The first pickup truck ever made

The first factory-built pickup truck is widely credited to the 1925 Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body. While earlier motorized trucks and countless aftermarket cargo-bed conversions existed, Ford’s 1925 offering was the first mass-produced, fully assembled light-duty vehicle sold by a major automaker with an integrated open bed—what we now recognize as a modern pickup.

Why the 1925 Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body holds the title

Ford’s 1925 Model T variant was the first time a large automaker marketed and delivered a light-duty vehicle with a factory-installed, open cargo box as a complete product—not a bare chassis awaiting a third-party body. Built on the familiar Model T platform, it blended passenger-car drivability with a utility bed, establishing the template for the category. Automotive historians, Ford archives, and major museums consistently cite this model as the first factory-produced pickup in the United States.

What came before: trucks and conversions

Decades earlier, manufacturers and coachbuilders were building and adapting vehicles for hauling. Gottlieb Daimler’s company produced one of the first motor trucks in 1896, and by the 1900s numerous light-commercial chassis were on the road. In the U.S., Ford’s Model TT (introduced in 1917) provided a robust, one-ton truck chassis, but it was typically sold without a bed, leaving the body to third-party builders. Similarly, independent companies outfitted Ford Model Ts and other cars with cargo boxes to create pickup-like vehicles long before 1925. The critical distinction is that those were conversions or chassis-cab buys—not a finished pickup truck built and completed by the automaker.

Defining “pickup” versus “truck” and “ute”

Terminology matters. A pickup is a light-duty vehicle with an open, separate cargo box behind the cab, delivered as a complete vehicle. Heavier “trucks” may be chassis-only or designed primarily for commercial coachwork. Australia’s “coupe utility” (or “ute”)—notably the 1934 Ford Coupe Utility—melded passenger-car styling with a cargo area, but it’s a distinct lineage and arrived later than Ford’s 1925 U.S. pickup.

To understand how historians determine the “first” pickup, consider the commonly used criteria below.

• Factory-assembled: Sold by the automaker as a complete vehicle, not as a chassis awaiting a body.
• Light-duty focus: Built for everyday hauling rather than heavy commercial or industrial use.
• Open cargo bed: A separate, external box behind the passenger compartment.
• Mass-produced and marketed as such: Recognized by the manufacturer and customers as a distinct pickup model.

Taken together, these benchmarks explain why the 1925 Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body is recognized as the first true, factory-built pickup, despite earlier trucks and widespread aftermarket conversions.

Milestones on the road to the pickup

A brief timeline helps place the 1925 Ford in context and shows how the category emerged from earlier truck and body-building practices.

1. 1896: Early motor trucks appear in Europe (e.g., Daimler’s pioneering designs), establishing the idea of powered goods transport.
2. 1900s–1910s: U.S. coachbuilders fit cargo boxes to passenger cars for light hauling; “pickup” functionality exists, but via conversion.
3. 1917: Ford introduces the Model TT, a one-ton truck chassis commonly bodied by third parties—important, but not a factory pickup.
4. Early 1920s: Aftermarket suppliers standardize steel cargo beds for car-based haulers, increasing demand for a factory solution.
5. 1925: Ford launches the Model T Runabout with Pickup Body, the first mass-produced, factory-assembled pickup truck.
6. 1930s: Other automakers follow with their own factory pickups; in Australia, the 1934 Ford “ute” debuts as a distinct body style.

This progression shows how the pickup matured from improvisation and chassis sales into a fully realized vehicle class pioneered in showrooms by Ford in 1925.

Common misconceptions

Several oft-repeated claims can blur the historical picture. Here are the most frequent—and how they differ from the recognized first factory pickup.

• “The Model TT (1917) was the first pickup.” The TT was a truck chassis; most were bodied by outside firms. It laid groundwork but wasn’t sold as a complete pickup.
• “Aftermarket Model T conversions count as the first.” Conversions predate 1925 but were not factory-built pickups.
• “Australia’s 1934 ute was first.” It was groundbreaking for the coupe-utility style, but arrived nearly a decade after Ford’s 1925 U.S. pickup and is a different vehicle type.

These vehicles were important steps, yet they don’t meet the factory-built, complete-vehicle standard that defines the first pickup.

Legacy and impact

By pairing a familiar passenger-car platform with a practical cargo bed, Ford’s 1925 Model T pickup demonstrated pent-up demand for a versatile, affordable hauler. It quickly inspired competitors, anchored a new product category, and set design cues—separate cab and box, light-duty utility—that continue to define pickups a century later.

Summary

The first factory-built pickup truck was the 1925 Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body. Earlier trucks and aftermarket conversions paved the way, but Ford’s 1925 model was the first mass-produced, fully assembled light-duty vehicle with an integrated open bed sold directly by a major automaker—establishing the pickup as a distinct and enduring automotive class.

What came first, Dodge or Chevy?

The Ford Motor Company was the first brand as it was founded in 1903 by the very famous Henry Ford. Eight years later, Louis Chevrolet and William Durant started Chevrolet in 1911 and three years later in 1914 the Dodge brothers, Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge, founded the “Dodge Brothers” brand.

Did Ford or Chevy make the first truck?

The first American truck ever made was the Ford Model TT, which rocked a chassis designed to support heavier loads. The Ford Model TT rolled out in 1917, less than a decade after the creation of the original Ford Model T in 1908.

What was the first pickup truck?

The Ford Model T Runabout with a pickup body, introduced in 1925, is widely considered the first factory-built pickup truck. Before this, buyers had to buy car chassis and have third-party fabricators install a customized bed, making the 1925 Model T revolutionary for offering a complete, factory-assembled pickup. 
Key Details of the 1925 Ford Model T Pickup:

• What it was: Based on the existing Model T car, Ford added a factory-integrated pickup body to create a functional vehicle for farming and business use. 
• Its significance: It was the first time a buyer could purchase a fully assembled pickup truck directly from a manufacturer, setting the standard for future designs. 
• Impact: This affordable and versatile vehicle quickly gained popularity, especially with farmers and small business owners. 
• Origin of the name: The term “pickup” is derived from the original Model T, which required buyers to “pick up” a customized truck bed kit from a depot to attach to their car’s rear, according to Facebook users. 

Who built the first American truck?

There wasn’t a single “first truck” in America, as trucks evolved from different origins, but key milestones include Autocar building the first commercially available motor truck in the U.S. in 1899, GMC and Ford producing factory-made trucks starting around 1900-1917, and Henry Ford introducing the first factory-built pickup in 1925.
 
The First American Commercial Truck 

• Autocar: is considered the first American brand to make a commercially available truck, producing its first commercial truck in 1899.

The First Factory-Made Trucks

• GMC . Opens in new tabbegan producing commercial trucks in 1900 with the “Rapid,” making them the first commercial truck operation in Detroit, according to the Smithsonian Magazine. 
• Henry Ford . Opens in new tabintroduced his first dedicated truck chassis, the Model TT, in 1917, to cater to the growing demand for heavier-duty vehicles. 

The First American “Pickup” Truck 

• Henry Ford: also introduced the first American factory-built pickup truck in 1925. This Model T Roadster with a pickup body was created in response to farmers and others who were already modifying the Model T for carrying cargo.