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Honda Ridgeline vs Toyota Tacoma

2026 Honda Ridgeline vs 2026 Toyota Tacoma — two rivals compared on efficiency, size, safety and reliability.

Honda Ridgeline

2026 Honda Ridgeline

Standard Pickup Trucks 4WDAWD/4WD
VS4 – 2Honda Ridgeline wins 4 of 6 categories
Toyota Tacoma

2026 Toyota Tacoma

Small Pickup Trucks 2WDAWD/4WDHybrid/EV

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The short version

The Toyota Tacoma is more fuel-efficient: 23 vs 21 MPG combined in its best version.

That works out to about $300 a year less in fuel for the Toyota Tacoma (EPA estimate, 15,000 miles).

The Toyota Tacoma is the bigger car, about 3 inches longer.

Across all model years since 2005, the Honda Ridgeline has had fewer recall campaigns (36 vs 42).

The two cars

The 2026 Honda Ridgeline is a standard pickup truck offered with a 3.5L 6-cyl engine and all-wheel drive. It measures about 210 inches long and 79 inches wide on a 125-inch wheelbase, with a curb weight of roughly 4,442 lb.

The 2026 Toyota Tacoma is a small pickup truck offered with a 2.4L 4-cyl turbo engine, including a hybrid version and rear-wheel drive, part-time 4-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive. It measures about 213 inches long and 77 inches wide on a 132-inch wheelbase, with a curb weight of roughly 5,104 lb (Double Cab Hybrid).

Buying used? The 2024 Ridgeline and the 2021 Tacoma have the fewest problems in our data; avoid the 2017 Ridgeline and the 2016 Tacoma.

Basics

Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD
Class
Small Pickup Trucks 2WD
Regular Gasoline
Fuel
Regular Gasoline, Hybrid
3.5L 6-cyl
Engines
2.4L 4-cyl turbo
All-Wheel Drive
Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive, Part-time 4-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive

Efficiency

21 MPG
Best combined MPG
23 MPG
18 city
City / highway MPG (best)
22 city
$3,200
Fuel cost per year (EPA)
$2,900

Performance & space

280 hp
Horsepower (most powerful)
278 hp
–
Seats (most)
5
210.2 in
Length
213 in
78.7 in
Width
76.8 in
70.9 in
Height
74 in
4,442 lb
Curb weight (lightest)
4,374 lb

Safety & reliability

14
Driver-assist features standard
9
0
Recalls (2026)
0
36
Recalls, all years since 2005
42
11
Owner complaints (latest year)
13

Interest

7,746
Wikipedia views, 30 days
24,041

Buying used

2024
Best used year
2021
2017
Year to avoid
2016

Green = clearly better. Prices are not included. How we calculate this →

Which one should you choose?

Choose the Honda Ridgeline if…

  • You want more standard driver-assist tech
  • You put reliability history first (36 vs 42 recalls since 2005)

Choose the Toyota Tacoma if…

  • You want lower fuel bills (23 vs 21 MPG)
  • You want a hybrid or electric option

Pros & cons of each

2026 Honda Ridgeline

  • Excellent fuel economyUp to 21 MPG combined — 15% better than the average 2026 standard pickup truck (18.3 MPG).
  • Lots of standard safety tech5 of 5 key driver aids standard on the versions we checked.

2026 Toyota Tacoma

  • Hybrid version availableOffered as a hybrid as well as gas.
  • AWD / 4WD available
  • Below-average fuel economyBest version gets 23 MPG combined, 13% below the 2026 small pickup truck average of 26.4 MPG.

Full 2026 Honda Ridgeline specs →Full 2026 Toyota Tacoma specs →Compare fuel costs for your driving →Compare size & garage fit →