A few years ago, we would have thought that talking a Toyota Tacoma fan out of buying a new Taco was a fool’s errand. In light of some embarrassing recalls and the absence of the V6 engine in the new pickups, though, it’s another story.
Not that the Tacoma isn’t still an excellent pickup truck, but our own pick for most underrated truck on the market today, the Honda Ridgeline, might be just what the doctor ordered if you’re one of many who feels burned by the latest iteration of the beloved Toyota.
The Tacoma Was Untouchable – Until The Fourth Generation Changed Everything
2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road front 3/4 angle in orangeToyota
The 2026 Toyota Tacoma currently starts at $32,445 for an entry-level SR XtraCab model with a six-foot bed and a 228-horsepower 2.4-literi-Force engine. Annual maintenance costs come out to around $478, according toRepairPal, whileCarEdgeestimates $2,041 in annual insurance costs for a 40-year-old driver with good credit and a clean driving record. FuelEconomy.gov estimates an annual fuel cost of $2,850 for an all-wheel drive model, for a total ownership cost of $5,369 a year.
Toyota’s flagship pickup is considered the gold-standard in daily-driver trucks for good reason. It’s cheap to maintain, cheap to own, and dependable. The fourth-gen relaunch – starting with the 2024 model year – has also alienated a lot of longtime loyalists, thanks to a handful of embarrassing recalls and service bulletins, including the following:
- 221,846 Tacomas, from the 2024 and 2025 model years, were recalled in early 2025 for leaky rear brake hoses.
- 591,377 Toyotas, including a number of 2023-2025 Tacomas, were recalled in late 2025 for instrument panel failure.
- A series of bulletins issued from 2024 to early 2026 have addressed a series of problems requiring the whole automatic transmission assembly, torque converter, and hybrid module to be replaced in a number of Tacomas.
- A series of bulletins issued in 2024 addressed transmission failure in a number of manual-transmission models, requiring the whole assembly to be replaced.
- A number of engine-related bulletins address major issues with electric water pumps, ECU software, and fluid leaks.
When the fourth-gen Tacoma was still brand-new to the market, many drivers felt put-off by Toyota’s slow response to these issues, and these drivers may feel vindicated by the fact that we still don’t have a full recall for those transmission problems.
Add to that, the fact that Toyota pulled the popular 2GR V6 engine from the Taco, and it’s no wonder some drivers are ready to switch brands.If you’re one of those drivers, there’s a Japanese pickup most people overlook entirely – and it solves almost every complaint on this list.
The Honda Ridgeline Beats The Tacoma Where Daily Drivers Actually Care
2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport front 3/4 angle in gray while towing a trailerHonda
We like the Honda Ridgeline in part because it’s a capable truck. The 2026 model produces 280 hp from a 3.5-liter V6, it cranks out 262 lb-ft of torque at 4,700 rpm, and it tows up to 5,000 lbs, when properly equipped, which is 1,500 lbs more than you’ll pull in a Tacoma.
But, more than that, we like how well it functions as a daily driver. The Ridgeline averages 21 miles to the gallon, combined, which comes out to an annual fuel expense of $2,850, the same as the Tacoma, assuming 15,000 miles a year, split 45/55 between highway and city driving. Annual insurance costs are estimated at $2,039, and maintenance is estimated at $502 a year, with the following accounting for the most expensive common fixes.
- Cylinder head replacement $5,683–$6,377
- Fuel tank replacement $2,838–$3,055
- Fuel level sending unit replacement $1,731–$1,826
- Heater core replacement $1,413–$1,922
- Air conditioning receiver drier assembly replacement $508–$673
Annual ownership costs come out to $5,391, which is $22 more than you’d spend in a Tacoma, but we would argue that the Ridgeline easily beats the Tacoma if you’re after a family vehicle, offering a little more room in almost every direction than a Double Cab Tacoma.
The Ridgeline offers 62 inches of shoulder room up front, and 61.5 inches in the back, to the Tacoma’s 58.3 and 57.8 inches of shoulder room. The Ridgeline offers an extra inch or so of headroom, and three extra inches of legroom in the back. It’s a big enough difference that you’ll notice it when you step into the truck.
The Ridgeline’s Unibody Build Drives Like Your Current Crossover, Not A Work Truck
Ultimately, the Ridgeline wins the daily-driver comparison because itsunibody buildmakes for a more crossover-like driving experience. If you’re a driver who’s more comfortable with small and mid-size SUVs than you are with big, bouncy pickup trucks, you’ll be more comfortable behind the wheel of the Ridgeline than you will be behind the wheel of a ladder-frame Tacoma.
There’s one more reason to move fast on a Ridgeline that has nothing to do with the Tacoma.
The Ridgeline Is Going On An 18-Month Hiatus – Here’s Why That Matters For Buyers
2026 Honda Ridgeline Trailsport front 3/4 angle while drivingHonda
The Ridgeline is technically still in production. That is, the nameplate hasn’t been retired. But, it’s set to go on aproduction hiatus this year, and remaining out of production for 18 months.
Honda’s unibody pickup will return with a whole round of revisions and upgrades, but the main reason we’ll have to do without for a year and a half comes down to the engine, which is long overdue an update. We love the Ridgeline’s VTEC 3.5-liter V6 powerplant, but the EPA doesn’t. Simple as that.
The Ridgeline Costs Under $2k More Than A Comparable Tacoma – Not The Gap You’d Expect
Red 2025 Honda Ridgeline Sport frontHonda
The Honda Ridgeline loses the immediate cost comparison, with a Sport model starting at $40,795. But for that price you get a four-door cab and all-wheel drive. To upgrade an entry-level Toyota Tacoma SR to the same features, you’d be spending $39,050, so the actual difference in cost for a comparable truck comes out to less than $2,000.
At the moment, Honda’s inventory is well-stocked with 2026 Ridgelines, all selling at about the same MSRP you’d get on the build & price configurator page. Once the Ridgeline goes temporarily out-of-commission, though, you’re going to be looking at increased demand with low supply, meaning that prices are likely to trickle upwards between now and late 2027.
We wouldn’t expect the average sale price to spiral out of control, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ridgelines selling for anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 above current asking prices.
A Five-Year-Old Tacoma Now Sells Above Sticker – The Used Market Math Favors The Ridgeline
2021 Toyota TacomaToyota
For most drivers, we would recommend a new Ridgeline over a new Tacoma. If we’re talking 2021 models, though, we can pretty much recommend both trucks equally. Or, we could if the prices were a little fairer.
Our price-tracking tool currently sees a 2021 Honda Ridgeline Sport AWD trending at $27,033, from an MSRP of $36,490. Toyotas are notoriously slow depreciators, and the Tacoma has enjoyed increased demand as a result of perceived problems with the fourth-gen model, and a lack of a V6 engine, driving a 2021 Tacoma’s trending price up to $27,468 from an MSRP of $26,400.
Don’t bother double checking with the calculator, you read that right. A five-year-old Tacoma costs $1,068 more than sticker price at the entry level. A 2021 Tacoma TRD Off Road Double Cab with a V6 engine will cost you $33,850 from a $34,565 MSRP.
So, even if we’re talking used models, the Ridgeline earns our recommendation as the better value for used price versus MSRP. We were able to turn up the following listings in our marketplace.
- A 45,000-mile 2021 Sport is selling for $20,950 in Nebraska.
- A 121,858-mile 2021 RTL is selling for $23,445 in Virginia.
- A 17,690-mile 2020 RTL is selling for $24,401 in Arizona.
- A 69,383-mile 2021 Sport is selling for $26,995 in Minnesota.
- A 61,063-mile 2020 Black Edition is selling for $28,995 in Connecticut.
Note that these listings are only provided to give you an idea of what’s out there. There’s no telling what will be available in your area by the time you’re ready to buy, but these prices should help to illustrate that there are some very affordable low-mileage models to be had.
If you love the Tacoma, we’re not going to try and talk you out of buying another Tacoma. It’s an excellent truck. But, the Ridgeline makes more sense as a daily driver in our book.
Sources: Honda, Toyota, RepairPal, CarEdge, FuelEconomy.gov, NHTSA.
