Best Midsize Trucks for 2019 & 2020 ― Top-Rated Pickup Trucks

After extensive testing, Edmunds lists the best midsize trucks. Dan Edmunds and Carlos Lago explain the merits of each truck, from off-road prowess to around-town comfort, and speak to each truck's placement in our rankings.

Best Midsize Trucks for 2019 & 2020:

2019 Honda Ridgeline 01:00
The 2019 Honda Ridgeline is a distinctive choice for a midsize pickup truck. Rather than joining the crowd with a traditional body-on-frame design, Honda uses a more car-like unibody construction and a fully independent suspension for the Ridgeline. These design choices give this truck class-leading ride comfort and excellent handling.

2020 Jeep Gladiator 03:43
The introduction of the Jeep Gladiator gives midsize-truck shoppers a new option to consider. Simply put, the Gladiator is a four-door Wrangler Unlimited with an extended wheelbase and a 5-foot cargo bed instead of the normal cargo area. This Wrangler DNA promises to give the Gladiator off-road performance that no other truck can match.

The Jeep Gladiator Rubicon has features such as lockable front and rear differentials, standard 33-inch all-terrain tires and a disconnectable front stabilizer bar that give it the ability to traverse difficult terrain with ease. But even if you're just cruising around town, you can have fun with the Gladiator's removable top and doors. It's the only convertible pickup on the market.

2020 Toyota Tacoma 06:12
The Tacoma is the quintessential pickup truck. It offers strong towing capacity, excellent off-road ability, and all the utility you could ask for in a midsize truck. Sure, it also has modern amenities and safety features that keep it competitive in an ultra-modern class of pickups. But mostly, the Tacoma is a truck that's dedicated to getting you anywhere you want to go.

The TRD Pro is sold only as a crew cab with a short bed, and it comes only in four-wheel drive. It's equipped like a loaded-up TRD Off-Road, but it sets itself apart with special styling details, including a black grille, and performance upgrades such as Fox internal bypass shocks, all-terrain tires, a thicker front skid plate, and a ride height that's an inch taller.

The TRD Off-Road offers nearly the same configuration and engine options as the TRD Sport, and its truck bed and interior and audio trimmings are identical. Off-road performance changes include extra skid plates, a lockable rear differential, and an advanced off-road traction control system with multiple terrain settings and crawl control.

2020 Chevrolet Colorado 08:48
The Chevy Colorado, like its big brother the Silverado, offers a variety of trim levels and available engines and has a comfortable ride on the highway. Its payload and towing capacities aren't as high, but it's much more maneuverable than its full-size brethren.

The somewhat off-road-ready Z71 comes standard with most of the LT's optional equipment, plus all-terrain tires (instead of all-season tires), an off-road-oriented suspension, a locking rear differential, hill descent control and unique upholstery.

If you want a real-deal off-roader, the ZR2 is your truck. The Colorado ZR2 has a raised suspension with special dampers, bigger all-terrain tires, fender flares, a special front and rear bumper for improved approach and departure angles, a spray-in bedliner, and an electronically locking rear differential.

2020 GMC Canyon 11:35
The Canyon offers some of the best towing capability in the class, along with a cushy, quiet cabin and road manners that feel more car-like than truckish. Seat comfort is impressive, and there's enough room — and enough tech — to make long road trips a pleasure.

2019 Ford Ranger 12:01
A lot of what you'll see on the Ranger will be familiar if you've spent any time in its big brother, the F-150. On the inside, the Ranger will get Ford's Sync 3 technology in addition to available features such as smartphone connectivity, blind-spot monitoring and even in-car Wi-Fi. The Ranger also comes with a healthy number of advanced safety features, including forward collision mitigation and lane keeping assist.

The FX4 Off-Road package is available on the XL, the XLT and the Lariat. It includes off-road tires, upgraded shocks and suspension tuning, an electronically locking rear axle, front tow hooks, underbody skid plates, a terrain management system, and a low-speed crawl control system called Trail Control.

2019 Nissan Frontier 14:14
The Nissan Frontier hasn't changed in three presidential administrations, not even in the face of renewed competition from rivals such as the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Honda Ridgeline. The Frontier lopes along with mechanicals that are more than a decade old. Inside, it's about as utilitarian as you can get, and modern tech is nowhere to be found.