Frontier
Configuration: 2.5-liter four-cylinder, five-speed manual transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 21 mpg
Fuel capacity: 21.1 gallons
Driving range: 443 miles

Toyota Tacoma
Configuration: 2.7-liter four-cylinder or 3.5-liter V-6, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 21 mpg
Fuel capacity: 21.1 gallons
Driving range: 443 miles
(City/highway/combined mpg ratings are 19/23/21 mpg for the four-cylinder and 19/24/21 mpg for the V-6)

Driving Ranges for 2016 Full-Size Pickups

Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Configuration: 4.3-liter V-6, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 20 mpg
Fuel capacity: 34.0 gallons (included on regular cabs with 8-foot boxes)
Driving range: 680 miles

Ford F-150
Configuration: Turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 21 mpg
Fuel capacity: 36 gallons (optional)
Driving range: 756 miles

GMC Sierra 1500
Configuration: 4.3-liter V-6, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 20 mpg
Fuel capacity: 34.0 gallons (included on regular cabs with 8-foot boxes)
Driving range: 680 miles

Ram 1500
Configuration: 3.6-liter V-6, eight-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 20 mpg
Fuel capacity: 32.0 gallons (optional)
Driving range: 640 miles

Toyota Tundra
Configuration: 4.6-liter V-8, six-speed automatic transmission, 2WD
EPA combined rating: 17 mpg
Fuel capacity: 38.0 (optional)
Driving range: 646 miles

Cars.com Data Integrity Analyst Bryan McTague contributed to this story.