These Are The Only New Diesel-Powered Trucks And SUVs Available In America Right Now

If you spend most of your time driving on long journeys and want to maximize fuel economy, buying a diesel-powered vehicle may be on your list of options. Diesel engines are dependable workhorses and travel between 20% and 30% farther than a gasoline engine of comparable size on a single gallon of fuel due to the higher energy density of diesel. However, the fallout from Volkswagen's Dieselgate emissions scandal, stricter emission regulations, and an increasing shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) have meant that there's an ever-reducing number of cars you can get with an oil burner.

There are only five automotive brands left that sell diesel vehicles in America. And, according to market analysis carried out by Intel Market Research, diesel-run cars claim just a 3% share of new light-duty vehicle sales. This segment includes passenger cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), minivans, as well as vans and pickup trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 8,500 pounds (or less than 10,000 pounds under some definitions).

Still, only SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans offer diesel engine options these days, as there have been no passenger cars with a diesel engine available in the U.S. since the 2019 Chevrolet Cruze. Meanwhile, in the heavy-duty segment, the popularity of diesel engines hasn't diminished anything like the light-duty class, with oil burners continuing to outsell their gasoline counterparts due to their ability to provide the strength and efficiency needed for tough jobs and long-distance driving.

An impressive array of pickup trucks still comes with diesel engines in 2026, with the market dominated by General Motors (GM). It is the only carmaker offering a diesel option for light-duty pickup customers, as you can have the GMC Sierra 1500 or Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel inline-six that puts out 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque. The engine is fitted to the Sierra 1500 AT4, AT4X, and Denali Ultimate as standard and is optional for the Elevation, SLT, and Denali. On the Chevy side of things, the RST and ZR2 are the trucks to pick if you want a diesel engine right out of the box, but the Custom Trail Boss, LT, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, and High Country all offer it as an option.

Moving on from the light-duty trucks, GM's heavy-duty lineup features the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD trucks, both of which can be had with the company's legendary Duramax 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V-8. The engine was revised for the 2024 model year and currently makes up to 470 hp and 975 lb-ft and lets you tow 36,000 pounds. However, the equally fabled Ford 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8, found under the hood of the Ford Super Duty will have something to say about that, as it leads the heavy-duty pickup truck segment with an astounding 40,000 pounds of towing capacity. Available in the Ford F-250, F-350, and F-450 models, the diesel engine pushes up to 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. 

Another diesel-powered truck that is available in America right now is the Ram 2500/3500 HD. The Cummins HO 6.7-liter turbo-diesel inline-six offered in both models produces 430 hp and 1,075 lb-ft of torque, along with a maximum rated towing capacity of 36,610 lbs in the Ram 3500 HD.

As far as SUVs, the diesel market is currently an all-GM affair. But with Cadillac having cut the 3.0-liter diesel inline-six from the Escalade lineup due to slow demand, your options are down to just the Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL. GM offers these body-on-frame SUVs with the same 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six found in the light-duty Sierra and Silverado 1500 pickups, as well as the now-discontinued diesel Escalade. This means there's 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque at the ready, no matter which model you choose.

The fuel economy is decent, too. Official figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest it'll yield 24 mpg beneath the hood of the Chevrolet Tahoe and 23 mpg in the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL. If you're considering the Tahoe or Suburban, you'll have to go with at least the next trim level up from the base-spec LS grade, which is the LT, to unlock the diesel engine option, and it will cost you an extra $5,495. 

That takes the Tahoe LT's MSRP from $66,495 for 2WD models equipped with the 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8 engine to $71,990 for the diesel-powered variants. The Suburban LT, meanwhile, costs from $74,990 (including delivery charges). In the case of the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, the Duramax inline-six engine is offered on every trim. The 2026 GMC Yukon Diesel MSRP starts at $76,660, while the Yukon XL Diesel begins from $79,660.