The most reliable trucks you can buy
The most reliable trucks you can buy
From a Hyundai Santa Cruz with a 10-year powertrain warranty to a Tesla Cybertruck with 845 horsepower
Truck buyers tend to remain loyal. The brand preferences that develop after a good ownership experience — or a bad one — often persist for decades, which is why reliability carries more weight in the truck segment than in the car market. A truck is typically a working tool, not just a commuter vehicle. It shows up to tow, haul, or serve a job site alongside its daily transportation role, and the cumulative demands of that dual-use life amplify the cost of a breakdown in ways that a commuter car failure does not. Getting stranded with a trailer attached or missing a workday because the truck is in the shop significantly changes the financial and practical calculus of reliability.
The J.D. Power predicted reliability ratings that anchor this list use a 100-point scale derived from data collected from actual owners, giving the scores a real-world grounding that manufacturer claims and road test impressions alone cannot provide. On that scale, scores of 91 to 100 qualify as Best, 81 to 90 as Great, and 70 to 80 as Average. Scores below 70 qualify as Fair, or below average. Every truck on this list falls in the Great range, with scores of 82 to 88 out of 100. When two trucks tie on the reliability score, the one with the lower base price appears first.
These 10 trucks come from U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the most reliable trucks, incorporating J.D. Power predicted reliability scores alongside U.S. News value scores for each model. The list spans compact, midsize, and full-size pickups, including gasoline, hybrid, diesel, and all-electric powertrains. No pricing figures appear in this article. The J.D. Power scale’s Great tier covers scores of 81 to 90, and every truck here earns a score in that range.
1. Hyundai Santa Cruz earns a 10-year powertrain warranty
The 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz earns a J.D. Power reliability score of 88 out of 100, the highest on this list, tied with the Jeep Gladiator, and a U.S. News value score of 7.8 out of 10. Its powertrain warranty of 10 years or 100,000 miles is class-leading among the trucks on this list, and the limited warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles. For buyers who prioritize long-term ownership confidence, the Santa Cruz's warranty coverage goes further than that of any other truck in this group.
The Santa Cruz shares its underpinnings with Hyundai’s crossovers, giving it a smooth, carlike ride quality that distinguishes it from body-on-frame pickups. The standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an available turbocharged four-cylinder give buyers two powertrain options. Front-wheel drive comes standard, with all-wheel drive available as an upgrade. Reviewer Matt DeLorenzo notes that the Santa Cruz favors style over work-truck substance, making it better suited to active lifestyle and adventuring use cases than to heavy hauling or demanding commercial work.
The Santa Cruz’s J.D. Power Great reliability rating, combined with the 10-year powertrain warranty, gives it the strongest documented long-term reliability promise of any truck on this list. The crossover-derived ride quality also makes it one of the most comfortable trucks in the compact category for daily driving. Buyers who want a reliable compact truck that does not require them to accept the stiff ride and rough road manners of a traditional body-on-frame pickup will find the Santa Cruz the most crossover-like option in the group, with the warranty depth to support the ownership decision over a long horizon. The 88 reliability score also confirms that the Santa Cruz’s carlike construction does not compromise durability, addressing a concern that some buyers may have about a truck built on crossover underpinnings. The Santa Cruz’s Great score answers that concern directly, making it the most warranty-backed and crossover-comfortable entry on this list.
2. Jeep Gladiator delivers off-road ability with an 88 score
The 2025 Jeep Gladiator ties the Santa Cruz with a J.D. Power reliability score of 88 out of 100, but its lower base price places it second on the list under the tiebreaking rule. It earns a U.S. News value score of 6.8 out of 10. The Gladiator is a midsize pickup truck built on the Wrangler SUV platform, which gives it the removable doors and roof that Wrangler owners know. Unlike the Wrangler’s two-door option, the Gladiator comes only in a four-door configuration.
The Gladiator’s trail capability is the central appeal that the source highlights. On pavement, the ride is coarse, and road noise penetrates the cabin substantially, acknowledged trade-offs that the source notes without apology, as the design prioritizes off-road performance over on-road refinement. The manual transmission option that previously gave the Gladiator a driver-engagement advantage has been discontinued before the current model year. The source describes the truck as unapologetic in its positioning, carrying a “new classic” quality that reflects its largely unchanged design since the 2020 debut.
The Gladiator’s warranty coverage is average for the class: three years or 36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles powertrain. The source notes this without framing it as a significant weakness, given the 88 reliability score. For buyers who specifically want off-road capability in a pickup truck with a documented Great reliability rating, the Gladiator delivers both. The coarse on-pavement behavior is the principal compromise that buyers who spend most of their driving on public roads will have to weigh against the trail performance that makes the truck genuinely distinctive in its category. The four-door-only........
