9 SUVs and trucks that clear the deepest ruts

Deep ruts, washouts and rock-strewn trails punish vehicles that ride too close to the ground, so ground clearance becomes the deciding number long before horsepower or price. iSeeCars ranked midsize SUVs, full-size trucks, heavy-duty trucks and large SUVs by that single measurement, separating factory-stock leaders from the rest of each class. Here are nine SUVs and trucks that top their categories for ground clearance.

1. Ford Bronco: The Midsize Clearance Leader

The Ford Bronco posts 13.1 inches of ground clearance, the highest figure of any midsize SUV in iSeeCars’ midsize SUV ranking, outclassing every other factory-stock competitor gathered in that comparison. That figure marks the vertical gap between the lowest hard point under the vehicle and the ground, the margin that decides whether a boulder or rut makes contact before a tire does.

That extra margin matters most on rutted trails and washed-out fire roads, where a lower-riding SUV drags its underside long before the Bronco does. Buyers cross-shopping the segment should treat ground clearance as a first-pass filter before comparing price or towing capacity.

2. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: A Close Second on Clearance

Right behind the Bronco, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited clears 12.9 inches of ground, according to iSeeCars’ class comparison of midsize SUVs. That gap of two-tenths of an inch keeps it ahead of nearly every other SUV in the same field, trailing only the Bronco for raw underside clearance.

A few tenths of an inch rarely decides a purchase on its own, but on a rutted forest road or a rocky wash it is often the difference between a scrape and a clean pass. Shoppers weighing the two rivals are choosing between the two tallest-riding midsize SUVs iSeeCars measured.

3. Toyota 4Runner: Rounding Out the Midsize Podium

The Toyota 4Runner rounds out the top of iSeeCars’ midsize SUV rankings with 9.1 inches of ground clearance, noticeably behind the Bronco and Wrangler but still ahead of most SUVs built primarily for pavement. The gap is real: four inches less than the Bronco and 3.8 inches less than the Wrangler, a difference that shows up the moment the trail gets rocky.

That 9.1-inch figure still clears deep ruts and washboard roads that would ground a typical crossover, even without the taller stance the two leaders carry. Owners taking the 4Runner off pavement gain real margin over most vehicles in the same size class, just not the outright ceiling of the segment iSeeCars measured this round.

4. Ford F-150: The Full-Size Truck Leader

Among full-size trucks, the Ford F-150 leads iSeeCars’ full-size truck ranking with 11.9 inches of ground clearance, the tallest stance of any half-ton pickup the ranking measured. No other truck in that comparison, and no midsize SUV either, matched that number this round.

That clearance lets the F-150 crawl over rutted job-site roads and rocky trailheads that would drag the underside of a lower-riding rival. It is a factory-stock figure, so a buyer chasing more clearance still has aftermarket lift kits and off-road trim packages to consider beyond what ships from the factory floor.

5. GMC Sierra 1500: Just Behind the F-150

The GMC Sierra 1500 sits just behind the F-150 in iSeeCars’ full-size pickup rankings, posting 11.5 inches of ground clearance among the half-ton trucks measured. It is the second-tallest half-ton pickup in that comparison, ahead of every rival besides the F-150 itself.

Four-tenths of an inch separates it from the class leader, a margin narrow enough that most drivers would never notice it outside a measured comparison. On an actual rutted trail, the Sierra 1500 still clears nearly everything a typical full-size pickup buyer is likely to drive across, lift kits and off-road packages aside.

6. Chevrolet Silverado 1500: Third in the Full-Size Field

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 lands third in iSeeCars’ ranking of half-ton trucks, with 11.2 inches of ground clearance among the pickups it measured. That is the lowest of the three full-size trucks on this list, though still well above most passenger vehicles on the road.

That places the Silverado seven-tenths of an inch behind the F-150 and three-tenths behind the Sierra 1500, a gap that still leaves real room over ruts most half-ton trucks would drag through. Buyers cross-shopping the three full-size trucks are choosing among the tightest clearance spread in the whole ranking.

7. Jeep Gladiator: The Truck Ranking’s Top Figure

The Jeep Gladiator tops iSeeCars’ broader truck ranking with 11.6 inches of ground clearance, the highest figure in that wider set of pickups. That ranking casts a bigger net than the full-size-only comparison above, pulling in trucks of more than one size class.

That ties the Gladiator with the GMC Sierra 2500HD, the heavy-duty pickup that posts the same 11.6-inch figure in its own class. Both numbers sit above the Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500, though still behind the F-150’s class-leading 11.9 inches, keeping the Gladiator in the middle of this list’s overall spread.

8. GMC Sierra 2500HD: Heavy-Duty, Not Held Back

The GMC Sierra 2500HD matches the Gladiator’s 11.6 inches of ground clearance in iSeeCars’ truck ranking, the tallest figure among the heavy-duty pickups included in that list. It is the only heavy-duty truck in this set of nine.

That is higher than every half-ton truck in iSeeCars’ separate full-size ranking except the F-150, whose 11.9 inches still leads the group by three-tenths of an inch. For a heavy-duty buyer, matching a mid-size off-road truck’s clearance is a notable result in a segment usually built around towing and payload capacity rather than trail height.

9. Ford Expedition: The Large SUV Standard

The Ford Expedition leads iSeeCars’ large SUV ranking with 10.6 inches of ground clearance, the highest figure among the full-size SUVs measured in that separate comparison.

That figure sits below the Bronco and Wrangler, the two tallest vehicles on this list, but it still leads every large SUV iSeeCars ranked, a segment built for three rows of seating rather than trail clearance. For a family hauler, 10.6 inches is enough to clear most ruts a large SUV is likely to encounter on the way to a trailhead or a campsite.