The large American pickups/utes with the best fuel economy in Australia

American haulers aren’t built to be economical daily drivers, but the price of fuel means their economy can’t be ignored.

They all have petrol or diesel engines with big torque figures (and bigger fuel tanks), but which is the most frugal American pickup truck money can buy?

To find out, we’ve taken the vehicles in the pickups for more than $100,000 category on the VFACTS sales charts and compared them on their fuel consumption.

Some cars have multiple variants that differ for fuel economy, so we’ve only listed each individual model with the best quoted figure and labelled them where necessary.

Ram Australia doesn’t quote fuel economy figures for its 2500 or 3500 because they’re classed as commercial vehicles

The same can be said for the Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500, though we have a figure from our review earlier this year.

Click on a car’s name above to jump directly to its information on the page, or continue scrolling for the full list.

Ram 1500 (excluding TRX)

Five of six Ram 1500 variants make it to the top of this list with a claimed fuel economy of 12.2L/100km on the combined cycle.

The SWB and LWB Big Horn, Laramie, Laramie Sport, and Limited are all powered by a 5.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, which drinks 91 RON petrol from a 98L tank. They’re priced from between $119,950 and $156,950 before on-road costs.

These models also feature cylinder deactivation for added fuel saving, alongside a 48V mild-hybrid system that’s claimed to refine the engine’s stop-start system.

The flagship TRX costs $224,950 before on-roads and is powered by a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine. It also drinks 91 RON fuel, but has a 125L tank and a claimed fuel economy of 19.6L/100km.

BUY: Get in touch with a dealer about a Ram 1500
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Toyota Tundra Limited

The Toyota Tundra is currently undergoing customer evaluation in Australia, and is only offered in Limited guise. Fuel economy for the Australian model hasn’t been detailed, its American counterpart consumes a combined 12.4L/100km.

It features a 122L fuel tank, and is the only car on this list to require 95 RON petrol to power its i-Force Max hybrid engine.

That engine is a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6, which is mated to an electric motor generator and a 10-speed automatic transmission. All up, it produces 326kW of power and 790Nm of torque.

An industry pricing guide indicated the Tundra Limited will cost $145,990 before on-roads.

MORE: Everything Toyota Tundra

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Ford F-150

All four Ford F-150 variants have a claimed fuel economy of 12.5L/100km on the combined cycle.

Priced from between $106,950 and $140,945 before on-roads, the F-150 range is powered by a 3.5-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 engine producing 298kW of power and 678Nm of torque.

It drinks 91 RON petrol from a long-range 136L tank, and is the only car on this list to be covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

BUY: Get in touch with a dealer about a Ford F-150
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Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium

There are two Silverado 1500 variants, and it’s the cheaper LTZ Premium that is the most efficient. It consumes a claimed 12.9L/100km on the combined cycle.

The LTZ Premium costs $130,500 before on-roads, while the ZR2 costs $138,000 before on-roads but consumes a combined 14.5L/100km.

Both variants are powered by a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine producing 313kW of power and 624Nm of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Both consume 91 RON petrol from a 91L tank and offer wireless smartphone mirroring as standard.

BUY: Get in touch with a dealer about a Chevrolet Silverado 1500
MORE: Everything Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500 LTZ Premium

The Silverado HD 2500 is the first car on this list to be powered by diesel, but General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) doesn’t quote a fuel economy figure.

We did, however, have the opportunity to drive this car earlier this year for a review, and during that time we consumed an average of 15.0L/100km with mixed loads and road types.

It costs $163,000 before on-roads and is powered by a 6.6-litre Duramax turbo-diesel V8 engine producing 350kW and a massive 1322Nm, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The Silverado HD 2500 has a 136L fuel tank, alongside an additional 26.5L AdBlue tank.

BUY: Get in touch with a dealer about a Chevrolet Silverado HD
MORE: Everything Chevrolet Silverado HD

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Ram 2500

The Ram 2500 is classed as commercial vehicles, which means Ram Australia doesn’t quote a fuel economy figure. We also haven’t had the chance to review one, so we don’t have an observed figure to quote either.

The 2500 is offered in either Laramie or Laramie Ram Box variants, which cost $172,950 and $175,950 before on-roads respectively.

They’re both powered by a 6.7-litre inline-six turbo-diesel producing 276kW and 1152Nm, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. They drink diesel from a 117L tank.

BUY: Get in touch with a dealer about a Ram 2500
MORE: Everything Ram 2500

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Ram 3500

Like the 2500, the Ram 3500 is also considered a commercial vehicle and has no quoted fuel economy figure.

It’s only available in Australia in Laramie guise, which is priced at $177,950 before on-roads. It has the same engine as the 2500, but it’s more than 800kg heavier and has an 873kg increase in payload.

BUY: Get in touch with a dealer about a Ram 3500
MORE: Everything Ram 3500

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