The World's Highest Mileage Truck (2024)

If there’s one thing they’re known for, Toyota’s are reliable, consistently paying for themselves in durability and the uncanny ability to keep going with very few issues. When it comes to pickup trucks, massive mileage isn’t something that usually gets brought up in conversation; towing capacity and torque are front of mind, but that doesn’t mean that you have to settle for a truck that starts breaking down once it hits six-figure miles.

For some owners, that number pushes higher past the 200,000-mile mark, usually seen as a solid achievement for a workhorse vehicle that tends to get beaten about more than other cars. Hitting 500,000 miles seems a difficult ask but for some models, they breeze past and keep on driving to the holy grail of mileage; one million miles.

While there is no official record for the highest-mileage truck in the world, unlike Guinness' record for the highest-mileage car, there are some very impressive million-mile trucks. What’s clear, is that keeping up with maintenance and consistently traveling long distances seems to be the right combination to hit the big numbers; assuming your truck is one of the few that was truly built to last. Standing ahead of the pack with an almost unbelievable 1,625,000 miles is one 2008 Toyota Tacoma.

Toyota Tacoma, The Truck That Keeps On Truckin'

Back in November 2007, Mike Neal purchased a 2008 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab, and little did he know this truck would be reaching the mammoth total of miles that it did. Sadly, Mike passed away in 2023 but in the years between he was able to cover over 1.5 million miles in his Tacoma, the equivalent of two round trips to the moon or just shy of 65 laps of Earth. Once he realized he was driving something special, Mike started to track his miles with stickers on the tailgate that he would update every 10,000 miles, starting at 670,000 and updating the count until he parked it for the last time.

The Tacoma Odometer Wasn't Enough

Once he hit the limit of the odometer he tracked the miles exhaustively using the trip meter A and B and a business logbook so that everyone would know exactly how far he had driven. Eventually, he surpassed 1.6 million, an incredible achievement for any driver, let alone for a pickup truck.

As of September 2023, Mike’s legendary Tacoma now sits at the dealership he bought it from 16 years earlier. YouTuber Jeff Teague actually sold Mike his Tacoma in 2007, so it was only fitting that he kept in touch and documented the impressive miles that Mike continued to put down.

Performance Specifications

(Source: Toyota)

The Era For Long-Lasting Trucks

While Mike’s Tacoma is clearly the standout truck for mileage, there are a few contenders that could have contested for the title had the owners kept pushing them once they hit the one-million-mile mark. Interestingly, most of these vehicles come from the same era as Mike's; the sweet spot of 2007 and 2008 features multiple trucks that have exceeded one million miles, some of these even managing the achievement without any major work done.

Whether this was due to the engineering of the time being right on the money, or the right combination of market conditions to ensure manufacturers were fiercely competitive, it's hard to say, but one thing is for sure; trucks like Mike's Toyota Tacoma sure can eat up the miles when looked after.

How Far Can One Truck Go

The Million Mile Toyota Tundra

As further evidence that Toyota makes the longest-lasting trucks on the market, Victor Sheppard pushed his 2007 Toyota Tundra to one million miles in just nine years, 1,020,130 miles to be exact, and even more impressively he managed that feat with the original engine, transmission, and even the paint job.

He sold the car back to Toyota in 2016 in exchange for a brand new Tundra Double Cab Limited, and after Toyota did a teardown on the engine they found it almost completely perfect minus one small mark on a single bearing, giving it a 99 out of 100 with their quality control ratings. Victor's one regret about trading in his million-mile Tundra? “My 32-ounce Gatorade fit in the cup holder on the old truck, but it won’t fit in the new one.”

The Nissan Frontier, Another Million Mile Monster

As a testament to the durability of late-2000s Japanese trucks, Brian Murphy clocked up one million miles in his 2007 Nissan Frontier in 13 years before sending it back to Nissan in exchange for a brand new 2020 model. After spending 29 years as a delivery truck driver in Chicago, Brian 'retired' to work as a part-time delivery driver in his now-legendary Frontier, covering an impressive 300 to 400 miles every day with an average of 13 hours a day spent behind the wheel.

After the equivalent of two return trips to the moon, Brian said about his new Nissan; "I'm tired of shifting, so I'm gonna get an automatic". According to Brian, his driver's seat lasted half a million miles before he replaced it (for his much-needed comfort), and the original clutch lasted an incredible 801,000 miles, to prevent damage he replaced the timing chain at 700,000 miles, and the alternator lasted an impressive 450,000 miles.

Built Differently Or Driven Differently

Hitting one million miles doesn't just come down to engineering excellence. According to iSeeCars conducted research in 2019 from over 15.8 million cars, only a mere 1.8 percent of all pickup trucks make it past the 200,000-mile marker, with only the Honda Ridgeline, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, and Chevrolet Silverado over the two percent mark.

With models like the Toyota Tacoma selling over 50,000 units a quarter, that means just 1,375 will reach 200,000 miles if conditions are perfect, so it’s not a surprise that only a handful have managed to reach the one million mark. The factor that is missing in most cars is meticulous maintenance and keeping on top of any issues, which means changing oil frequently, replacing filters as soon as required, and the single most important part; preventative maintenance.

Look After The Car And It'll Look After You

At 880,000 miles Mike noticed there was a head gasket issue, but because no mechanic would replace just the head gasket due to the difficulty of the work, he went ahead and replaced the whole engine so that he could get his Tacoma back on the road and get back to his vital work. The replacement engine had 100,000 miles on it already, but Mike then went on to add almost 700,000 more; an immense achievement and further evidence of Toyota’s impeccable engineering.

A Lifetime Of Driving For All The Right Reasons

Mike spent his career delivering nuclear medicines to hospitals, so the miles he covered weren’t just for his own enjoyment, they were to bring life-saving medication to people in dire need. This was something that Mike was extremely proud of and there are undoubtedly numerous people who are equally glad that his Tacoma could cover so much distance over the years. He was often driving 500 miles a day, so making sure his Tacoma ran smoothly by keeping up with proper maintenance was key to it surviving so long.

Future Contenders And The Toyota Effect

Examples like the 2013 Ford F-350 6.7 Superduty with 1.3 million miles suggest that diesel trucks show no sign of stopping if you maintain them; the owner of the F-350 changes the oil 18 times a year and has spent almost $200,000 on diesel over the life of the truck, but if you want to hit such big numbers these are the things you need to do.

Toyota's Engineering A Step Above

It's clear not just from the cars mentioned so far but from the stats collected by iSeeCars that there are some impressively strong trucks, capable of pushing out massive mileage and doing so with many original parts that in other models would have been broken long before. The quality and durability of the Toyota Tacoma in particular means their value stays quite high, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other great options to choose from. However, the rise of hybrid and electric trucks, begs the question of how far can they travel vs their gas counterparts.

Electric Trucks, Just How Far Will They Go

There have been electric cars that have managed very impressive mileage, like Hansjörg von Gemmingen-Hornberg's Tesla Model S which has hit 1.2 million miles and is still going. Congratulated by Elon Musk himself, his Model S has gone through three battery packs and 14 motor replacements (although the motors had a coolant seal issue which has been resolved by the EV Clinic in Croatia and should now last 300,000 miles before replacement).

Part of the reason for this impressive achievement is Hansjörg's care for the car; not exceeding 80 percent charge, keeping to around 60 miles before a break, and not letting the battery drop below 20 percent. Although with so many parts needing to be replaced, it’s a little like the ship of Theseus; is it still the original car if you’re having to replace so many parts?

Despite the impressive effort by this Tesla, there's a big difference between this somewhat babied Model S and a workhorse truck needing to do 300-plus miles a day towing or carrying a load. Will we see a Ford F-150 Lightning or Rivian R1T hit the two-million-mile mark one day? We can only wait and see.