2020 Toyota Tundra Review

The 2020 Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup, but it’s often in the shadow of its older, smaller sibling, the mid-size Toyota Tacoma, whose starting price is $7,000 less. (Toyota easily sells twice as many of them as it does Tundras in a given month). Truck competition is fierce, especially from the Ford F-Series pickups, but Toyota is famous for the dependability of its vehicles, a factor that could tip the Tundra in your favor.

• 2020 Toyota Tundra pricing and trims
• 2020 Toyota Tundra safety
• 2020 Toyota Tundra competitor comparison
• The bottom line on the 2020 Toyota Tundra

2020 Toyota Tundra pricing and trims

The 2020 Toyota Tundra’s starting manufacturer’s recommended price (MSRP) is $33,425 but can go up to $52,780 for the top trim with a 4×4 drive. It offers six trims with increasing levels of features and different styling. Generally, each trim includes or improves upon all the features that are in the trim(s) that came before it.

The prices and features below are for the base model of each trim, but it’s possible to add four-wheel drive (4×4) or a different cab to each of these. We’ll break down those choices in a minute.

What’s next? Once you pick out your vehicle, you’ll probably need a vehicle loan. Potential lenders include Toyota financing or your bank, credit union or online lender. You could also fill out an online form at LendingTree and get up to five potential auto loan offers from lenders, depending on your creditworthiness. It does not hurt your credit to apply to several lenders any more than it does to apply to one, as long as you do the applications within a window of 14 days — and some credit scoring methods may even allow you up to 45 days.

Double Cab, 6.5 ft Bed

Toyota doesn’t offer a “regular cab,” with only one row of seating. Instead, the Tundra starts with a double cab and increases to the CrewMax on upper trims.

The double cab offers two rows of seating, but don’t expect three adults to be happy sitting in the back with such limited legroom. It could, however, serve as a place to seat kids or store tools that you don’t want to leave in the bed of the truck.

Toyota Tundra Double Cab 6.5 ft Bed
Trim	Drive	MSRP
SR	4×2	$33,425
	4×4	$36,475
SR5	4×2	$35,095
	4×4	$38,145
Limited	4×2	$42,120
	4×4	$45,170
TRD Pro	4×4	$48,505

Double Cab, 8.1 ft Bed

This configuration adds more than one and a half feet of bed length to the double cab, so you could put more junk in your trunk… er, more cargo in your pickup bed.

Toyota Tundra Double Cab 8.1 ft Bed
Trim	Drive	MSRP
SR	4×2	$33,755
	4×4	$36,805
SR5	4×2	$35,425
	4×4	$38,475

Adding this length doesn’t cost much: only $330 more than a double cab 6.5 ft bed. However, it is only offered as an option on the two lowest trims with the double cab and not at all for the CrewMax cab, which comes with the shortest option of all three possible body configurations on the Tundra.

CrewMax 5.5 ft Bed

If you want a full-sized second row for your crew, the CrewMax cab is your best option. The only downside is the single bed option, which is also the shortest at 5.5 ft. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for cargo, but could make the cab large enough for you to consider it a luxury truck.

Toyota Tundra Crewmax Cab 5.5 ft Bed
Trim	Drive	MSRP
SR5	4×2	$37,700
	4×4	$40,750
Limited	4×2	$43,985
	4×4	$47,035
Platinum	4×2	$48,625
	4×4	$51,675
1974 Edition	4×2	$48,625
	4×4	$51,675
TRD Pro	4×4	$52,780

2020 Toyota Tundra safety

The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) rated the Tundra with four out of five stars for overall safety. As of publishing date, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hadn’t yet tested the 2020 Tundra.

Toyota Safety Sense P is standard on the Tundra. But what is it? It’s a package of advanced driver assistance features, which include:

• Pre-collision system with pedestrian detection. If the car senses something or someone in front of it, it alerts the driver audibly and visually and applies the brakes if the driver does not.
• Lane departure alert. The car will alert the driver audibly and visually if it senses that it is drifting out of the lane.
• Automatic high beams. At speeds above 25 MPH, the car will automatically toggle between high and low beams accordingly to allow greater driver visibility.
• Full-speed dynamic radar cruise control. While the driver has cruise control on, the car will automatically slow down or speed up, without cruise control deactivating, as conditions call for it due to other vehicles within range. The car can also alert the driver if more speed reduction is needed and apply the brakes.

It does not include the Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which Toyota does include on the Platinum trim.

2020 Toyota Tundra competitor comparison

The 2020 Tundra has some stiff competition in the world of full-size trucks. It has several things in its favor, including the Toyota brand’s famous dependability, the standard V8 engine (which helps give it towing power) and standard Toyota Safety Sense P. Things working against it include poor fuel economy, a relatively high starting price and fewer body configuration options than competitors.

*KBB score not available

Chart data is for base models of the named trims. Expert score averages Kelley Blue Book (KBB) and Edmunds expert ratings when available. Standard technology refers to features included in the lowest trim level for each model at no extra cost (but is not an exhaustive list). Fuel economy is combined city/highway mileage as defined by the EPA.

The bottom line on the 2020 Toyota Tundra

In the full-size pickup market, the 2020 Tundra makes a compelling argument for your attention with plenty of standard features. However, it doesn’t offer some things people might be looking for, such as a crew cab with a bed longer than 5.5 feet and an engine option with less power but better gas mileage.

If the Tundra hasn’t won your heart yet, check out the best pickups of 2019.