Best Single and Regular Cab Trucks for 2016

These days, with people often buying trucks to serve as their sole mode of transportation, there has been a proliferation of crew cabs, extended cabs, and club cabs. Now, a single cab pickup truck can be hard to find, unless you’re looking for a rather lightly-equipped work truck. Take a look at the best single/regular cab trucks of 2016 if you need a pickup without all the extra passenger capacity.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The regular cab 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is offered with either a 6.5-foot bed or an 8.2-foot bed. If you’re interested in a single cab Silverado, your trim choices will be limited to the Work Truck (AKA WT), LS and LT trim packages. Exceptionally basic, the WT comes with steel wheels, vinyl seats, rubber floor covering, and a very simple audio system. The LS package adds stainless steel wheels, chrome bumpers and grille, keyless entry, Bluetooth, OnStar 4G LTE WiFi, and a 4.2-inch display. LT adds carpeting, cloth upholstery, the EZ lift/lower tailgate, and alloy wheels. The standard engine offering is a 4.3-liter V6 with 285 horsepower and 305 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard, four-wheel drive is optional. Maximum towing capacity is 7,600 lbs. Pricing starts at $26,170.

Ford F-150

The biggest news regarding the redesigned 2015 Ford-F150 was the adoption of aluminum body panels in key areas of the truck to save weight. Among the best single cab trucks for 2016, the regular cab F-150 can be had with a choice of three bed lengths: 5.5 ft., 6.5 ft., and 8 ft. As for trim levels, Ford offers the single cab F-150 in XL and XLT trims only. Standard XL features include cloth upholstery, steel wheels, air conditioning, and a 4.2-inch infotainment display. XLT adds Sync voice control, power door and tailgate locks, cruise control, Bluetooth, foglights, and chrome trim. Engine choices include a 283-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 with 255 ft-lbs of torque, and Ford’s 5.0-liter V8 with 385 horsepower and 387 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four-wheel drive is optional. The single-cab F-150’s maximum tow is 5,100 pounds. Pricing starts at $26,030.

Photo by Ford

GMC Sierra 1500

The regular cab 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 is offered with a choice of a 6.5-ft. bed or an 8-ft. bed. A choice of two trim packages is offered, Base and SLE. Standard features for the Base model include A/C, steel wheels, cruise control, power windows and door locks, cloth upholstery and rubber floor coverings. The SLE adds LED cargo box lighting, heated power adjustable exterior rearview mirrors, a rearview camera, keyless entry, Bluetooth, an eight-inch color display, voice control, and GM’s EZ lift/lower tailgate. The standard engine offering is a 4.3-liter V6 with 285 horsepower and 305 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four–wheel drive is optional. Maximum towing capacity is 7,200 lbs. Pricing starts at $26,670.

RAM 1500

The regular cab 2016 RAM 1500 is also one of the best single cab trucks for 2015. Offered with a choice of a 6.3-ft. bed or an 8-ft. bed, it can be had in four trim levels: Tradesman, Express, HFE (high fuel economy), and SLT. Tradesman features include steel wheels, a Class IV trailering kit, automatic headlights, a locking tailgate, a spray-in bedliner, A/C, vinyl seats and floor coverings, and cruise control. Express deletes the trailering kit, and adds aluminum wheels and carpeting. The HFE is offered only with the 6.3-ft. bed, rear drive, a diesel engine, and cloth upholstery. SLT adds heated mirrors, power accessories, Bluetooth, satellite radio, dual gloveboxes, and a five-inch touchscreen. The base engine is a 3.6-liter V6 with 305 horsepower and 269 ft-lbs of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four-wheel drive is an option. The diesel option is a 240-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 with 420 ft-lbs of torque. The 3.6-liter will tow 7,600 pounds. The diesel will tow 9,200. Pricing starts at $25,865.

Toyota Tundra

While Japanese manufacturers have made significant efforts to enter the full-size pickup truck arena, the lone Asian entry on the list of best single cab trucks of 2016 is the 2016 Toyota Tundra SR. Offered with a choice of a 5.5-ft. bed or an 8.1-ft. bed, standard features include steel wheels, tow hooks (with 4WD), keyless entry, heated mirrors, full power accessories, A/C, a damped tailgate, windshield wiper de-icer, cruise control, two 12-volt power outlets, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a 6.1-inch touchscreen, and cloth upholstery. A Work Truck package can be had with vinyl seats and flooring. Engine choices include a 4.6-liter V8 with 310-horsepower and 327 ft-lbs, which is good to tow up to 6,800 pounds. The 5.7-liter V8 makes 381 horsepower and 401 ft-lbs. Max towing capacity with this engine is 10,500 pounds. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-drive are standard; four-wheel drive is optional. Pricing starts at $28,510.

Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD

The regular cab 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD is offered with an 8-ft. bed. The WT (Work Truck) and LT packages are the only two grades with a regular cab. The Silverado HD WT features vinyl upholstery, rubber floor coverings, power door locks, a 4.2-inch color display, and a basic audio system. The LT trim package adds alloy wheels, keyless entry, full power accessories, carpeting, smartphone integration, voice activation, OnStar, satellite radio, and Bluetooth. Power comes from a choice of two engines. The 6.0-liter V8 makes 360 horsepower and 380 ft-lbs of torque when configured to run on gasoline. Set it up to run on compressed natural gas and it makes 301 horsepower and 333 ft-lbs of torque. The 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 makes 397 horsepower and 765 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four-wheel drive is optional. Maximum towing capacity for 2500HD is 17,900 pounds with a fifth-wheel. Pricing starts at $32,630. Maximum towing capacity for 3500HD with a dual rear-wheel setup is 23,200 pounds; pricing starts at $33,730.

Photo by Chevrolet Media

Ford F-250 Super Duty and F-350 Super Duty

While the Ford F-150 rides upon an all-new platform, the 2016 Super Duty F-250 and F-350 stick with the previous generation’s underpinnings. Among the best single cab trucks for 2016 nonetheless, the Ford Super Duty’s regular cab configuration is paired with the 8-ft. bed. Like the F-150, the single cab trim levels are XL and XLT. Standard XL features include telescoping tow mirrors, A/C, a locking tailgate, vinyl upholstery and flooring, and a basic audio system. The XLT package adds blind spot mirrors, keyless entry, full power accessories, cruise control, cloth upholstery, an integrated trailer brake controller, Sync voice activation, Bluetooth, satellite radio, a CD player, and an iPod interface. The base engine is a 6.2-liter V8 with 385 horsepower and 405 ft-lbs of torque. The diesel option is a 6.7-liter turbocharged V8 with 440 horsepower and 860 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four-wheel drive is optional. Pricing starts at $32,385. Maximum F-350 towing capacity with dual rear wheels and a fifth-wheel is 26,500 pounds. Pricing starts at $33,280.

GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD

Also numbered among the best single cab trucks for 2016, the 2015 GMC 2500HD and 3500HD regular cabs are offered in Work Truck and SLE trims, like their 1500-series sibling. Work Truck standard features include rubber flooring, a choice of vinyl or cloth upholstery, power door locks, cruise control, a 4.2-inch color display, and an audio system with iPod integration. The SLE package adds cargo box illumination, keyless entry, an automatic locking rear diff, a heavy-duty trailering package with an integrated trailer brake controller, a rearview camera, full power accessories, carpeting, an eight-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, 4G LTE WiFi, and satellite radio. Power comes from a choice of two engines. The 6.0-liter V8 makes 360 horsepower and 380 ft-lbs of torque, and like the Chevrolet Silverado, can also run on compressed natural gas. The 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 makes 397 horsepower and 765 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four-wheel drive is optional. Sierra 2500HD maximum towing capacity is 17,900 pounds with a fifth wheel. Pricing starts at $33,195. Maximum towing capacity for 3500HD with a dual rear-wheel setup is 23,200 pounds; pricing starts at $34,295.

Photo by GMC Media

RAM 2500

The 2016 RAM 2500 offers a single cab with an 8-ft. bed in Tradesman and SLT Trims. Standard Tradesman features include automatic headlights, a locking tailgate, cruise control, vinyl upholstery and flooring (cloth upholstery is a no-cost option), and an audio system with iPod integration. The Work Grade option adds heavy-duty vinyl upholstery. The SLT trim adds an integrated trailer brake controller, heated mirrors, keyless entry, cloth upholstery and carpeting, full power accessories, Bluetooth, a five-inch touchscreen, and satellite radio. The base engine is a 5.7-liter V8 with 383 horsepower and 400 ft-lbs of torque. The 6.4-liter V8 makes 410 horsepower and 429 ft-lbs of torque, while the turbodiesel makes up to 370 horsepower and 800 ft-lbs of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard; four-wheel drive is an option. Maximum towing capacity is 17,970 pounds with a fifth wheel. Pricing starts at $31,485.