The Best Hybrid Pickup Trucks Available in 2022
Pickup trucks are some of the most popular types of vehicles in America — just behind crossover SUVs. You can use them for heavy-duty work, off-road driving, or for towing large items like a boat or trailer.
But pickup trucks aren’t known for their fuel economy, so it makes sense to consider an electric or hybrid pickup truck to lower your emissions and fuel costs.
There aren’t as many makes and models of hybrid pickup trucks as there are other types of electric cars, but you still have a few options to choose from.
Here are our recommendations for the best new hybrid pickup trucks of 2022, as well as where to look for a used hybrid pickup.
What Is a Hybrid Pickup Truck?
First things first, what exactly is a hybrid pickup, and can a hybrid powertrain offer the same horsepower and towing capacity as a gasoline engine?
Unlike fully electric vehicles, which only have an electric motor, hybrid vehicles still have an internal combustion engine that’s powered by gas.
This means you’ll get all of the power you’d expect from a conventional pickup truck when towing heavy loads or driving at high speeds.
But since the lithium-ion battery pack is there to supplement the gas engine, you’ll get better fuel efficiency (measured in miles per gallon, or mpg).
Currently, there aren’t any plug-in hybrid pickup trucks, so none of these models can be plugged into a charging station. They all use regenerative braking, which captures the energy lost in the braking process to recharge the battery pack.
Fully electric pickup trucks — such as the Ford F-150 Lighting, Bollinger B2, Rivian R1T, and Tesla Cybertruck — do need to be plugged in to be charged. But for this article, we’re going to focus entirely on hybrids.
What to Look for in a Hybrid Pickup Truck
The things to look for in a hybrid pickup truck aren’t all that different from what you’d look for in a gas-powered pickup truck.
Depending on what you use your truck for, you’ll want to take note of its interior and exterior cargo space, as well as how many passengers can sit in the cab.
Here are a few more specs to look out for when comparing hybrid pickups:
Fuel Economy
One of the main reasons to buy a hybrid pickup truck is for improved fuel efficiency. For example, the gas version of the Ford F-150 gets 20 miles per gallon while the Ford F-150 Hybrid gets 25 mpg, as estimated by the EPA.
That can make your annual fuel costs drop from $2,550 to $2,050, saving you up to $2,500 over the first five years of ownership.
Of course, your exact mpg will depend on how fast you’re driving and your payload, but you can expect the hybrid engine to use less fuel than a conventional ICE.
Not only that, but the hybrid technology will increase how far you can drive on a single tank of gas. The F-150 Hybrid gets 765 miles of total range, compared to only 460 to 520 miles for the gas-powered version.
Drivetrain
One thing you may notice when searching for hybrid pickup trucks is that they don’t make their hybrid technology obvious. While some EVs — like the forthcoming Tesla Cybertruck — put their differences front and center, many hybrid pickup trucks are basically a conventional truck with a hybrid engine and regenerative braking system.
How do you know it’s a hybrid, then? Well, if you choose a Ford F-150 pickup with a PowerBoost drivetrain, you’ll be getting the hybrid version. Likewise, Ram offers the eTorque Mild Hybrid system as an option for some of its models.
These hybrid versions still offer plenty of horsepower, with over 450 hp available in some F-150 models.
Payload and Towing Capacity
When it comes to payload and towing capacity, there’s almost no difference between the hybrid and gas-powered versions of the F-150.
The F-150 Lariat 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD can carry up to 1,762 pounds, while the 2022 Ford F-150 King Ranch 3.5L V6 Hybrid can carry up to 2,238 pounds in the truck bed.
Towing capacity ranges from 5,100 pounds to 11,300 pounds, depending on which trim and engine you choose.
Onboard Generator
Another advantage of getting a hybrid pickup truck is that some models come with an onboard generator that can provide anywhere from 2.4 kilowatts to 7.2 kilowatts of power.
You can use this to plug in power tools or work lights while on the job, or charge your laptop without leaving your truck. It even works as a backup generator to power your home during a power outage!
Best New Hybrid Pickup Trucks
Hybrid pickup trucks haven’t been rolled out as quickly as other types of electric cars, but there are several promising options on the horizon or already on the market.
Here are four hybrid pickup trucks you can drive home with this year:
2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid
The Ford 5-150 is one of the automaker’s most popular pickups and has gotten a lot of attention lately for being redesigned as an all-electric version, the F-150 Lightning.
Less well-known is that you can already purchase the F-150 as a hybrid if you choose the PowerBoost drivetrain, with either four-wheel or two-wheel drive. This version has a 3.5L EcoBoost V-6 engine and comes with a 10-speed automatic transition.
The electric motor can provide up to 35 kilowatts of power, while the 1.5-kWh battery pack and 2.4-kW generator round out its electric capabilities.
Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP): $41,845
MPG: 25 mpg city, 26 mpg highway
2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid
If the F-150 Hybrid is a little out of your price range, then the 2022 Ford Maverick may be the pickup for you. It has a starting price of $19,995 (with a $1,495 destination fee), and the hybrid powertrain comes standard.
This powertrain gets 191 horsepower, with a maximum payload of 1,500 pounds and a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. If that isn’t enough power, you can upgrade to the EcoBoost powertrain to get 250 hp and a towing capacity to 4,000 pounds.
The Maverick Hybrid is also incredibly fuel efficient for a pickup truck, with more than 40 mpg in some driving conditions.
MSRP: $19,995
MPG: 42 mpg city, 33 mpg highway
2021 Ram 1500 Hybrid
The Ram 1500 model line is another option for drivers who want a traditional pickup truck with the energy boost of a hybrid system.
Both the standard 3.6L Pentastar V-6 engine and the 5.7L HEMI V-8 engine options use Ram’s new eTorque technology, allowing it to drive over 600 miles on a single tank of gas and get up to 25 miles per gallon.
MSRP: $32,795
MPG: 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway
2022 Toyota Tundra i-FORCE MAX Hybrid
Toyota has been in the hybrid game for a while, converting some of its most popular cars into hybrid versions. So it’s no surprise that the Toyota Tundra Hybrid is on the way, featuring the i-FORCE MAX 3.5L V6 engine.
The Toyota Tundra Hybrid is great for highway driving, with safety features such as a Blind Spot Monitor and Integrated Trailer Brake Controller. You’ll also have the option of a panoramic moonroof and all-terrain tires.
MSRP: $35,950
MPG: Not yet released
Find a Used Hybrid Pickup Truck Near You
Buying a new hybrid pickup isn’t your only option. In addition to used versions of these recent models, you can find models that are no longer in production, such as the 2013 Chevy Silverado Hybrid and the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid.
While these early models won’t have as much range or mpg as newer models, they may still provide the full-size pickup you need at an affordable price.
You can learn more about electric cars here, or use this tool to look for used hybrid pickups available for sale near you.
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