If you’ve ever tried to buy a pickup truck on a tight budget in Canada, you know it’s slim pickings. Used pickups are a profitable prospect, and a lot of them get shipped down for sale in the United States because they tend to command a higher price that way.
It’s less common in trucks than in cars to find a used example with less than 200,000 kilometres on the odometer at this price point. Your money is likely to go further if you can settle for a mid-size truck instead of a full-size pickup truck, which will depend on your needs and how you’ll use it. If you can travel outside major centres, you’ll have more options than staying in major cities. And you’ll get a better deal on a regular cab or double cab/extended cab truck than you will on a crew cab since those hold their value better.
But plenty of Canadians need affordable pickups, and if you’re among them then we’ve got your back. Start your search here with this ranking of the best used pickups you can buy in Canada with a $20,000 budget.
The Best Pickup Trucks in Canada for Under $20,000
- 2007-2013 Chevrolet Avalanche
- 2015- Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon
- 2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra
- 2004-2014 Ford F-Series
- 2008-2011 Ford Ranger
- 2008-2014 Honda Ridgeline
- 2008-2010 Mazda B-Series
- 2004-2019 Nissan Frontier
- 2010-2015 Nissan Titan
- 2009-2018 Ram Series
- 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma
- 2007-2013 Toyota Tundra
2007-2013 Chevrolet Avalanche
Was the Chevy Avalanche ahead of its time? One recent development suggests as much. The Avalanche came with a GM-exclusive feature called a mid-gate, which allowed owners to fold the second-row seats out of the way and extend cargo past the length of the bed and into the cabin. That feature is about to make a comeback on the upcoming Chevy Silverado EV, but you can get it in a used Avalanche for a fraction of the price. The second-generation Avalanche was produced from model years 2007 to 2013 and shared a platform with GM’s longer SUVs. It was available in rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and four-wheel-drive (4WD) configurations, and toward the end of its run it was sold with a 5.3-litre V8 making 320 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
2015- Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon
When you’re shopping among General Motors midsize pickups, you’ll find there are two model year windows. There are trucks the early 2010s and earlier, which are from the first generation. And then there are trucks with model years 2015 or later. Those are from the second generation, which just ended with model year 2022. There are enough of those available in Canada for $20,000 or less, at least with the Chevrolet Colorado nameplate, that there’s not really a need to buy much older unless you find a screaming deal. The Chevy Colorado and its mid-luxury equivalent, the GMC Canyon, have been sold since 2015 with four-cylinder, V6, and diesel engine choices, as well as a variety of cab configurations. You’re less likely to find the same model years of Canyon for less than 20 grand, but if you do find one in good condition, don’t hesitate to snap it up.
2007-2013 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra
Full-size trucks hold their value well, so you’ll need to reach further back in model years to find one for less than $20,000. On the General Motors side, to snag a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 for that price, you’ll likely need to look to the second generation built from 2007 to 2013 (though some higher-mileage newer models are starting to surface within this budget). A 4.3-litre V6 and four different V8 engines were offered with this generation. If you really hunt around, you may even find the rare 2007 model with an enthusiast-friendly manual transmission. You’ll have a wide variety of cab styles to choose from, and if you need a truck with heavy-duty capability, there are Chevy Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD trucks floating around in this price range as well. Don’t count out the GMC Sierra 1500, either: it’s a more luxurious and therefore higher-priced counterpart, especially in its premium Denali trim level, but this means they may also have been more gently driven. If you find one within this budget, it’s definitely worth exploring.
2004-2014 Ford F-Series
It’s logical that the nameplate that’s been Canada’s best-selling truck since 1966 would offer plenty of examples on the used truck market. Depending on where you’re shopping, you should have plenty of options for used Ford F-150s within a $20,000 budget. For trucks with a reasonable number of klicks on the odometer, you’re likely to end up with an 11th-generation truck built from 2004 to 2008, or a 12th-generation F-150 sold for model years 2009 to 2014. These came before the aluminum body was introduced, which began at the 2015 model year. For the earlier of those generations, the entry-level engine was a V6 but several V8s were offered. In 12th-gen trucks, a wider range of V6 and V8 engines was offered, including an EcoBoost V6 with better than average fuel economy. Our search turned up results with all cab styles, including a couple of trucks with the FX4 off-road package. There are some Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks available within this price range as well.
2008-2011 Ford Ranger
The mid-size Ford Ranger landed back in North America for the 2019 model year to great fanfare. This newer version of the truck was part of the recently retired fourth generation, which had been sold in other markets since 2012. Those trucks have not come down in price yet, but you can score a truck from the latter half of the third generation instead, which was sold in North America up until the 2011 model year before being discontinued. Two engines were offered: a 2.3-litre four-cylinder making 143 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque, and a 4.0-litre V6 producing 207 hp and 238 lb-ft. This can be a bargain if it meets your needs: we found numerous examples priced below $10,000 across the country during our search.
2008-2014 Honda Ridgeline
Honda has always gone its own way with its mid-size Ridgeline. The Japanese brand has never attempted to go toe-to-toe (or is that tow-to-tow?) with the Detroit 3 in the larger pick-up game. And the first generation, with its raised bed sides and unibody construction, was unlike anything else on the road. With a $20,000 budget, you’ll be shopping in the latter half of the Ridgeline’s first generation. This came exclusively with Honda’s 3.5-litre V6 producing 250 hp and 274 lb-ft of torque, sent to AWD through a five-speed automatic transmission.
2008-2010 Mazda B-Series
Want to look in the know? Buy a Mazda B-Series. Mazda may not be known today for trucks, but toward the end of their run the B-Series trucks were rebadged Ford Rangers, from the era when the Blue Oval held a controlling stake in Mazda and several other automakers. The final run was from 2002 to 2010 (2009 in the U.S., but we received an extra model year in Canada), but you can shop toward the end of that range if you have $20,000 to spend. Engine options are the same as the Ranger’s were in that era: a 2.3-litre four-cylinder producing 143 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque, and a 4.0-litre V6 making 207 hp and 238 lb-ft. (And it’s held its value shocking well given that as a new truck it started below $20,000 to begin with!)
2004-2019 Nissan Frontier
Here’s the thing about the Frontier: Nissan’s mid-size truck didn’t change much from 2004 all the way into 2019. The Frontier, which is sold under the name Nissan Navara in other markets, was facelifted a few times but never once received a full redesign over that entire period. For used pickup truck shoppers, that makes things easier in a way. You can focus on the age and condition of each individual truck instead of worrying about missing out on major upgrades from one model year to the next. This era of Nissan Frontier was sold with RWD or 4WD, and both four-cylinder and V6 engines were available.
2010-2015 Nissan Titan
Don’t forget about the Nissan Titan, the Japanese brand’s full-size pickup truck that was discontinued in Canada following the 2021 model year. (It’s since been announced that it will be cancelled in the American market after 2024.) A variety of model years can be found within our $20,000 budget, but we suggest not going any further back than 2010. That’s the year vehicle dynamic control and additional airbags were made standard equipment. In these trucks from the tail end of the first generation, expect to find a 317 hp, 5.6-litre V8 and 4WD.
2009-2018 Ram Series
The Ram 1500—or the Dodge Ram 1500, as it was badged before Ram became its own sub-brand—is another perennial sales workhorse in Canada. As such, there are plenty of examples on the used car market across the country at this price point, ranging from regular to crew cab configurations and a variety of odometer readings. There are even some newer trucks around for under $20,000, though they tend to be higher-mileage. You’ll find examples dating all the way back to early in the third generation, which launched way back in 2002. It’s likely not necessary to shop for something that old in a Ram 1500, though, so we’d suggest you start from the fourth generation beginning in 2009 and running through to 2018. You’ll find plenty of cab and powertrain options, including the same Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 and 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engines found in today’s Ram trucks. You should also be able to track down some fuel-efficient 6.7-litre inline-six Cummins turbodiesels if you’re so inclined. Later-model Rams aren’t holding their value as well, so you’re more likely to find features like touchscreen infotainment and heated steering wheels within our $20,000 price range. If you need the payload and towing capacity of a heavy-duty hauler, there are also quite a few Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 HDs kicking around at this price range.
2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma
No list of the best used trucks to buy is complete without the Toyota Tacoma. However, in the context of a tight budget, it requires a caveat: truck people know all too well that Toyotas retain value ridiculously well due to their reputation as a reliable truck. To find a used Tacoma mid-size truck within this price range, you’re therefore going to have to swing all the way back to the second generation, which was in production from 2005 to 2015. Those trucks were sold either with a 2.7-litre four-cylinder (159 hp, 180 lb-ft) or a 4.0-litre V6 (236 hp, 266 lb-ft), available with RWD or 4WD. Many were also sold with manual transmissions as an alternative to the four- or five-speed automatics. You’ll really need to hunt around to find a used Tacoma in good shape for 20 grand on the used market, but if you do, it will likely have plenty of life left in it.
2007-2013 Toyota Tundra
The same story is true for Toyota’s Tundra full-size pickup as for the Tacoma mid-size body style: these hold their value exceptionally well, so it’s rare to find one on the cheap. Tundras also do consistently well in J.D. Power’s reliability ratings. If you have your heart set on a Tundra, you’ll have the best luck looking in the 2007 to 2013 model year range. While the second generation began in 2007 and seemed to drag on forever (but actually ended for 2022), models from before the 2014 refresh appear to have come down the most in resale value. For your $20,000, you’ll be able to shop a variety of V6 and V8 engines with RWD or 4WD and numerous cab and bed configurations—from among whatever you can find, that is.