Study Says 68% Of Truck Owners Think Pickups Are Overpriced

Despite strict fuel efficiency laws and many auto shoppers now opting for SUVs and crossovers, pickup trucks continue to sell in extraordinary numbers across the United States.

Last year, Ford sold more than 900,000 examples of its F-Series pickup across the country and the segment itself accounted for 2,944,395 sales. Still, while people in the United States continue to love pickup trucks, that doesn’t mean they think they’re perfect.

In a recent study, CarGurus surveyed 1,067 current and former pickup truck owners and discovered that 68 per cent of current owners believe existing pickup trucks are overpriced.

What’s more, 17 per cent of respondents said that they probably won’t buy a pickup truck when they need another vehicle. Of these, 37 per cent said they will likely switch to an SUV or crossover while 35 per cent think they will switch to a sedan. But wait, that’s not all! A surprising 48 per cent of owners also stated that they don’t think pickup trucks are as well made as they used to be.

Pickup trucks owners have long been thought to be exceptionally loyal to a particular brand, yet that no longer appears to be the case. In fact, 70 per cent of owners surveyed said they would buy a vehicle from a competitor if their preferred brand increased prices by $10,000. CarGurus discovered that a bump of $5,000 would make 42 per cent of owners jump ship from their favorite brand during its survey last year.

Pickup truck sales continue to grow across the United States and in 2018, an additional 122,000 trucks were sold across the country compared to the previous year. As long as gas remains cheap, Americans are expected to continue buying pickups in droves. However, consumers are fickle and carmakers need to continue delivering enticing pickups.