In a survival situation, where you need to exit your area quickly and safely, you will want a durable vehicle that can comfortably fit your family as well as your bug-out gear and even a survival bicycle.
| Key takeaways: • Best-selling vehicles like the F-150 or Silverado will always have an abundance of parts available • If selecting a truck (a good choice), look for cheap used hard-tops/canopies on craigslist or fb marketplace. I found a Dodge RAM canopy for $50 • Splurge on comfortable seats if you expect to go on long journeys • If you don’t mind 100k+ mileage and 20+ years of age, it’s possible to purchase a reliable 4×4 truck for around $10k |
Some of the factors to consider are:
Fuel efficiency
You might feel invincible in a Hummer H2, but you’ll also have a range of about 350 miles. The H2’s huge 31 gallon tank is offset by its gas-guzzling inefficiency of 11-12 miles a gallon.
Contrast that with a Ford F-150 which will give you about a 572 mile range with a fuel tank size of 26 gallons.
Look for a combined fuel economy of at least 20mpg and a fuel tank of 25 plus gallons which will give you a solid 500 miles. That will almost get you from New Orleans, through the state of Mississippi, to Nashville.
Off-road capability
I love Porsche 911s, but unless it’s built for Paris-Dakar, you will not want one in a critical situation where you might have to take a few bumpy roads between well traveled paths.
Also, you’ll be able to just about carry a box of Kleenex, some mints and a change of underwear in the Porsche.
Select a vehicle with 4×4 capability.
Cargo space
I recently was just able to fit a queen size mattress box (19″ x 19″ x 42.5″) from Costco by shoehorning it into the back of a car, after moving the front seats far forward and the back seats down. There was room left for a couple of pillows. If ample cargo space is important to you – and it should be – I would not consider a car as a survival vehicle of choice.
That leaves trucks and SUVs both of which can carry a fair amount of cargo. SUVs are fully enclosed, but if you decide on a truck, you’ll want to option for a hard shell bed cover. It’ll more than double the amount of gear you can carry in the cab, including bulkier items like jerry cans of water, your solar panels and solar battery. It’ll also be a comfortable and convenient place to sleep and even cook.
Cars with AWD may do in a pinch, but trucks with a hard shell are better for this reason alone.
You can purchase the shell separate from the vehicle. Search for variations of “truck hard tops”, “hard caps” and “canopies”, check your local dealerships and keep an eye out on facebook marketplace.
If money (and sense) is no object, there are outfits that supply full campers to fit in your truck bed for tens of thousands of dollars.
Reliability and maintenance
This rules out electric trucks or hybrid vehicles, as they won’t be as easy to repair if something goes wrong.
I want a model that has been around for many years and have examples on the road with 200,000+ miles, as explicit proof of reliability.
The less tech in the vehicle the better.
Tucker Carlson, who now often works out of a home studio in rural Maine, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but chooses to drive a 1987 Chevy Silverado because “there’s no way for the government to turn off my engine if I’m disobedient.”
The more models of that vehicle that have been sold, the easier it’ll be to find parts for even in remote locations. So even if your rich friend gifts you a Lamborghini Urus, there were just 5,300 sold in 2023. It’ll be literally 100 times easier getting parts for your Chevy Silverado which sold over 555,000 in the same year.
But, still take the Urus for a few roadtrips while you have it.
Fuel type and availability
You want your vehicle to be able to run well on the lowest grade of gasoline.
Diesel engines are generally more efficient and durable than those powered by gasoline, but they are also inherently noisier.
If you’re like me and would rather keep a low profile and also not wake the dead, you’ll opt for the gasoline powered vehicle.
Security features
If you have storage outside the vehicle, ensure that they’re secure and lockable, and that includes jerry cans of water and fuel. Wheels and gas caps should also be able to be secured.
Comfort
Splurge on good seats. You want to be able to sit for hours comfortably. Heavy duty off-roading will likely be a fraction of your drive time, so select for comfort with some high quality suspension seats. These are designed to absorb and dampen the impact and vibrations from the vehicle’s movement and can significantly reduce fatigue.
Suspension seats and shell seats are two types of seats often found in vehicles, particularly in off-road or performance vehicles, and they serve different purposes and are built differently.
Cost
I have no issue purchasing a used vehicle as long as it’s been maintained consistently and that the records show that. The newer vehicles fitting these criteria above range from $33k to $40k.
What newer vehicles fit these criteria?
| 2021 Models | Tundra SR5 | Silverado 1500 | F-150 SuperCrew |
| Fuel Efficiency | 14 mpg | 18 mpg | 22 mpg |
| 4×4 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Space | 6 seats, 5’7″ bed length | 5 seats, 5’10” bed length | 6 seats, 5’7″ bed length |
| Reliability | Since 1999 | Since 1999 | Since 1948 |
| Produced in 2021 | 82k | 530k | 726k |
| Engine | 5.7L, 8cyl, 381hp | 5.3L, 8cyl, 355hp | 2.7L 6cyl Turbo, 325hp |
| Range | 448 miles | 396 miles | 572 miles |
| Cost | $40,000 | $38,000 | $33,000 |
What older vehicles fit these criteria?
Finding a well-maintained older vehicle can be much more affordable, with prices hovering around $10,000. Below are a couple of now-discontinued popular compact trucks, each having sold over a million units. While most of these trucks will have mileage exceeding 100,000, with proper maintenance, they can continue to perform reliably for many more miles.
| Chevy S10 (1999) | Ford Ranger (1999) | |
| Fuel Efficiency | 18 mpg | 21 mpg |
| 4×4 | Yes | Yes |
| Space | 5 seats, 6″ bed length | 5 seats, 6″ bed length |
| Reliability | 1982-2012 | 1983-2012 |
| Total produced | 1.5+ million | 1+ million |
| Engine | 4.3L, 6cyl | 3L, 6cyl |
| Range | 342 miles (19 gal. tank) | 410 miles (19.5 gal. tank) |
| Cost | $12,000 | $9,000 |
I am currently leaning towards the F-150 SuperCrew. It’s the cheapest out of the three newer models by over 15%, has the longest range, best gas mileage, and with over 700,000 trucks manufactured just in 2021, locating spare parts will be a breeze.
Finally, don’t forget to load your phone with offline maps of your area. What use is a bug-out truck if you can’t navigate out during a survival situation.
