Why we have so many large pickup trucks and SUVs

It’s worth reflecting back on how we got here w.r.t. automobiles in the US.

In a recent WSJ opinion piece, Long Live the EV: Now that the U.S. isn’t killing it with ‘help,’ the electric vehicle has a chance. (that link is a “gift article” that may get thru their paywall, but I think the gift expires after awhile) columnist Holman Jenkins[] mentions a bunch of policy driven points that are probably not well understood outside of policy-wonk circles. The main thrust of the column, about EVs, informs that whole mess…

Here are some pull-outs (in italics) and a bit of my commentary [in square brackets]

• The Big Three voluntarily ceded the sedan market and focused on pickups and large SUVs, which have been shielded from import competition by a 25% tariff since 1964—the only part of the U.S. car market to be so shielded.
  [azbikelaw comment: yes, over SIXTY years ago! This is a.k.a. the chicken tax. And personal trucks, particularly large pickups/suvs are dramatically profitable for US manufacturers, see e.g. here]
• … relatively low domestic gasoline price… economists and auto executives have said for 50 years that the U.S. government should adopt a gasoline tax if it wants to create incentives for high-mileage vehicles.
  [so he says this, and it’s probable even true, but doesn’t acknowledge that no politician in the US will ever raise taxes]
• Instead we got Rube Goldberg fuel-economy mandates. After the 2009 bailout, Team Obama tweaked the rules further to facilitate sales of profitable pickups
  [mandates are the CAFE system, Corp Average Fuel Economy beginning in 1975 and tweaked innumerable times since]

Un-mentioned, but some other policy points:

Section 179 depreciation rules tax-favors large pickups/SUVs for business owners compared to a sedan. It has nothing to do with whether of not you “need” a heavy pickup/SUV in the business.

There are different (or in some cases, no) standards for pickups/suvs. For example cars have a NHTSA bumper height requirement in order to be sold in US. No requirement for pickups/suvs. p.s. an excellently thorough page from prestigecustomrides.com lays out in detail AZ state rules affecting “lifted” trucks. Noted there is the law that prohibits tires/wheels from sticking out — obviously this is yet another law, like too dark window tint, that is rarely or never enforced.

Large “American” pickups are virtually non-existent in the EU… where traffic safety is dramatically better than the US. American pickups cannot pass a variety of safety standards (most obviously pedestrian safety crash standards), and are only sold under IVA rules amounting to a few thousand a year in total:

The large pickups are imported under the EU’s Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) framework, which allows the sale of a limited number of models without having to go through the full homologation (type-approval) process.
About 7,000 such large pickups, such as the Ford F-150 or Ram 1500, were sold in Europe in 2024, according to the environmental lobbying group Transport & Environment. Transport & Environment and other advocacy groups have warned that allowing more large American pickups to be sold in Europe would increase risks for pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers, as well as allow automakers to skirt emissions rules. — autonews.com April 8, 2026

Although gas taxes are mentioned, it’s worth rubbing in: Fuel taxes are a joke and haven’t changed much in decades;  general sales taxes or other general funds are being used to backfill for road construction projects.

[] Holman Jenkins has written a recurring opinion column for many years and is a member of the WSJ’s editorial board.