Pickup Trucks - Truck Body Styles Explained

Terms Used to Describe Pickup Trucks

2007 Toyota Tundra. © Dale Wickell
By
Dale Wickell
Dale Wickell
Dale Wickell is an automotive expert who has worked in the industry for more than four decades. He currently works for LeMay - America's Car Museum.
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Updated on 05/24/19

Most auto manufacturers call their traditional truck body -- with front seats and not much space behind them -- a Regular Cab. From there, terminology veers off, with each automaker choosing a name to describe its varied truck bodies.

Pickup trucks with four doors and rear passenger seats:

  • Crew Cab (Chevy, GMC, Nissan)
  • Quad Cab (Dodge)
  • Double Cab (Toyota)
  • SuperCrew (Ford)
  • CrewMax (newest generation Toyota Tundra)

Pickup trucks with space behind the seats and more limited second row seating:

  • Extended Cab (Chevy, GMC)
  • King Cab (Nissan)
  • XtraCab (Toyota)
  • Access Cab (Toyota, with rear doors)
  • SuperCab (Ford)
  • SE Cab Plus (Mazda)
  • Club Cab (Dodge Dakota)

The naming system for individual models gets more complicated and changes fairly often as new trucks are introduced. You'll also see terms such as SE, LE, XLT -- and endless others -- used to describe options packages and trim levels.

More About Truck Terms

Pictures of Truck Box Styles