Pickup trucks are flexible vehicles. They can help you haul your family, tow your toys and carry your gear all at the same time. Some are pavement queens, others are specialized for adventure — and some aren’t even technically pickups at all. With the wide variety of pickup trucks in the market, it can be tough to choose which one is right for you.

That’s where your friends at CNET Cars come in. We’ve driven them all, from the venerable Ford F-150 to the all-electric Rivian R1T. If you’re struggling with a buying decision, take a look at our recommendations for pickup trucks that fit your lifestyle and needs.

On the tech front you can get everything you could possibly want and then more. A 12-inch infotainment screen, head-up display, digital rearview mirror — it’s all possible. Driver’s aids are here too, with full-speed adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring that covers the length of a trailer and a 360-degree camera. The price is pretty luxe as well: The Ram 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition costs $61,870 after a $1,695 destination charge.

2022 Ram 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition is properly posh


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Comparison of the best trucks for 2022

CategoryNameHorsepower range (hp)Torque Range (lb-ft)Max towing (lbs)Max payload (lbs)Starting price
Best truck overall/Best full-size truck2022 Ford F-150290-430265-57014,0003,325$31,685
Best truck overall runner-up/Best full-size truck runner-up2022 Toyota Tundra389-437479-58312,0001,940$37,645
Best midsize truck2022 Ford Ranger2703107,5001,860$27,440
Best midsize truck runner-up2022 Toyota Tacoma159-278180-2656,8001,685$27,715
Best heavy duty truck 2022 Ram HD370-420429-1,07537,0907,680$39,545
Best heavy-duty truck runner-up2022 Ford F-Series Super Duty385-475430-1,05037,0007,850$38,190
Best truck for a newbie tower2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500277-420383-46013,300N/A$33,595
Best luxury truck2022 Ram 1500 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition260-395269-48011,5002,000$61,870
Best midsize off-road truck2022 Jeep Gladiator260-285260-4427,6501,700$36,910
Best full-size off-road truck2022 Ram TRX7026508,1001,310$77,575
Best truck for overlanding2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon41042910,5901,520$59,185
Best small truck2022 Ford Maverick191-250N/A-2774,0001,500$21,490
Best small truck runner-up 2022 Honda Ridgeline2802625,0001,583$38,865
Best city truck2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz191-282181-3115,0001,753$25,365
Best electric truck2022 Rivian R1T83590811,0001,760$67,500

How we made our list

We make sure to drive and review every vehicle we recommend. CNET Cars has decades of combined experience and our picks represent the vehicles we would want to own for each individual category. Pricing is taken from every manufacturer’s websites, but the dealer sets the final price.

And remember, we don’t actually get to own everything — as much as we’d want to — so we can’t comment on long-term reliability. We recommend that you talk with current owners to get an idea of maintenance costs and the like.

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