These Are The Best Pickup Trucks For Tailgating

For those who follow football, you know there's the action on the field and then the fun that occurs in the parking lot outside the stadium. Brats sizzling on an open flame, a few cold beverages, and at least one fan going a little crazy with the face paint are the norm.

Fortunately, there's a way to improve your tailgating with the right truck, outfitted with a cooler in the truck bed or a sweet modded sound system. It's almost as though the engineers at companies like Ford, Ram, and GMC have been to a tailgating party before. A few models even offer a power generator so you could plug in a massive HDTV, prop it up in the truck bed, and keep the pre-game show running right up until kickoff (or even during the game itself).

Here are our top picks for the best tailgating trucks, with a few tips about how to make the most of the experience along with any personal insights about extra amenities. The brats you cook and the cold beverages you serve are up to you.

Call it iconic or even trailblazing, but the Ram 1500 is a top pick for tailgating due to the storage compartments. Known as the Rambox Cargo Management System, this feature was likely not intended for tailgating — after all, it's perfect for tools, power saws, and tape measures. What makes it ideal for the game, though, is that the compartments include a drainage plug. That means you can fill them up with ice and your choice of meats, veggies, and cold drinks. After the game, it's easy to drain the water out so you can go back to storing your normal gear. While they are not insulated like a cooler, they are weatherproof and lockable.

Another plus to using the Ram 1500 is just the sheer size of the truck bed. There's a version of the 1500 where the truck bed measures 6.4 inches long. After some quick computations, that's enough for several coolers, an HDTV, and a couple of lawn chairs at least.

The Ram 1500 also stands out in a crowd. If you go with the Ram 1500 RHO off-roading edition and decide to drive one through a thick layer of mud before hitting the stadium lot, you'll stand out in a crowded market of commuter trucks and boring electrics with no pizzazz.

The main selling point with the Ford F-150 pickup for tailgating enthusiasts, like this awesome Raptor R version, is that most models have the option to add a power generator. Known as Power Pro Onboard, this feature provides enough power to keep your electric grill running for the entire pre-game activities and also power an HDTV. There are two outlets in the truck bed, and the generator pushes out about 2.4 kilowatts of power. Each of the standard 120-watt outlets runs at 20 amps, or more than enough juice to keep the party going until game time and beyond.

Another unique feature has to do with the actual tailgate on the F-150. Available as an option, the Pro Access Tailgate opens like a door instead of flipping down like most trucks. Opening the tailgate that way gives you quick access to your stuff while potentially saving a few shin scrapes in the process (if the tailgate was lowered normally). The door opens with a quick press of a button. Of course, you can also lower the tailgate if you need an ad hoc table for your feast.

Not every truck has such a versatile tailgate, but the GMC Sierra 1500 gives you plenty of options. Like most trucks, you can fold the MultiPro tailgate down flat for extra space or to access a camp stove. What's more remarkable is that there are six different positions. One is a half-height position that allows tailgaters to reach over and grab snacks or other items, as noted in a YouTube video by Autoblog. Then, you can fold part of the tailgate down again so it is hanging down next to the truck bed so partygoers can access food and drinks that way. Another position allows you to fold down the tailgate once more to become a step.

GMC offers a tailgating accessory called the KICKER for the Sierra 1500 that is situated in the tailgate itself. There's a powerful subwoofer, and you can control music or sports radio stations from the rear of the truck. It's separate from the main cab stereo system.

Another GM-branded truck that has a six-position tailgate, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 folds down normally to lay flat but also has a half-height position that works as an access portal, as explained in a YouTube video by GM Authority. It means you can stand closer to the rear of the truck and grab snacks and drinks without bumping a shin. That position also makes it easier to load coolers and other items into the truck bed. A third position is to lower the tailgate once more to make a step, which makes it easier to climb into the truck bed.

A fourth position, "load stop," blocks gear from falling out the back of the truck bed and safely extends the overall length. The "inner gate" has a load stop as well (a fifth position) if you keep the tailgate at half height. You could put a camping stove in that space or more items for the tailgate party. Lastly, there's an inner gate "work surface" (considered the sixth position) where you can also stash items for your tailgating crew like chips and pop.

The Silverado has a nice Bose sound system as well if you want to play a station that is talking about the game or to annoy every other partygoer with some alternative rock.

Electric trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning are ideal for tailgating for two big reasons. One is that there is plenty of power to charge your devices while you wait for the game or even run a massive HDTV you set up on the truck bed during the pre-game festivities. The other main reason is the storage that's available. Not only can you haul lawn chairs, a grill, and a few coolers in the truck bed, but you can also stash blankets and other items in the frunk.

The power outlets use an on-board generator that is capable of supplying power to your entire home, so it is more than capable of also powering an HDTV and other gadgets. As noted on the F-150 Lightning Forum, the F-150 power options mean you could use a Traeger slow-cooking wood-fired grill because those models plug into an outlet. Plus, if you use one of those, you could arrive much earlier at the tailgate party to cook some ribs for a few hours.

One of the most unusual additions to our round-up for tailgating trucks is the Rivian R1T, mostly because it's a higher-end electric pickup that looks like it would fit right in at a corporate event or as a commuter truck. It also has a ton of new tech features, including a massive screen with 3D animations. Yet, there are a few amenities that make it a top pick for tailgating.

One is just the plethora of outlets that provide a ton of electric charging options for all of the gear you might bring along. They are scattered all over, with two outlets in the truck bed and one in the Gear Tunnel that runs between the cab and truck bed. Oh, there are also three more in the frunk, which is the spacious open area under the hood where you might normally find an engine. What that means is you can power an HDTV to show the pre-game banter or possibly a high-end portable stereo system to blast some obnoxious hip-hop music.

The main reason the Rivian R1T stands out as a tailgating marvel, though, is the unique camp stove that's available as an option. It slides out from the Gear Tunnel and means you can cook up some brats and burgers without having to bring your own gas grill. A video by TechCrunch explains how it all works. The stove slides out, and there are two induction-cooking burners you can use for frying up some potatoes or brats, plus a stove with water for doing the dishes.

The Ford Super Duty F-250 is the larger, beefier version of the F-150. It was introduced in 1998 as a more capable towing machine as opposed to the lighter-duty F-150.

What sets the Ford Super Duty F-250 apart from other tailgating trucks is the sheer size of the truck bed. You have what is essentially a large patio to use for entertaining people before the game, transporting a gas grill, and lugging around a bunch of coolers. While the F-150 has a bed width of 50.6 inches for every trim level, the F-250 bed width is 66.9 inches.

Ford also offers an optional power generator on the F-250 that generates 2,000 watts of power, as YouTube user Jason Gillett explained recently. In the 2025 model it adds around $1,000 to the total cost of a new F-250. Known as Pro Power, the battery is located under the passenger seat in the rear and, in the truck bed, allows you to connect an electric grill or a stove, fans to keep people cool, or even a small dorm refrigerator to two power outlets.

Larger pickups like the Ram 2500 can carry a heavier load, which is perfect for construction workers hauling plywood or transporting a bunch of oak furniture. There's a side benefit to tailgating as well. It means you can load up to 4,400 pounds. That's ridiculously more payload capacity than you would need to haul a couple of massive grills. But the main benefit is in the size of the truck bed. If you choose a 2024 model for tailgating as an example, the 8-foot truck bed version is 79.4 inches wide, so you can load those grills plus a few people besides.

The storage compartments on the Ram 2500 are also large enough for your power tools but can also hold a few cases of Mountain Dew and Coke for the partygoers. The storage boxes can be drained and even have LED lights so you can see which beverage you're grabbing at night. Another plus is that the storage area, called the Rambox, also has a 115-volt outlet. Not that you would mix beverage cooling with powering a TV or radio, though.

Arguably the best tailgating truck of the bunch, the Honda Ridgeline comes equipped with several amenities to make pre-game activities more enjoyable. The best feature has to be the built-in cooler where you can stash beverages and meat products before the game. It's essentially a large insulated storage compartment with a drain plug you can use after the game once all of the ice melts. (In case you're wondering, the cooler is not refrigerated.) As explained by users on the Ridgeline Owner's Club site, the cooler works fine for pre-game cooling, but since it won't stay cool for more than a couple of hours, it's not a good long-term solution. You will want to pack the cooler space the same day as the big game, not the night before.

Like many of the trucks in our round-up, the Ridgeline also has a composite bed lining that helps reduce scratch marks and dings if you are moving lawn chairs around or metal coolers. Truck beds scratch more easily than you might think. Want to play the music from the truck bed instead? The side panels can play the audio, as shown in this YouTube video by Daily Motor. In the demo, you can hear the audio loud and clear even 20 feet away from the truck.

The Toyota Tundra is a great pickup overall, thanks to a redesign in 2024, and is also a top pick for those who arrive early at the game for tailgating. One feature that really stands out is the JBL sound system in the cab. At the game, the speaker system is loud enough to blast the pre-game banter and sports radio chatter for everyone in the vicinity of the truck.

Like several Ford models that have a power generator option, the Tundra also has an optional power outlet in the truck bed. A Tundras.com user named Matt2015Tundra noted that the outlet only provides about 400 watts of power while the engine is running, but that's still enough to connect a portable radio to listen to pre-game audio or a laptop to watch highlights for your favorite team.

If you are wanting to make a big impression at the game, Toyota even offers a massive upgrade in partnership with the NFL. The Ultimate Tailgate Tundra includes fold-out screens and speakers so you can watch the pre-game or keep tabs on other games.