What Is a Standard-Size Pickup Truck?

Buying a pickup truck nowadays can be a bit intimidating with all the strange lingo that has become part of every sales associate’s lexicon. 

I mean, what in the world is “Crew Cab” supposed to mean anyway?

Thus, it can be hard to figure out which trucks are “standard.” 

A standard-sized pickup truck is a light pickup with a standard cab. These trucks are typically 216 inches long, 81 inches wide, and 76 inches tall. Also, a standard pickup truck weighs around 4,405 pounds. However, in the past, standard pickups were smaller. 

In this article, I’ll discuss what a standard-size pickup truck is and how big the most popular standard pickup trucks are in 2023. 

Then, I’ll talk about how big standard pickups used to be, what “standard cab” and “light duty” mean, and how much bigger standard pickups are than cars. 

What Is a Standard-Size Pickup Truck?

Well, first of all, you need to understand that “standard” isn’t an actual size when it comes to pickup trucks. 

Yet, when people talk about “standard” trucks, they typically mean a base model, light pickup truck with a standard cab. 

So, this is the definition I will use for this article. 

How Big Is a Standard 2023 Pickup Truck?

A standard 2023 pickup truck is, on average, 18 feet (5.5 m) long, 6 feet and 9 inches (2.1 m) wide, and 6 feet and 4 inches (1.9 m) tall. 

The beds in these trucks are typically 5 feet and 10 inches (1.8 m) long and 4 feet and 8 inches (1.4 m) wide. 

As for curb weight, standard pickups in 2023 generally weigh around 4,405 pounds (1,998 kg).

How Big Are Popular Standard 2023 Pickups?

Here, I will give you the dimensions for the base models of popular light-duty, standard cab pickups. 

Dimensions for standard 2023 Ford F-150: 

• Total Length – 209.1 inches (5.3 m)
• Total Width – 79.9 inches (2.0 m)
• Total Height – 75.2 inches (1.9 m)
• Bed Length – 66 inches (1.7 m)
• Bed Width – 50.6 inches (1.3 m)
• Bed Depth – 21.4 inches (0.5 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,021 pounds (1,824 kg)

Dimensions for standard 2023 Ram 1500: 

• Total Length – 228.9 inches (5.8 m)
• Total Width – 82.1 inches (2.1 m)
• Total Height – 77.4 inches (2.0 m)
• Bed Length – 67.2 inches (1.7 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,765 pounds (2,161 kg)

Dimensions for standard 2023 GMC Sierra 1500: 

• Total Length – 211 inches (5.4 m)
• Total Width – 81.1 inches (2.1 m)
• Bed Length – 69.6 inches (1.8 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,430 pounds (2,009 kg)

Dimensions for standard 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: 

• Total Length – 211 inches (5.4 m)
• Total Width – 81.14 inches (2.1 m)
• Total Height – 75.4 inches (1.9 m)
• Bed Length – 69.6 inches (1.8 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,400 pounds (1,996 kg)

Note: Some information is missing because the manufacturers have not made it public at the time of this writing. 

How Big Are Standard-Size Used Pickup Trucks?

Since pickup trucks have consistently gotten bigger over the last few decades, the standard size of a used pickup truck depends heavily on the truck’s age. 

Thus, below I will detail the standard sizes for past pickup trucks. 

Standard dimensions for 2015 pickup trucks: 

• Total Length – 208 inches (5.3 m)
• Total Width – 80 inches (2.0 m)
• Total Height – 74 inches (1.9 m)
• Bed Length – 68 inches (1.7 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,358 pounds (1,977 kg)

Standard dimensions for 2010 pickup trucks: 

• Total Length – 209 inches (5.3 m)
• Total Width – 79 inches (2.0 m)
• Total Height – 73 inches (1.9 m)
• Bed Length – 68 inches (1.7 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,552 pounds (2,065 kg)

Standard dimensions for 2005 pickup trucks: 

• Total Length – 206 inches (5.2 m)
• Total Width – 79 inches (2.0 m)
• Total Height – 73 inches (1.9 m)
• Bed Length – 71 inches (1.8 m)
• Curb Weight – 4,481 pounds (2,033 kg)

Standard dimensions for 2000 pickup trucks: 

• Total Length – 203 inches (5.2 m)
• Total Width – 79 inches (2.0 m)
• Total Height – 71 inches (1.8 m)
• Bed Length – 79 inches (2.0 m)
• Curb Weight – 3,994 pounds (1,812 kg)

What Does “Standard Cab” Mean?

A standard cab pickup truck is a pickup that has the original pickup truck cab design. 

Think of the pre-2000s pickups, which were almost all standard cabs. 

Basically, a standard cab pickup has two regular-sized doors and one bench seat that fits two to three people. 

What Are the Other Cab Styles?

There are many different types of pickup cabs, and some brands even have their own names for the cab options they offer. 

However, the most common cabs you will find in pickup trucks besides the standard cab are the extended cab and crew cab. 

The extended cab is slightly bigger than the standard cab and either includes two small rear doors or has just two regular front doors with folding seats. 

It also has a second row of seats, but these seats typically don’t have much leg room. 

Meanwhile, the crew cab is the larger cab option. 

Crew cab pickups have four full-sized doors with two rows of seats and plenty of leg room in the back. 

Both the extended and crew cabs are upgrades of the standard cab, and as such, both of these cab styles typically make the truck longer, heavier, and more expensive than the standard cab. 

What Is a Light-Duty Truck?

I mentioned earlier that when people talk about standard pickup trucks, they are typically referring to light-duty trucks. 

But what makes a truck “light duty?”

Technically, a light-duty truck is any truck that weighs under 8,000 pounds (3,629 kg). 

Yet, in everyday life, most people only call trucks under 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg) “light-duty.”

Thus, “light duty” refers to most of the personal trucks you see on the road. 

Some examples of popular light-duty trucks include the following: 

• Ford F-150 
• Ram 1500 
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500 
• Toyota Tacoma 
• Ford Ranger 
• Toyota Tundra 
• Chevrolet Colorado 
• GMC Sierra 1500 

How Much Bigger Is a Standard Pickup Than a Car?

If you’re wondering how big a standard pickup truck is, it might be helpful to compare it to the average sedan. 

Overall, a typical 2023 sedan is 185 inches (4.7 m) long, 72 inches (1.8 m) wide, and 57 inches (1.4 m) tall, with a weight of 3,111 pounds (1,411 kg). 

Thus, a standard pickup truck is 31 inches (79 cm) longer, 9 inches (23 cm) wider, and 19 inches (48 cm) taller than the average sedan. 

Standard pickups also weigh around 1,294 pounds (587 kg) more than sedans. 

Bottom Line

Although “standard” isn’t an actual type of pickup, the term usually refers to base model, light-duty trucks with standard cabs. 

These trucks are the no-frills models and usually the smallest you can buy. 

But, just because they aren’t the fanciest doesn’t mean they can’t make great trucks.