I talk to truck buyers from all over the country every week, and I hear the same thing over and over. Somebody wants a three-quarter or one-ton truck, and before we even talk about what they plan to pull, they’ve already decided it has to be a diesel.

I get it. Diesels have a reputation, and that big torque number looks great on paper. But after years of helping people find the right truck, here’s my honest take: a lot of buyers are paying for a workload they’re never going to put on the truck. With fuel prices where they are today, that choice costs more than it has in a long time.

Start with the fuel bill

Look at the numbers. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly survey for the week of November 9, 2026 put the national average for regular gasoline at $3.995 a gallon. On-highway diesel averaged $6.127 a gallon. That’s a gap of about $2.13 on every single gallon, and diesel is running more than 50 percent higher than regular. A year ago that gap was about 78 cents.

National average fuel prices, week of Nov 9, 2026
Diesel is running about $2.13 a gallon more than regular. Source: U.S. EIA, week of Nov 9, 2026.

Yes, a diesel gets better mileage. It has to, just to break even. At these prices, a diesel has to go about 53 percent farther on a gallon than a gas truck just to match it on fuel cost per mile. If your gas truck gets 15 mpg, the diesel needs to average about 23 mpg to tie.

Here’s a simple example. Every number below is an assumption, not a test result:

  • Miles per year: 15,000 (assumption)
  • Gas truck average: 15 mpg (assumption)
  • Diesel truck average: 20 mpg, a full third better (assumption)
  • Fuel prices: EIA national averages for the week of November 9, 2026

The gas truck burns 1,000 gallons a year, which comes to about $3,995. The diesel burns 750 gallons, about $4,595. That’s roughly $600 more a year for the diesel, and I gave the diesel a generous mileage edge. It also burns diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), typically 2 to 3 percent of the fuel it uses, so tack on another 15 to 23 gallons of DEF a year.

Example annual fuel cost, gas vs diesel
Example only. Assumes 15,000 miles a year, 15 mpg gas and 20 mpg diesel, at EIA national averages for the week of Nov 9, 2026. DEF not included.

Single-rear-wheel trucks: for typical towing, gas does the job

Here’s the point most buyers miss. Take a single-rear-wheel heavy-duty truck, like an F-250 or F-350, or a Ram 2500 or 3500 with single rear wheels. For the kind of bumper-pull towing most people actually do, the gas and diesel versions are both well within their ratings, and either one gets the job done.

Even the base gas setups leave plenty of room for typical towing. On 2026 models, a Ford F-250 or F-350 with the 6.8L gas V8 and a Ram 2500 or 3500 with the 6.4L HEMI, both with the 3.73 axle ratio, are rated to tow about 14,000 to 15,000 lb on a bumper-pull hitch. Step up to the right axle ratio or Ford’s 7.3L gas V8 and a single-rear-wheel gas truck is rated for roughly 17,300 to 19,500 lb.

Where the diesel pulls ahead is at the top of the chart. Single-rear-wheel diesels are rated for about 20,000 to 25,000 lb on a bumper-pull hitch and up to about 27,600 lb with a fifth-wheel or gooseneck. That extra capacity is real, but it only matters when you go heavier than most buyers ever will.

2026 single-rear-wheel max towing ratings, gas vs diesel
Maximum manufacturer ratings for 2026 single-rear-wheel trucks, best-equipped configuration. Your truck’s rating depends on cab, bed, axle ratio and equipment. Sources: Ford 2026 Super Duty specifications and towing guide; Ram 2026 HD towing and payload chart.

Think about what you’re really hooking up. Most travel trailers, car haulers and equipment trailers I see people pull fall well inside what a properly equipped gas heavy-duty truck is built for. Spend your money on the right axle ratio and hitch setup for your trailer, not on an engine you don’t need. And always check the exact rating for the truck you’re buying, because cab, bed, axle and equipment all change the number.

There’s one more thing buyers don’t expect. Diesel engines are heavy, and that weight comes out of payload. On a 2026 Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4×4 with the short bed at the same 10,000 lb GVWR, the HEMI gas truck is rated for 3,320 lb of payload and the Cummins is rated for 2,260 lb. On a 2026 F-250 Crew Cab 4×4 with the long bed, it’s 3,826 lb for the 7.3L gas against 3,445 lb for the diesel. If you carry a heavy load in the bed or pull a trailer with a lot of tongue weight, that lost payload matters.

Gas is cheaper to buy and maintain

The diesel costs more to buy, and it keeps costing more after you drive it home. On a 2026 F-250, Ford’s price list shows the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel at $10,995 over the base gas engine, and the High Output diesel at $13,495. The bigger 7.3L gas V8 is $1,500. On a 2026 Ram 2500, the Cummins is a $12,595 option.

Diesel engine option price, 2026 Ford F-250 vs Ram 2500
Manufacturer option price over the base gas engine. Sources: Ford 2026 F-250 price list; Mopar Insiders 2026 Ram 2500 review.

Then there’s upkeep. Ford’s own spec sheet shows the gas V8s take 8 quarts of oil and the diesel takes 15. The diesel adds two fuel filters on a 30,000-mile schedule, a DEF tank to keep filled, and an emissions system with a particulate filter, SCR catalyst and NOx sensors. Independent shop estimates put a pickup particulate filter replacement at $2,000 to $7,000 and an SCR catalyst at $2,500 to $6,000.

A gas truck costs less to buy and less to maintain, and it skips the diesel emissions parts that get expensive once the warranty is up. To be fair to the diesel, Ford covers the Power Stroke for 5 years or 100,000 miles, compared with 5 years or 60,000 miles on the gas powertrain, and diesels tend to hold their resale value well. Those things narrow the gap, but for most buyers they don’t close it.

When a diesel really makes sense

A diesel isn’t a bad truck. It’s a tool built for a specific job. If you’re regularly pulling 25,000 to 30,000 lb, that’s diesel work, plain and simple, and at that weight you’re usually looking at a dually with a fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch. No 2026 gas heavy-duty pickup from Ford or Ram is rated that high. That kind of heavy, repeated load is exactly what those engines are built for, and you’ll feel the difference on every grade.

Don’t overbuy

If that’s not you, buying a diesel usually means overbuying. You pay more up front, more at every fill-up, and more at every service, and most of the time you’re not getting much back for it. If you pile on a lot of miles towing heavy, the diesel’s mileage and resale can still work in your favor. But for the buyer who pulls a camper a few weekends a year or hauls a trailer to the job site, a gas heavy-duty truck does the work and leaves more money in your pocket.

Let us find the right truck for the job

At Motorphilia, we’re based in Tyler, Texas, and we help buyers all over the country find the right truck for what they actually do. Tell us what you tow, how often, and how far, and we’ll match you with the right truck, gas or diesel, and deliver it nationwide.

Start with our Match Maker: https://motorphilia.com/matchmaker/

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