Pickup trucks are a worker’s best friend. They’re useful for carrying, towing, and hauling big loads of luggage whilst also having the all-terrain capabilities you’d expect in an SUV. Nowadays, pickup trucks come with advanced technological features as standard for easier driving and improved safety, as well as some luxury touches for added comfort and a nicer interior design.
Then there are the types of cars, called sleepers, where, although they look very much your average run-of-the-mill everyday car, they’ve got impressive performance statistics that may even give some performance cars a run for their money. There is certainly no shortage of sleeper pickup trucks, and on this list, we’ll be going through such cases of pickup trucks that look like ordinary workhorses but have surprisingly rapid performance.
All entries are sorted by their 0-60 mph time in descending order, from the slowest to the quickest.
2026 Ford F-250 Super Duty
0-60 MPH: 5.5 seconds
The 2026 F-250 Super Duty is part of Ford’s expansive Super Duty pickup truck series, full of trucks that are utilized for commercial and personal use. First introduced in 1998 and since then, the F-250 Super Duty has had five different generations. Compared to previous predecessors, the current F-250 Super Duty has a different body, a more spacious interior, bigger axles, and a more muscular frame. Additionally, because of its enormous size, the F-250 Super Duty is surprisingly easy to drive.
The current F-250 is available in either a 6.8-liter V8 or a 6.7-liter diesel V8. The 6.7-liter high-output diesel V8 in particular is what enables this vehicle to achieve 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, and it produces 500 horsepower. The F-250 also comes with advanced towing technology, such as Pro Trailer Backup Assist, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, and Onboard Scales with Small Hitch. In fact, the F-250 Super Duty has the best-in-class maximum gooseneck tow rating of 40,000 pounds. It’s also got an immense maximum payload of 8,000 pounds, as well as an off-road package, called Tremor, which comes with a lift kit and much meatier tires.
Compared to its rivals, which include trucks such as the RAM HD and Chevrolet Silverado HD, the F-250 has the highest towing capacity of the three. Also, the diesel variant, compared to its rivals, is quicker from zero to 60 and is the most powerful, whereas the RAM HD 2500 goes from zero to 60 in 6.3 seconds and produces 430 horsepower; the Silverado 2500 HD travels from zero to 60 in 6.4 seconds and only produces 470 bhp.
Top 3 Rivals
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2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
0-60 MPH: 5.4 seconds
The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is another popular choice in the pickup truck market, which offers a full lineup from medium-duty trucks to full-sized pickup trucks. This particular Silverado 1500 has got a few changes, such as new additional colors like White Sands and Polar White Tricoat. Also, compared to previous generations, this current Silverado features an elevated exterior and enhanced technology.
It’s the Silverado 1500’s 6.2-liter V8 engine that enables it to achieve zero to 60 in 5.4 seconds. Additionally, this engine also produces 420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque, and, for better fuel efficiency, it also comes with a fuel management system. The Silverado 1500 also comes with a maximum available towing capacity of 13,300 pounds. Compared to its competitors, like the Ford F-150, RAM 1500, and the GMC Sierra 1500, the Silverado 1500 has fewer horsepower and torque than the RAM 1500’s Hurricane inline-six engine, which produces 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque, and, since the Silverado 1500 is based on the GMC Sierra 1500, they’re both identical in terms of performance.
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2026 GMC Sierra 1500
0-60 MPH: 5.4 seconds
The 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 is almost identical to its twin counterpart, the Silverado. It shares the same mechanics and the same choice of powertrains. But the one thing that truly sets the Sierra apart from the Silverado is that it has a more upmarket experience compared to the Silverado. Compared to previous generations of the Sierra, this particular generation has more advanced trailering technology, hands-free driving technology in the Denali Trim, and the Denali Ultimate trim offers premium leather.
It’s the Denali Ultimate version of the Sierra that gives it a zero-to-60 time of 5.4 seconds. The Denali Ultimate trim is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine, which produces 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, the same as the Silverado. Therefore, when it comes to the competition, the GMC Sierra also performs the same as the Silverado. It shares the same horsepower as the F-150’s V6 hybrid variant, but the hybrid F-150 has more torque; the RAM 1500 has more horsepower and torque. But if you feel the Silverado is lacking in posher materials, then the GMC Sierra is still a strong consideration.
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2026 RAM 1500 Tungsten
0-60 MPH: 4.7 seconds
The 2026 RAM 1500 Tungsten is the top-of-the-range luxury model of one of the most beloved pickup trucks on the market, the RAM. The RAM is hugely acclaimed for its diverse lineup, and this generation of the RAM 1500 is no exception. In fact, the RAM 1500 Tungsten is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine rather than the iconic HEMI V8. This vehicle also won Cars.com’s ‘Top Pick Luxury Truck’.
It’s thanks to its inline-six engine that the RAM 1500 Tungsten is able to achieve a zero-to-60 time of 4.7 seconds. Additionally, this engine also produces 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque. In fact, it’s even more powerful than the variants that are powered by the HEMI V8. Compared to its rivals, the Ford F-150 and the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra, the RAM 1500 has a faster zero-to-60 time and more brake horsepower and torque. However, the maximum payload of the RAM 1500 Tungsten is lower than its competitors, where the Ford F-150 has 2,440 pounds, and the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra has 2,260 pounds. But despite that, the RAM 1500 is still a competent workhorse that offers a variety of options.
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2026 Ford F-150 Lightning
0-60 MPH: 4.0 seconds
The 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning is an all-electric alternative to arguably the most beloved pickup truck on the market. The Ford F-150 Lightning name was previously used in the performance pickup truck that first went into production in 1993, and, for better or for worse, the Ford F-150 Lightning has been given a new electrified meaning. Thanks to its instant acceleration, it’s no surprise then that the Lightning has got some decent pace.
Those of you with a strong desire to be the first off the line at every traffic signal will be pleased by the “lightning” quick throttle response. In my admittedly unscientific zero to 60 test runs, the Lightning’s speedometer consistently eclipsed sixty before I could count past one thousand four.
-Lyndon Conrad Bell, TopSpeed Journalist
The Lightning’s Platinum Extended model is what enables this truck to reach 60 MPH in four seconds, which is quicker than the current Ford Mustang, and this is all thanks to the truck’s dual electric motors, which produce 580 horsepower and have a range of 300 miles. It’s also equipped with many safety features, such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Some of the Lightning’s competitors include the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and the GMC Hummer EV Pickup, and they’re all much faster than the Ford F-150 Lightning. The R1T’s quad-motor variant is much quicker than the Lightning, doing zero-to-60 in 2.6 seconds, and even the Dual-Motor variant can do zero-to-60 in 3.4 seconds. It’s also the same story with the Tesla Cybertruck, with its Cyberbeast variant achieving a zero-to-60 time of 2.6 seconds. The Hummer EV Pickup also manages to do zero-to-60 in 3.3 seconds.
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2026 Rivian R1T Quad
0–60 MPH: 2.6 seconds
The 2026 Rivian R1T Quad on the surface may look like an ordinary family pickup truck from the year 2100, but in actuality, it has the performance that can keep up with and somewhat beat most of the supercars on sale today. The Rivian R1T first went into production in 2022, and recently Rivian has introduced its game-changing Quad-Motor trim to the R1T and its SUV counterpart, the R1S, and it has done wonders for its performance.
The R1T’s quad-motor enables the R1T to reach zero-to-60 in a blistering 2.6 seconds and produces a staggering 1025 horsepower, which is almost hypercar territory. Additionally, the R1T has a sophisticated AWD system that can adjust torque to each individual wheel and gives the vehicle more precise control. The R1T also has a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. Other competitors in the electric pickup truck market include the Tesla Cybertruck, GMC Hummer EV Pickup, and the previously mentioned Ford F-150 Lightning. Although the R1T Quad and the Tesla Cybertruck share the same zero-to-60 times, the R1T Quad has more horsepower. The R1T is also much quicker than the Hummer EV and the F-150 Lightning.
Top 3 Rivals
Sources: Cars.com, Manufacturer reports