It wasn't that long that the pick-up truck was the 'the next big thing'. Underpinned by attractive low taxation for business users, these utilitrian machines became increasingly glamourous as their makers aimed to woe potential buyers with a raft of new models that combnined the hard-working work ethic you'd exepect but with added SUV comfort, styling and family-friendly versatility.
As indication how popular the pick-up had become, both VW and Mercedes entered the fray, delivering double cabs that were more bling than building site. They were joined by a host of usual suspects from Ford, Mitsubishi, Izuzu, Nissan and Toyota, plus value-for-money alternatives such as the Ssangyong Musso. Wherever you looked there was a roughty toughty truck option that was a comfortable hauling a euro pallet as its was slipping along on the school run.
Yet despite the many benefits and the seemingly strong appetite from buyers, the pick-up's popularity slumped almost as quickly as it had risen. As with many things the Covid pandemic played its part, with sales freefalling and reducing sales by a third over the course of 2020. However, while other sectors have started to recover, sales in the pick-up class have struggled to, ahem, pick-up. As a result, the closely related Mercedes X-Class and Nissan Navara were dropped from price lists, with neither likely to be replaced any time soon.
What all this means is that there are essentially only five pick-up models you can buy today - although the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok are all-new models, proving that there's life in the concept yet. This is further reinforced by the fact that there are number of new models also in the pipeline, as you can see from our 'Coming Soon' section.
What's more, pick-up still make a certain amount of sense if you're looking for a cost effective set of company wheels. For example, if you're self employed and use it as a commercial vehicle then you pay just £290 in road tax per year, plus you also have the option to claim back the VAT on its purchase price. If you're an empoyee and choose a pick-up as your company car then it'll fall under the benefit in kind (BIK) rules for commercial vehicles, which means a flat rate of £720 per year for 20% tax payers, which makes it far cheaper than any similarly sized, priced and polluting SUV.
So, here's our pick of the best trucks for 2023.
1. Toyota Hilux
The Hilux has been part of Toyota's commercial vehicle range since the late 1960s, and it has since garnered a reputation for versatility and dependability that means nobody bats an eyelid when they find that the fully loaded trim level is dubbed 'Invincible'.
The Hilux is comfortable and decently finished inside, and also more refined and more pleasant to use than some of its rivals. Creditable ride and handling sophistication distinguish it also, as do dimensions that allow it to narrowly escape feeling elephantine on tighter roads.
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Just curious why Jeep UK still hasn't bought the Gladiator here,since FIAT bought Jeep the model range has been reduced and sales have plumitted introduction of the pickup to the range could bring some punters back
This top ten is madness. Diesel pick-ups are obsolete and will be worthless as soon as the new generation of electric trucks arrive. For the sake of your wallet, keep running your old truck until the market switches to electric. Otherwise you will end up wth a stranded asset that no-one wants.
Do you apply this logic to everything with an engine? Electric isn't going to take over heavy-duty applications as quickly as you appear expect, people who actually use them as "workhorses" aren't going to risk any early adopter unreliability, and also may have insufficient charging capability.
All Vat commercial vehicals should be speed restricted and have vehical tracking. Not at all saying all are driven badly but plenty aren't when compared to HGV drivers. Would also reduce pollution and save people on fuel costs.