If you’re on the lookout for utility over everything, you’ll want to see this list featuring the five most versatile tailgates on modern pickups.
This year marks one full century since the first factory-assembled pickup truck debuted: the 1925 Ford Model T «Runabout.» Even back then, the Model T featured an adjustable tailgate as well as pockets in its bed for inserting stakes to secure bigger cargo. In the subsequent century, not much changed in tailgate technology, as most pickups featured tailgates that dropped straight down to form a level surface with the bed floor.
However, tailgates have changed 100 years later, beginning with innovations like the Ford F-series’ removable tailgates in the 1980s, which unfortunately made them vulnerable to thieves until Ford added a locking mechanism. By the twenty-first century, an increasingly competitive pickup truck market led to further innovations, and today, pickup buyers are spoiled for choice.
From basic tailgates that open to different heights to ones designed to make life easier when towing trailers or campers, there are tailgates for nearly every trucking task. Domestic manufacturers have really upped their tailgate game, but as we’ll see, a foreign truck maker started the modern era of specialized tailgates.Honda Ridgeline
Honda made its first foray into the pickup segment when it introduced the Ridgeline in 2006, and right from the start, the company displayed its signature innovativeness in the Ridgeline’s tailgate design. At this point, standard truck tailgates swung straight down 90 degrees. The Ridgeline’s rear gate could do that, of course, but it could also swing open to the side like a fence gate. Honda calls it the Dual-Action Tailgate, and it provides easy access to the trunk.
That’s right, the Ridgeline has a lockable trunk underneath the floor of its cargo bed. Honda calls it the In-Bed Trunk, and in the 2025 model, it offers 7.3 cubic feet of storage space for everything from groceries to gear. It even has a drain plug, so it can be used as an ice cooler or for storing wet gear after your adventures.
The Ridgeline’s trick tailgate also provides access to its lay-flat bed, which lacks wheel well intrusions to make it easier to load cargo like 4-by-8 sheets of plywood. The bed is lined with scratch-resistant composite right up to the tailgate, so buying a bed liner is unnecessary. The tailgate also gives access to a power outlet.Ford Maverick
The Ford Maverick is one of the cheapest trucks you can buy in 2025, and it’s not surprising that its trick tailgate is one of the simplest.
