Many Americans Are Skipping V8 Power For Turbo Sixes
Besides muscle cars, the V8 engine is perhaps most closely associated with large pickup trucks. Their effortless torque and reputation for durability make them ideal power plants for pickups, but the latest data indicates a sharp decline in V8 truck sales in America over the last four or so years.
The decline can be partly attributed to several V8-powered pickups being discontinued, even though manufacturers like Ram have brought back V8 trucks. Besides that, many Americans are choosing smaller, more efficient vehicles across multiple segments. Still, the numbers are quite telling, so let’s take a closer look.
Half-Ton V8 Trucks Rapidly Declining
Chevrolet
In 2020, 64.6% of all half-ton truck registrations in the United States were for V8 models. In 2024, V8 half-ton trucks made up just 38% of all half-ton pickup registrations. That’s according to data obtained by The Drive via Stephanie Brinley, S&P Global Mobility’s principal automotive analyst.
Unsurprisingly, the decline of V8 full-size trucks coincides with an increase in sales of six-cylinder full-size pickups, which improved from 32.8% to 47.6% over the same period. It’s not only six-cylinder trucks that are thriving; four-cylinder half-ton trucks from General Motors made up 11.5% of registrations last year.
“Reasons for the change include that the V6 and four-cylinder options are far stronger than they used to be,” said Brinley. “The Ram 1500 provides a case in point as its Hurricane six-cylinder engines are more efficient and more powerful than the 5.7-liter V8.”
“Still, many full-size pickup truck buyers do believe a V8 is the best solution for their truck, and at 38% of registrations in 2024, that amounted to about 530,000 V8-equipped trucks registered in 2024,” Brinley continued. “Offering multiple engine solutions remains important for the segment, as long as the engines can cost-effectively be made to be compliant with regulations. Over time, the V8 take rate is likely to continue to slow.”
Lack Of V8 Options Across Full-Size Truck Segment
The numbers aren’t shocking when one considers the increasing lack of V8-powered half-ton pickups. The option disappeared entirely from the 2025 Ram 1500, in favor of the brand’s new Hurricane inline-six turbo engine. Customers were displeased, and Ram has now reintroduced the V8 Hemi option for 2026. Toyota no longer has a V8 Tundra at all, having switched to V6 or V6 hybrid power exclusively.
Ford still offers a V8 for the F-150, but it feels like a nostalgic choice at this point, since the mill is outclassed by the more powerful and efficient EcoBoost V6. Over at GM, the Silverado 1500 has two V8s, but the brand’s four-cylinder accounts for a healthy 36% of total sales for that pickup, not far behind the smaller of the V8s.
Up until Ram’s bold move to bring back the V8, it seemed like the legendary engine was on its way out. The numbers say that much, but there remains a healthy percentage of buyers who do still want a V8 pickup. Based on Ram’s latest move, we’d bet that Ford, Chevy, and others would be wary of dropping their V8s right now.
Still, there’s no doubt that six-cylinder trucks are taking over in a big way in the full-size segment, and who knows what the numbers will say another four years from now.
