Monster trucks and a new, smaller rival
- Andrew Meunier
- Aug 10
- 4 min read
Americans love pickup trucks. Ford sold over 700,000 of its F-Series trucks in 2025. Runners-up Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 also racked up impressive sales. There are about 177 million trucks on the road in America and they now outnumber cars almost 2:1.
I could imagine owning a pickup if I towed a boat regularly or needed one for my job. But most of the trucks I see have a spotless sheen and don’t appear to have toted anything more substantial than groceries recently. Some exude an outsized macho energy: giant wheels, jacked-up suspensions, light bars, and bullet antenna accessories. Perhaps less macho are the cute retractable side mirrors, copious cupholders, and color-coordinated tow hooks.
I admit that my prejudices against trucks are out of step with many people (especially men) who simply enjoy trucks the same way I enjoy bikes or cameras. The passion and money that has clearly gone into some of these rigs reminds me of the resources I spend on building up a touring bike or gathering the perfect travel photography setup. However, my silly hobbies don’t impact those around me the same way trucks do.
Modern full-size pickup trucks are huge. They often take up more than a regular parking spot, sometimes protruding into the right of way by a foot or more. The weight of the largest trucks cause significantly more wear and tear on road surfaces than smaller vehicles. The gas mileage on larger trucks is poor.
Modern pickup trucks are loud. Huge tires and a 6.8L engine don't make for a quiet ride. Unfortunately, noisy engines are actually a selling point for some truck owners. Dodge found this out when it tried to scrap its famously grumbly V8 hemi for a potentially more powerful and fuel efficient V6. The company has since decided to bring back the Hemi.
Modern pickup trucks are dangerous. The New York Times recently published an investigation into the danger that trucks pose to pedestrians. According to the Times, the number of pedestrian deaths has increased by 75% since 2009. Popular truck models have hood heights that are well above the center of gravity of the average person. This means that when a person is struck by a truck, they are usually pushed violently to the ground or fatally run over. Another major factor is the capacious blind spots that truck drivers experience due to the height of their vehicles and the increasingly bulky A-pillars that block line of sight.
Modern pickup trucks are expensive. The average price of a full-size pickup truck in 2026 in the U.S. is about $66,000. The average American auto payment is $773, with 20% of consumers paying $1,000 or more per month. Since trucks are some of the most expensive vehicles on the road, they probably make up a large portion of those highest payments. This monthly outlay approaches or equals the cost of rent or a mortgage for some owners. Most gallingly, pick-up trucks cost auto companies little more than smaller vehicles to produce, yet they are able to charge significantly more for them. Hence, they are huge profit leaders.
In an interesting twist, the market for small trucks is showing new signs of life. Ford’s Maverick truck is one of the few compact options available and has healthy sales. The Maverick is a four-door pickup that can get up to 42 miles per gallon with a hybrid drivetrain. A new entry to this category is the Slate Truck, a two-door EV that is even smaller than the Maverick. Funded in part by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, the Slate Truck is expected to be available by the end of the year. It will also have a starting price tag of $24,950 (over $3,000 less than the cheapest Maverick) and will be fully customizable with a 200+ mile range on a full charge.
The base version of the Slate Truck is sparse: hand crank windows, no radio, no touch screens, and no adaptive cruise control/lane assist. The cab does have air conditioning, basic cruise control, and modern safety features such as airbags and traction control. The base model ships in a simple gray color, but customers can choose colored wraps and even builds that transform the truck into an SUV. Body panels can even be easily unbolted and replaced by the owner.
I don’t aspire to own a pickup. For my purposes, one would be less practical than my Subaru Crosstrek. I also enjoy the relative simplicity of my 10-year-old vehicle with its lack of parking sensors and cameras. The modern tech in new cars and trucks is impressive, but expensive to repair and sometimes overly fussy.
That said, the Slate Truck is intriguing. The price isn’t that low, but it's competitive for a new EV. It's a throwback to a simpler time before touchscreens and $1000+ sensor arrays with a size that is comparable to (totally capable) trucks from the 1980s and 1990s. The promise of customizing the amount of onboard technology and the ability to easily swap components is appealing. A minor fender-bender in our Prius Prime would likely cost many thousands of dollars to repair due to complicated body molding and integrated sensors. Body work that wasn't covered by insurance would be prohibitively expensive. The Slate Truck's creative options for body wraps would be a welcome change from the shades of grey, black, and silver that dominate they highways these days.
It remains to be seen if Americans will consider a smaller truck. I hope that Slate can leverage Americans' frustration with costs and their desire for customization into demand for a smaller vehicle that is quieter, safer for pedestrians, and better for the environment.
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