Any pickup truck owner who has towed a boat or camper any distance knows the importance of truck gas tanks. While bigger tanks costs more at the pump, it means fewer trips to the fueling station. And when you live remotely or are going a long distance in your truck, that has value.
In fact, fuel tank size can be a huge determining factor for consumers. And when it comes to full-size pickups, there is no set standard. Sizes differ across OEMs from as little as 22-gallon tanks to as big as 36-gallon tanks.
The below chart illustrates the different offerings from the five major manufacturers of full-size pickup trucks (GM, Ford, Ram, Toyota and Nissan).
Truck name/configuration | Tank size in gallons |
---|---|
2022 Chevy Silverado Regular Cab | 28.3 |
2022 Chevy Silverado Double Cab | 24 |
2022 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab | 24 |
2022 Chevy Silverado 2WD diesel models | 22 |
2021 F-150 Regular Cab | 23, 36 (available with the Maximum Towing Package, except with 122-inch wheelbase) |
2021 F-150 SuperCab | 23, 36 (available with the Maximum Towing Package, except with 122-inch wheelbase) |
2021 F-150 SuperCrew | 26, 36 (available with the Maximum Towing Package, except with 122-inch wheelbase) |
2021 F-150 Power Stroke | 26 |
2021 F-150 PowerBoost | 30.6 |
2022 GMC Sierra Regular Cab | 28.3 |
2022 GMC Sierra Double Cab | 24 |
2022 GMC Sierra Crew Cab | 24 |
2022 GMC Sierra 2WD diesel models | 22 |
2021 Nissan Titan | 26 |
2022 Ram 1500 | 26, 33 (optional) |
2022 Ram 1500 TRX | 33 |
2022 Toyota Tundra SR | 22.5 |
2022 Toyota Tundra SR5 | 22.5, 32.2 (available with SR Convenience Package, standard on CrewMax with 6.5-ft. bed and Double Cab with 8.1-ft. bed) |
2022 Toyota Tundra Limited | 32.2 |
2022 Toyota Tundra Platinum | 32.2 |
2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro | 32.2 |
Let’s start with the simplest of the grouping, and also coincidentally the smallest.
GM has both the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra full-size trucks. The biggest tank you’ll find in these trucks is less than 29 gallons, and the smallest is in their diesel 2WD trucks at (gulp) 22 gallons.
Some have criticized GM for having such small tanks in comparison to the competition, or at least not offering a bigger tank as part of an extended towing package (as other OEMs do). Either way, you’ll be stopping more, but paying less each time to fill up a 2022 Silverado or Sierra.
Stellantis keeps things pretty simple and easy to understand. It has two tank sizes available for the 2022 Ram 1500 series, and the base tank is standard across all trims. That 33-gallon tank is standard on the TRX trim — which makes sense considering it’s bigger, heavier and faster — but it is available as on option on the other trims.
We’ve covered the 2022 Toyota Tundra a lot, recently. And though we haven’t dug too deeply into the fuel tanks on the, we have done a video comparing the 2021 and 2022 models.
Toyota breaks them down by trims, and this year, there are only two size options: 22.5 and 32.2 gallons. As we noted in the video, this is down (by a lot!) from 2021, which had 26.4- and 38-gallon options.
The Limited, Platinum and TRD Pro trims only come with the bigger fuel tank size, while the SR and SR5 have the smaller tank size. But you can get the bigger tank on the SR5 if you purchase the SR Convenience package or opt for the CrewMax with 6.5-foot bed or Double Cab with 8.1-foot bed.
Obviously 2021 was a huge year for Ford’s F-Series. The 14th generation debuted, and with it came a new hybrid powertrain. Yet, Ford’s tank sizes remain the same for most of its engines. However, with the Maximum Towing Package added to the 3.3-liter, 2.7-liter EcoBoost, 3.5-liter EcoBoost and 5.0-liter V-8 the gas tank size increases to 36 gallons, making this the largest tank size in the full-size truck segment.
For the hybrid PowerBoost engine, the gas tank is 30.6 gallons, while the discontinued 3.0L Power Stroke diesel engine has a tank size of only 26 gallons.
While 2022 specs are not yet available from the automaker, since this truck was all-new for 2021, we think we can safely assume there won’t be any changes.
The Nissan Titan may be far off the pace in sales volumes in comparison to the other trucks mentioned here, but it certainly keeps its fuel tank option simple, offering only one size, and it’s the same as it was for 2020. The 2022 specs aren’t yet available from the automaker, but since we don’t see any big changes coming for this truck for 2022, we imagine the tank size will stay the same.
One thing is certain, while writing this story, we had to do a lot of legwork and get a lot of clarification from people in the know in the industry. And in fact, one OEM even had incorrect tank sizes on their provided spec sheets. So clearly, if we are struggling to get the answers and the OEMs are too, then the customer must be bewildered by it all. Truck manufacturers would be wise to clarify fuel tank size options so it’s easy for consumers to grasp as this is a deciding factor when choosing a truck.
While it may not seem like fuel tanks are that big of a deal, you need to remember not everyone lives in the city or suburbs. In the less populated areas of the country, gas stations are further apart.
So, for some truck consumers, smaller gas tank sizes are a huge detriment, and the larger options will have broader appeal to those consumers. Of course, those consumers now have two hybrid pickup trucks to choose from, and the gas tank size won’t matter as much in that regard.
What do you think? Is fuel tank size a deciding factor for you? Leave your comment below.
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This article is very on-point. Extra fuel capacity is such a concern that I am planning a diy extra tank on oppsite side of truck from the original 36 gal. With proper plumbong and vent interconnect, gage and sender needn’t change. Why is this not an option offered by after market industry?
Likely a demand issue. So, if more consumers wanted a bigger tank, the manufacturers would offer it.
I I used to have Transflow replacement tanks installed on my GM pickup trucks. But they stopped making them with the new models. I don’t know if there is room with the crewcab standard beds, but extra tank capacity is a necessity for me, one that I am willing to pay a lot for.