Diesel pickups and one midsize standout have earned reputations for lasting far past the odometer ranges that retire most trucks. The list mixes current heavy-duty hardware, older engines still prized by owners, and a measured survival study. Here are eight trucks where the evidence points to unusually long service lives.
1. Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD: Duramax Output With Staying Power
The 6.6-liter L5P Duramax fitted from 2017 to 2025 makes 445 to 470 horsepower and 910 to 975 lb-ft of torque, and it has built a strong reliability record behind those numbers. Output at that level rarely arrives alongside a track record of this quality, which explains the heavy-duty Chevrolet’s place on diesel reliability lists.
Used-truck shoppers who want this engine should look at 2017 and newer examples, since earlier Duramax generations are different hardware. Even a reliable diesel still depends on documented oil changes and fuel filtration, so service records matter more than the odometer. The same L5P also powers the GMC Sierra HD, which widens the used-market choices.
2. GMC Sierra 1500: Small Diesel, Big Mileage Rating
Light-duty buyers get a rare option in the Sierra 1500, where the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six fitted from 2020 to 2025 makes 277 to 305 horsepower and is rated for 200,000 to 300,000 miles of service. That range makes a half-ton diesel plausible as a truck to keep for a decade or more.
The rating is a service-life estimate rather than a guarantee, so maintenance habits decide where in the range a given engine lands. Owners who tow lightly and drive long highway miles are the likeliest to benefit from a diesel at this size. Buyers should still weigh the purchase premium against the fuel savings they will realistically capture.
3. Ford Super Duty: Power Stroke Staying Power
Ford’s 2011 to 2016 6.7-liter Power Stroke makes 390 to 440 horsepower and 735 to 860 lb-ft of torque, and the cited ownership record says it runs hundreds of thousands of miles without significant failures. That combination of high output and low drama is why the generation stays a used-market favorite among heavy haulers.
Output of 390 to 440 horsepower varies across the model years in this range, so shoppers should confirm the exact rating of any truck they consider. Hundreds of thousands of miles remains a reputation rather than a promise, and a pre-purchase inspection of the fuel and emissions systems is cheap protection on any high-mileage example.
4. Ram 2500: Cummins Balance Of Power
A 2003 to 2007 5.9-liter 24-valve Cummins in the Ram 2500 earns second place among diesel pickups for the balance of power and longevity it holds up over time. Only the 12-valve version ahead of it in the same ranking beats it, which makes this the stronger choice for buyers who want more output without giving up lasting reliability.
The 24-valve engine is the pragmatic pick for owners who tow regularly and still want an inline-six that keeps running. A ranking of this kind reflects reputation and measured durability together, so individual trucks vary with care. Buyers should look for evidence of regular maintenance and avoid heavily modified examples.
5. Ford F-350: Set It And Forget It
Ford’s 7.3-liter Power Stroke carries a set-it-up-and-forget-it reputation in the F-350, with well-documented repair paths behind it. Parts support and shared knowledge matter as much as the engine itself, because a truck that can be fixed cheaply and predictably tends to stay on the road long after newer ones are retired.
Owners who value simple, repairable hardware often prefer this engine to newer diesels, which add emissions equipment and complexity. The tradeoff is age: examples now carry long histories, so buyers should inspect for deferred maintenance, worn suspension and rust before paying a premium for the badge alone.
6. Dodge Ram 3500: The Block-Life Benchmark
The 1994 to 2002 5.9-liter 12-valve Cummins in the Dodge Ram 3500 ranks first among measured diesel pickups, credited to long block life and simpler emissions hardware. With fewer pollution-control components to fail, the engine leaves less to go wrong between rebuilds, and that simplicity underpins its standing at the top of the ranking.
Simplicity cuts both ways for a buyer. These trucks are decades old, so the engine may outlast the body, interior and driveline around it. Anyone shopping one should price in suspension, rust and transmission wear, and treat the Cummins as the reason to buy rather than a guarantee that the rest of the truck is sound.
7. Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD: The Nearly Indestructible LBZ
Kept stock, the 2006 to 2007 LBZ Duramax in the Silverado 2500HD makes 360 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque and is called nearly indestructible. The qualifier matters: the durability verdict applies to engines left near factory tune, rather than to examples that have been pushed well beyond their original output.
That makes condition and modification history the main things to check on a used LBZ truck. Output of 360 horsepower is modest next to current diesels, but buyers who value a proven design over peak figures often accept that trade. Documented maintenance and an unmodified tune are the signs of a good one.
8. Toyota Tacoma: Midsize Truck, Big Odometers
In a study drawn from more than 395 million vehicles, an iSeeCars longevity study found that 25.0 percent of Toyota Tacomas reach 250,000 miles, against a 5.4 percent average across all models. That is nearly five times the typical rate, a gap large enough to be hard to explain by luck.
The study excluded heavy-duty vehicles and models discontinued as of 2022, so it compares the Tacoma against mainstream vehicles rather than against diesel one-tons. Survival share also reflects how owners treat trucks they value, so the figure measures ownership habits as well as engineering. Still, it is the clearest measured result in this list.
More from Morning Overview
- Hawaii’s magnitude 6.0 Kona earthquake is now a federal major disaster
- Comcast is shutting down its email service, and Xfinity customers must act to keep it
- Invisible volcanic gas at a California ski resort has killed three ski patrollers
- Verizon just moved to cut landline phone service in 9 states within weeks
