How to Compare Diesel Truck Fuel Economy Ratings

Today's heavy-duty pickup trucks offer turbodiesel engines on select models, but these trucks fall outside of the Environmental Protection Agency's fuel economy rating categorization. Therefore, newer pickup trucks cannot be accurately compared with each other when trying to determine fuel mileage.

Applicable Vehicles

Not all passenger vehicles are tested by the EPA. Those untested vehicles include large SUVs and pickup trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating more than 8,500 lbs. Today's pickup trucks offer diesels only in heavy-duty models that exceed the GVWR classification for rated vehicles. These trucks include the Ford Super Duty, Dodge Ram 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500.

Older Vehicles

Some of the earlier diesels dating back to the 1980s and 1990s were smaller, lighter and placed in pickup trucks falling within EPA fuel categorization. You can compare those trucks by visiting the EPA website at FuelEconomy.gov and clicking on "find a car" on the navigation bar and "compare side-by-side" on the pull down menu. Enter in the data for up to four trucks, and the results will allow you to compare older diesel models.

Considerations

Although unofficial, some car review sites such as Edmunds, AOL Autos and MSN Autos will run tests to determine diesel fuel economy. Those numbers are not precise but can give you a general idea what your fuel consumption will be.

References

• FuelEconomy.gov: Which Vehicles Are Tested