Why There Are So Few Pickup Trucks In Europe - Cheddar Examines
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- The pickup truck has become a symbol of Americana. In fact, the Ford F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the United States for the past 40 years. But across the pond, you wont see a pickup truck enter the top 10 best selling vehicles. So why didn't Europeans pickup the pickup craze?
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First time I went to America (Texas): Wow. Everyone's a farmer here.
The answer is pretty complex. How many pickup trucks do you find in the city? Not nearly as many SUVs, cars, or cargo vans. Because other vehicles serve their purposes better.
Why do I own a large truck? I haul trash. I haul soil. I haul mulch. I haul building supplies. I've even hauled queen size beds. I pretty much haul everything in my truck that the wife has absolutely no desire hauling in her small SUV. Even grocery pickup is more convenient in the truck than it is the SUV.
So if I'm doing all of this in a truck? How is it Europeans aren't? Because they found ways around this using other vehicles. Instead of hauling their trash, they either have somebody pick it up or they burn it. You need supplies for the home remodel? You either get somebody to deliver it for you or you get it in pre-package small units you can put in your car. You need to move? You got every family and friend helping you in Europe. Me, I just load up the truck and make 1/3 the trips.
The irony though is although you won't see the fancy North American trucks in these more rural areas. Their options are more practical and smaller.
But you know what? If you are in a European style car and you roll up on a vehicle accident can you do anything the help other than make a phone call? Probably not because your vehicle is designed to carry people and not much else. Me on the other hand? If your car is on fire I have a fire extinguisher in the truck. You need to fix something? I might have the tool(s) you need. A tree fall down blocking your path? I do have an axe. You get stuck in the mud? I have a shovel and pull straps. You lost in the middle of no where? I have signal flares and even road flares. All have all of this and more inside my truck and still have room for four full size adults to ride. And this is just the stuff in my truck. It doesn't even count whatever I might have in the bed. So while some European driving some Mini Cooper is filming an accident with their cell phone, I can actually used what is in my truck to help in the rescue.
Say what you will about Americans and their trucks, but at the end of the day I can drop the tail gate on my truck, pull out a sleeping bag, and go to sleep in the truck bed. Can you say that about your car?
@@superdave8248 Yeah but you actually use your truck for hauling, the vast majority of truck owners could do everything they need with a van or even an estate car. Consider a person buying a large truck in Europe compared to a normal car, it would:
- Burn 2x the fuel which remember costs twice as much here.
- Higher emmissions, Europe is has higher taxes on that kind of thing.
- Cause uneccessary congestion on the typically narrower roads as other road users have to pull to the side to let the truck through.
- If it crashes into a smaller hatchback, it would be more likely to kill the occupants of said hatchback in certain scenarios instead of just two broken cars.
- Less responsive and greater breaking distance due to weight, on busy motorways this will cause more of these crashes.
- Good luck finding anywhere to park in the city with something that large.
- Can't drive through a dodgy area with a bed full of tools without them getting pinched by youths on mopeds.
- Get taken the micky of by everyone's daughter's neighbour's cat for compensating.
On to your other points, if you roll up to an accident you should call the professionals - I know the police have a pretty bad rep in the USA, so you probs don't trust the fire brigade also. In europe taxes are higher, which means better public services - nobody needs to play the hero beacuse the services are much better at responding to these kind of incidents.
Since when do people ever drive in mud with a normal car? You won't have to pull any1 out.
Tree blocking the road? GPS probs already knows about it and has sent you another way. Even with an axe it'll still take plenty of time to chop it down enough to pass - in that time you could have just found another route. Though a normal car could also fit an axe the boot no prob.
Signal flares and tools? Well you can fit those in a car too but why would you carry around extra things with you the fire or breakdown service will already have? If someone is broken down - not your problem the services will be with them swiftly.
Say what you like about Europeans and their cars, but at the end of the day I can put the rear seats down in my small hatchback and lie flat to sleep and even have roof over my head too ;)
@@sethcoode6456 I will say as far as flares and stuff depending on where you live in the U.S. its a good idea in theory people are trained to help but helping them help you just makes the whole world a little easier
@@superdave8248 can we say the same? No. But when was the time anyone else than a murrican needed any of the things you hold so dear?
Yeaah I hold a ton of shite in my big ass fat truck just in case something improbable happens. And I lik' so much to pay for the extra gas is costs. And the 'vironment? Hah hippie stuff. Murrica yeah!
@@sethcoode6456 Remember that there are large stretches of highly, where you can go dozens of km without any towns with over 1,000 people, or in extreme circumstances, even over a hundred km w/o anything but a gas/petrol station or two. Emergency services on highways are not always, in fact rarely, able to get out quickly, and tow trucks take even longer. That being said, I can easily fit all that emergency equipment in a glovebox, and in fact I fit that, a toolbox, air compressor and petrol can with half the trunk/boot + empty rear seats in a Mk 1 Focus Wagon/Estate. The larger vehicles are necessary to haul large loads as well as large crews: many are used to haul trailers, such as livestock, campers, tractors, etc. They make sense here, but wouldn't in Europe.
Are we not going to mention that in Europe most things hauled by small businesses and light industry are done so in vans? Personally I see the Van as Europe's equivalent of the pickup with a body style for any role from Tipper bed to High roof Panel to small bus.
Even on a personal level, higher level vans like the VW crafter crewcab are used as family vehicles by some.
Exactly, either vans or station wagons. The latter being a body style that is all but dead in the US. ua-cam.com/video/euPi2qIOHYo/v-deo.html
No mention of vans even when they show a street in London and its full of vans.
In Germany, a lot of market vendors use old diesel Mercedes sedans to pull trailers.
People rarely use vans as personal transportation, not very practical. Maybe someone with his own business but no family might have it as it's only vehicle.
They are almost exclusivly business vehicles.
But yeah, they are the working mans vehicle. They are everywhere.
People drive people cariers he. Ford cmax and vw touran. That kind of suff.
And lots and lots of small hatchbacks.
Also arent vans literally just better pickups with a roof? There is no drawbacks to pickups as far as i can see.
Hum why would a vehicle that is enormous, uses lots of fuel and can't go around corners not do so well in a region of the world where parking spaces are small, streets are narrow, roads are full of curves and gasoline costs 7USD/gal? I wonder...
In truth it would be hard to find a means of personal transportation less practical in Europe than an American pick up truck.
Please use Only Metric system, americans should have to adapt to the rest of the world. Not the opposite
@@slavianalbanovich9025 silence, we use freedom units here
@@jamesrosewell9081 *obsolete units
@@jamesrosewell9081 A found a fellow wise American who uses the freedom units as well , I tip my hat to you sir
@@slavianalbanovich9025 yes let me use your *monarch overlord units... she's German by the way....
I feel like that video kinda missed the biggest reason: pickup are just kinda useless in Europe.
Most people just need a car to commute to work. Plus Europe is more densely packed so most people live in cities and don't drive long distance on a regular basis. You just rent something for the few times you have to move something big.
I think with all the reasons mentioned in the vid, the uselessness of a pick up in Europe is sort of implied.
This may seem like something negative but I’m genuinely curious, what do Europeans do for fun? Like do you guys go camping, fishing, amusement parks. I was gonna say do you go jet skiing but i forgot that most people don’t have trucks to haul jet skis or boats. Also I know it depends what part of Europe but still I’m curious
@@Sub4CarClips sure, we do all of that, but for like 20-30days/year of vacation why should I get a pickuptruck? the rest of 330 something days, I am stuck with a big, and costly vehicle.
@@Sub4CarClips I would say mostly the same things when it comes to indoors activities.
And it's not that different for outdoor activities, personally I know quite a few people who like to go fishing, camping, biking,... I think hunting is less common tho.
Jet skiing definitely is rather uncommon where I live (northern France) but a lot of people living near water do have a small boat, they just use a special trailer to transport it.
Overall I don't think the kind of activities people do is that different, but since Europe is more densely packed and overall more regulated, the activities themselves are less "wild", if that makes any sense. For example, people camp in designated camping lot not in the wood (I'm pretty sure it's illegal where I live).
@@cycologist7069 True, they do kind of implies it. But it also feels like there's trying to avoid saying it.
All the reasons they gave are good but also not that important. For example the price of fuel is part of why pickup are so rare in Europe but it also not that important because people usually don't really worry about the added cost of something they don't need in the first place.
Reasons it didn't take off in europe:
- Noone needs one
- good luck parking here
- wayyyyy to big
- it just swallows fuel
I see a few here and there, mostly by people who need to carry lots of stuff in the back, tow and go on rougher terrain where a van might not be able to go. Newer ones don't really use much more fuel than a van or SUV,
@@zombiefighterof1987 that might be true for the ecoboost versions of Ford (inline 4 oder v6) , but I can't imagine they offer v8s with a consumption anywhere competitive to European standards.
@@zombiefighterof1987 i had a new one in america and i could have driven 3 Times the distance with my c class. The fuel consumption is a bad joke and they are fucking horrible for the environment
I see some equestrians using them, but if you don’t actually work that vernickle properly it should be a crime with what it does to the environment :(
Safety
Me, European:
The size of the roads
The size of the roads
The size of the roads
The size of the roads
The size of the roads
Cheddar 5 mins in:Well, if you look at this...
Me:FINALLY!
Some roads in rural England and Cornwall arent even wide enough for a hatchback.
If there was a demand for them, they could easily make something designed to fit the roads. Why are there so few kei cars outside Japan?
@@S2Tubes *Points at the Daihatsu Sirion/Perodua Myvi outside of Japan. Doesn't have the same engine displacement restrictions, but shares the same dimensions.
Never mind that the US is pretty much alone with their large lane/parking building sizes. I measured a standard F150 against parking space standards in my country, yeah this owner is going to need commercial truck parking or VIP parking everywhere the thing goes. Never mind entering a building structure would be loads of fun.
Gotta fill the 10 minutes somehow. But there were some interesting points made.
Many of our cities, towns and roads, are centuries older than the United States of America. They were not built with pick-ups in mind.
Also, as European I can say they in my and my friends views pickups are literally useless, because if you need to haul things around - a cargo van will be much more practical, easier and safer to use than any pickup.
Easy to say for city birds
@@Frum5 well, US population that is not in big cities compared to European will be so much bigger. There is more than 16’000 towns in US with population less than 10’000, and even more with less than 100’000. So, they will chose pickups because of their life style.
but they arent unless you only move small things around. You can fit things on a truck that will never fit in a van just due to dimensions alone. With a van, you are limited to door size. If it doesnt fit through the door, its not going. There are box trucks, but those are bigger than pickups. You can use a trailer, but those arent always practical depending on where you are. Pickups are just more versatile in the US.
@@sonorangaming4450 only because they're massive in the US. Most vans you buy have more storage space than a utility vehicle, and have doors as wide as the interior.
There is a benefit to utility vehicles over vans, and that is multiple angles of access. You can reach the tray from most directions, so for craftspeople with a variety of tools and equipment this can be helpful, but you do lose some space and security.
Yeah, leave anything in a open top pickup and it'll just get nicked.
There's also the vehicle weight rules that come into play. Most of Europe has a regular car license 3,5 tonne limit on vehicles, including what is being towed. This means that a big heavy truck that might technically be able to tow a lot, isn't allowed to if it's registered as a "car". If it's registered as a heavy truck, you can't drive over 90km/h and most people aren't allowed to drive it because they don't have a heavy truck driving license.
@@Emily-ou6lq most people don’t have BE license either
We have the (x2) rule in Poland. Load 7.5t into 3.5t vans, 15/20t into 7.5t light trucks and so forth 😁😂
Sad
B is for cars and the E is for towing trailers C1 is the light truck and C is for "semi" trucks. Then you have C1E or CE
tolls are 2x price for heavy vehicles some places in europe too.
I feel like a lot of people who have a truck in America don't actually need them.
You would be correct lol
Yep!
Add SUV to that list.
Exactly, the only people with pickup trucks I see in the uk are people who use them for work, farming a traders etc
Same here in Brazil. It's nearly always for the shows. (But here they have the utility of standing our poorly kept roads with their high suspensions.)
Perhaps it's unpopular because you can't park them anywhere lol. They're fkn huge. Our parking lots aren't big enough
Yes sadly cheddar dont mentioned this importend point
@@ottonormalverbraucher7835 tbf i think it comes into the general lane size comment
American Car Proportions are a bit off. What we in Europe consider huge, they consider "mid size".
Examples:
- Audi Q7
- F150
- BMW X5
- VW Touareg
and ugly
Here in Mexico you see big cars like Suburbans and full size pickups driving on narrow streets and roads.
Even down here in Oz where the roads are wide & go on forever, you'll very rarely see one of these American style "trucks".
Just a normal Ute, either Holden, Ford or Japanese is enough to get the job done. If you do see one, it's normally in a city driven by a tool that has no use for it.
I wish we had utes in America
If only we could get our hands on utes. I like the older smaller pickups so that's what I buy. I still wish we could get the diesel utes yall have. The pickups here got huge because of the emissions laws here. They're based on a vehicle's weight.
Starting to see them around unfortunately. An absolute eyesore on the roads too imo…
Black Ute.
ua-cam.com/video/whoAXWlbUSg/v-deo.html
I'd kill for an LC70...
Probably the fuel prices alone would prevent ppl buying them.
Not really new trucks aren't much worse on gas than v6 suvs or large sedans. Maybe 10-15% worse or so
04:08 "If you follow French politics..."
*Shows yellow vests in Rotterdam*
Daan Willemsen bruh fr tho
For Cheddar Europe consists of France and Denmark.
Oof.
"Meh...France...Nederlands, same culture/thing.🤷🏻♂️
Came here for this!
Rotterdam is the one of the best cities in Europe 🤷🏼♂️
36 gallons is equivalent to 136 liters for those wondering
That's a $230.92 tank of fuel in the Netherlands for those wondering.
My C1 has a 35 litre tank and costs over €40 to fill up. Pick-up trucks are just vanity.
It's 136 liters to the US gallon. For imperial gallons, it's 163.
@@Ikbeneengeit How is it vanity when I use it to haul rock often?
@@Ikbeneengeit no it's not I use my truck to haul my rzr and I use it for work where I live everyone has one and actually uses it
In those days I think one should drive a car that fills his needs, but takes up as little resources as possible. Most people driving Pickups don't need this big slab of metal
Arguably, most people in large parts of Europe don't really need cars at all for day-to-day activities, considering that 3/4 of us live in urban areas, meaning that we travel short distances on a daily basis, and typically have developed public transport networks nearby.
I own a European pickup here in America. It is smaller than most pickups, but so much more functional. It is the Volkswagen Double Cab Pickup or Volkswagen Crew Cab, and it was made in 1968. Because of tariffs that were introduced in the 60s, this vehicle had very limited sales in America and now these trucks are rather rare. For example my model was only imported from 1968-1970 and all sales halted after 1970 to America even though in Europe this design went from 68 to 1979. We call this Tariff the Chicken Tax which halted European commercial vehicle sales to America and to me it explains why America had to come up with their own solution since we couldn't import them. This also meant no European competition and it allowed us to evolve our own "taste" in pickups. It is the same reason the xbox was not successful in Japan. It doesn't appeal because it was created for a different culture and different audience.
Simple answer- Europe uses vans
100% correct, for example in the UK you see vans ALL the time, but pick-up trucks almost never, and those you do see are either VW Amaroks (typically with the rear cover on, so it is basically just used as a family SUV) OR maintenance vehicles (also typically with the rear cover on).
Thanks
Never liked Vans, I am more of a Converse girl. 🤷🏻♀️ 👟
Sweetasthesun ew converse < vans
Vans < pick ups
"Small hatchbacks like the Golf"
Wait till they hear about the Polo and Up!
And realize that the today's Polo is about the size of Golf that were built in the 80s.
Haha, thought the same. Golfs are pretty big!
The polo is the most popular one in my country.
@@stefangrobbink7760 in india too
And the smart is a thing.
3 years later and I sadly have to mention that I'm starting to see more pickups, but unsure how many of those are actually for small time businesses owners.
I'd like to point out that fuel efficient, mid size diesel pick ups have always been rather popular in Europe's more agrarian southern economies, where they're actually necessary for hauling, and where people tend to own relatively small plots of land they till even if they live in the cities most of the year. Greece and southern Italy come to mind. I live in Crete and it's never been particularly uncommon to see a Nissan, a Hillux or more recently the Ranger and the new VW pickup.
Mid-size diesel trucks are phenomenal daily drivers! Anywhere in the world really.
I wish we could have practical compact and mid size diesel pickups here in the states. Mahindra tried to crack the U.S. market years ago ,but was stopped by the big 3 auto mafia here in the port of Houston. Americas market has been hijacked by the big auto who has declared war against efficient diesel pickups. Instead we have overkill insanity pavement queens who are not using trucks as they aren intended. Help us!!! Farmers could use efficient diesel pickups that can run on biodiesel and soy, but we are being bullied by big oilmen.
If you drive a large pickup truck in Europe, people will assume you're compensating for something.
Same here in the US, unless it’s actually necessary for their job or lifestyle.
@@MoPoppins ok, so we have some similarities, good 😅
That's sort of true everywhere. Truck owners in the US just don't care (or they actually are compensating).
qwertyuiopzxcfgh facts like short guys
Or that you are just an asshole. I once had to wait 5 minutes because a idiot was blocking an entire road with a pickup
"You'll rarely see a citizen of Denmark driving a pickup truck"
You'll rarely see a citizen of Denmark driving.
True
88% of the population has a driver's license, the same as the US, and outside the capital, a lot of people drive daily...
false
I've worked a few months in Kopenhagen and most of the Danish colleagues came to the office in a bike or a "bullet bike", doing 20km for some of them. In November haha.
In Belgium we are also bike addicts (especially in the North) but during the winter, less people use their bikes
People don't use cars? In gas guzzling 'Murica, everyone is forced to use a car.
Quite the gas price I’d like to go back to. Missing $2.40 now
Seeing this video reminds me of that one skit on the Grand Tour that speaks volumes
"In Britain if you pull up to a set of traffic lights with your cement mixer and chainsaw in the back, they will be stolen"
"Anything left open in Britain is like nuts at a party, you just help yourself. So why doesn't that happen here?"
"Because they shoot them here."
Title: Why there are so few pick up trucks in Europe
*Uses gallons and miles*
Oh so now we have to convert and calculate too
tbf the video is made for an american audience so ...
Uk uses gallon and Miles. So we understand both systems 😁
@@-spudman2.054 I thought the UK Gallon and the US Gallon are different.
Units are fine for me
@@Merigold83 And we buy petrol by the litre!
While pickups are rare in the U.K, those who do need / want one typically go for Japanese models famed for their reliability and usually more sensibly sized for U.K. roads.
Like the Nissan Navara you see a lot them in the road considering we don’t have many pickups but it is vans that you see a lot of
Alot of pickups in the UK but most in rural areas for commercial users like farmers and builders. They have replaced Land Rover Defenders. You can claim VAT back on a double cab. Mostly Isuzu/Toyota. Some Fords but they are smaller and have a bad reputation for engine failures and they are made in South Africa
@@JesterEric Yh
1.9 liter Isuzus are quite popular in Belgium they belong to a different tax class than normal cars what makes it cheaper
in the US you see farmers towing farm trailers with pickups. You rarely see large ag tractors running down the road on tow. Something commonly done in the UK.
Even tractors here lack the pick up hitchs.
On a normal license, you Can only go up to 3500kg, trailer included.
With a extended license your car and trailer can go up to 3500 each, so the limit is 7000kg.
That is why, the small Japanese pickup is popular, it can load the most, within your license.
Now I know that pickup trucks towing trailers that are longer than the pickup truck isn’t normal
I got a pickup truck ad on this video, very neat 😂
Cheddar: “if you know about the yellow vests in france”
Also Cheddar: *shows Rotterdam, The Netherlands*
I mean, its all the same to Americans.
They think Europe is a country...
@@drpepper3838 We're not that stupid
@@drpepper3838 no we just done give a shit about you guys in the slightest
@@anthonycmiller you cared enough to reply
VAT (Value Added Tax) is not an import tax, it is more like a sales tax, but it works a little differently. It is paid on a vehicle (as well as most other items) whether imported or not.
Okay Oliver
The fact checking on this channel has been dwindling for a while.
And it can actually be higher than 22%. For instance, in Sweden it’s 25%.
Vat. Well I mean is the USA they also got sales tax and import too so I vat does effect it also i think it's because the streets are more narrow and other factors too also the vat too is included so yeah a combination.
The tax section was basically nonsense.
1 gallon of 95 in the US : $3.51
1 gallon of 95 in France : $6.66
The end.
95 octane is pretty uncommon throughout most of the U.S. I live in the Midwest and fuel up with 87 (in my older vehicles) for $2.75 a gallon. It was less than $2.00 per gallon at one point last year lol.
@@jman6970 it's a little bit complicated because we don't use the same method of calculating octane levels... Our European 95 is the equivalent of something between your midgrade 89 and premium 91 (would be something like 90 for you), that's the one I'm talking about. Our 98 is slightly superior to the premium 91 (it would actually be 93 using your method). And your regular 87 has no equivalent here. Diesel is still also widely popular, especially in France where the taxes have historically been pretty low in order to preserve French car manufacturers interest, that have been investing a lot of money developing diesel engines for a pretty long time...
@@trollenz Did not know that, thanks for the insight!
I wasn’t happy about the ~30% fuel price increase over last year, especially as a business owner. Your example really puts things into perspective. I can’t imagine paying $6.66 per gallon.
I also own a diesel F-350. If/when our oil prices start looking like yours do now, I’ll probably have to go electric and put in an order for a Cybertruck. 😂
@@jman6970 well in that case, another thing to put into perspective, the distances... From San Francisco to Salt Lake City you'd have crossed the whole country of France from north to south already...
The cars we're using are not the same as well, mine has a 1.9L diesel engine and consumption is about 50 miles a gallon on a highway, I've seen figures for a 6.7L F-350 that talk about 20 miles a gallon... So even with much higher gas prices...
It's another way of life I guess, with the roads here, small distances, very densely populated areas, not a lot of unpaved roads... I don't really see here the necessity of having such a monster.
If course, with huge distances, larges properties with unpaved roads, my car wouldn't last a month, lol
And yeah, here as well the gas prices went pretty low because of the pandemic (just when we couldn't travel anyway) but now prices have sky rocketed back to where they were before and are still rising like crazy... It's looking pretty dark and it sucks.
Because Europeans are used to higher quality standards, I once drive a f-150, it felt like plastic from Fisher price.
Guess you haven't drove one in a while because my dad's high country and my brothers raptor drive as smooth as glass on and off the road
"Higher quality standards" - Meanwhile, in Europe, we have Renault, Citroën, Dacia, most sub-30K euros models from german brands... which are looking and feeling cheap, are way overpriced for what you get, and are underpowered thanks to the undersized engines.
@@jpjeep7970 still built better than most cheap American fords, christlers and chevys
"If you've followed anything about French poltics ...."
4:11
Zooms in to Rotterdam, the Netherlands
lol
They are all Arabs at the end of the day. so who cares.
This video is garbage. It is full of inaccurate info.
France Netherlands Close enough
To be fair, these cars are relatively common in the nearby Westland. I lived there. Nothing like a big-ass truck taking up the side walk and half the street in the village center near the supermarket.
I once saw american tourists with a pickup in Paris. It was so weird cause they seem so out of place. Parking my Clio is hard enough lmao.
yeah, parking a smart car can even be hard never mind a 2 lane wide monster of a pickup.
If it was US registered, take it into a heavy fog, it'll get rammed. (No rear fog, triangle, vest - alien concepts to our American friends).
@@jeremyh.pritchard5325 not if you were American solider who lived in Europe or a big fan boy of European cars/culture.
The pickup probably belonged a military person stationed in Europe.
I think there are many reasons. One is that vans are more practical in europe and nobody cares about the said offroad capabilities of pickup trucks. Another one is trailers. Most people don't need a pickup truck or even a van because they have a small trailer. Or they can rent a trailer super cheaply. Or if you are a farmer you can just use your tractor and a trailer. Or rent a van. Also american big pickups are so heavy that you'd need a truck driving license to drive them. The limit is 3.5tons which is 7700lbs, loaded, as stated in the car registration papers.
Granted, the pickup can of course haul more stuff than you can with a small trailer but the distances being shorter in europe also means you can do couple of trips if you can't get it done in one go. If you hunt you can use a trailer. Or just use a tarp and put it in the van. Or use a quad bike because forest roads are not meant for big pickup trucks. Even some things like long ladders. You can put on the roof of the van or just get a ladder that is as tall but goes into smaller space. If you need to transport sand or gravel get a trailer or use a van and some tarp.
A pickup truck is a rugged vehicle, a work horse. The cost of it does not reflect that in europe. Buying a big pickup truck and hauling junk in it in dirt is a bit like buying a limo to haul pigs. Puckups are like twice as expensive in europe which makes them more sensible for work vehicle in america.
There is also the image of the trucks. There is no sub culture of pickup trucks in europe. Even people who are into american cars are more into the big land yachts and other sportier cars. A pickup truck is a curiosity at best. Owning one doesn't mean anything more than owning a really big car. It doesn't show others what kind of image you want to portray, it doesn't tell others what you do for living or where you live.
And lastly pickup trucks have pretty poor handling and drive comfort. The suspension and live axles on a pickup are not a good ride. Which is fine if you drive on really bad road or smooth long straight roads. European roads tend to be smaller, twistier and more driving is done over much shorter distances with more stops than in america. I can see a pickup truck making a lot of sense in american context. But if I was in a situation where I'd need to haul big things on daily basis I'd get a van. And I didn't even mention the size of parking spots.
Can't believe this is a 10 minute video explaining that pickup trucks are big.
"Which one do you think is in Europe and which one is in the United States"
*left one has obvious US flag showing*
and the other video was driving on the other side of the road lol
Also has American style licenses plates
And if you've spent any time in London you'll recognise Ludgate Hill approach to St Pauls
European city folks just don't mistake themselves for farmers
I don't see anything wrong with that
@A M You are embarrassing yourself.
.. But are arrogant.
Be sure most european commentarors spew pure arrogance.
@A M Europeans experience a safer living with less economical stress, and we still manage to rank higher on the freedom index than the US.
Even Lithuania does better than the US in that regard, and they're basically the Mexico of europe..
Also literally every time I go home from school, I see a lonely Ford F-250 pick up truck, it’s the only Ford F-250 I’ve ever seen in Belgium
this really shocked me, i’m from the UK and i had no idea pickup trucks were so rare here. my dad drives a pickup truck, my friends dad drives a pickup truck, my uncle used to drive a pickup truck and a lot of my parents friends drive pickup trucks lol
It might be smaller than what most Americans assume, such as F150.
4:10 "If you followed French politics..."
*shows Rotterdam*
To be fair,Rotterdam was once french,when Charlemagne ruled but still it was frankish or when it was the Batavian Republic.
Nothing to be fair about here. They probably just did poor research, googled „yellow vest protest“, took the first few images that came up and didn‘t bother to look into it any further.
Alexandru B Calling Charlemagne or Karel de Grote French (or German for that fact) is a stretch. He was a Frank which means he’s neither but there are similarities
@@yesn95 Karl der Große.
@Alexandru B Also, saying Rotterdam was once french is like saying Bordeaux was once German, which is technically true for WW2, but is just absolute bullshit.
We should still credit them for at least attempting to do research about things that happen outside of the US. I mean that is indeed a rare occurrence
If a European has to bring a lot of stuff often, he gets a van. Keeps the stuff dry and clean and little more difficult to steal.
Farmers can generally also afford to have both a tractor and a car.
Try taking one of these into an urban underground carpark in Europe lol. Legit would not fit in half of them.
Great Information! Thank You😶
this video has so much "why aren't those curious europeans exactly like us" energy, it's hilarious
And yet millions of perpetually-empty-bed pickup truck drivers won't watch it and maybe get a reality check. I don't know which is more staggering.
That’s sounds similar to the Europe’s, it’s not European so it must be worse. Also, we’re not taking this loss of hegemony so well.
Watching europeans get butthurt because "grrr why arent americans like us?!?!?!" Day 239
Projecting much, look in the mirror. North America is a huge place with tons of space, wide open roads, and it’s painful to travel great distances in a Panda.
@@humer1971 No it's not. I drive a panda and it's a great car for driving 700km trips non stop.
I waited for the work aspect of the whole pick up thing. Because we don't have pickups doesn't mean we don't have to haul stuff. We have midsize flatbed trucks with often a Diesel engine putting out about 70 to 150 horse power. In Germany we call the flatbed itself and the whole cars: "Pritsche". Common manufacturers are Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Fiat (Iveco) etc. We also have big vans called "Sprinters" or "Sprinter class" named after the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicle. Both of these are more fuel efficient and have more usable space than any pick up truck.
Basically, they forgot to mention how we have loads and loads of vans!
NA NA Surprisingly well. The weight tends to be right over the drive axles, and with the right van and tyres you’ll rarely get stuck. But if you really need to go off-roading, some manufacturers produce 4wd vans with all the capabilities of a proper off-roader, but with added carrying capacity. Look up the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4.
I'm in the US honestly I wish small diesel trucks were available without special order
Michael Schofield Ford ranger
I worked for a contractor who had a Sprinter, it was SO much nicer than working out of a pickup truck.
In Europe you also don’t need a pickup or other large car to haul, even a small VW Golf is permitted to haul 800kg of freight, while in the US a Golf isn’t allowed to haul at all.
I feel that the question "Why are there so many pickup trucks in USA?" would be the real question to answer. What do they like about it? What do they put at the back when they are regular people who don't do any farming work? Why not use the space to have a rear seat instead, and make it a car or minivan that would be more suitable for a family? These are the real questions (I'm from Europe you can guess).
Because they like the loud noise and feeling like they're intimidating tough men. Ads manipulated them and they're too stupid to comprehend exhaust causes brain damage
@@anonanon1879Pickup trucks are popular because v8 engines are known to be significantly more reliable than a vast majority of the smaller engines sold here. I have an 03 silverado with 330,000 miles. Everyone I know buys small cars and aside from some Toyotas they have all had issues while my 03 silverado continues to take me from point a to point b year after year. Just because someone with a pickup punked you and made you feel insecure doesn't mean we are all like that.😂
They are also seen as impractical compared to vans. Vans like VW Transporter can do anything pickup can, but cargo/equipment is inside - safe from weather (and people). You can reconfigure it inside and have more storage or higher passenger capacity or even make a camper out of it. Only downside is off-roading and that's not really that important in Europe.
And most americans would never risk their $70k truck off-road anyway.
...can do anything pickup can... oh really? You can get a front end loader to dump 2000 lbs of sand or rock into the back of the van? You gonna haul a bloody deer, elk, or antelope corpse in the back of the van?
@@josephmiller4122 You are underestimating how versatile vans are. If need be, you can have VW transporter with bed. So the answer for your "sand or rock" question - absolutely. One-off even in normal cargo van, if the purpouse of the van is more specialized, then it is apropriatelly equipped. As for "bloody deer or elk" - that falls under off-road category. But more importantly noone ever does that. You can't shoot outside shooting range unless you are designated trained gamekeeper and those usually have something akin to original 1980s Jeep Wrangler (very utilitarian small SUV usually without bed).
@@josephmiller4122 (1) Have you never heard of a trailer? (2) Context: 90% of ppekups will never be used as you describe.
@@josephmiller4122 you can certainly haul an elk in a van
I live in Texas. My wife lives in Switzerland. When visiting her, I've never once thought, "gee, I wish I had my F-150 here with me." Forget gas prices: just driving down those narrow lanes would leave me a nervous wreck!
That's a helluva commute to see your wife, pickup truck or sedan 😏
hey I am from switzerland? is she from the german talking part?
@@timothycook2917 too good!!
So we’re just going to glance over the fact that your wife lives halfway across the world?
@@b64771 I wonder if his wife in Texas knows about the wife in Switzerland... 🤔
There's a lot more to this. You left out one of the most important ones: the US likes pickups because historically and culturally their social structure forces them to do many things for themselves in many cases, and to do that they have to have a vehicle that is very adaptable, and the pickup fills this role well. The pickup can carry people, it can carry loads, it can pull trailers, so if you need to do all those things yourself, a pickup is sensible - but it isn't the best at any of those things.
Europe on the other hand has a very different social structure which is about interdependence and complex societies, not everyone doing things for themselves. For Europeans, if you own a car, you do so to carry people, and a Golf or whatever is definitely a better option than a pickup in every way for that. Many families can only have one car - they don't have parking for more than one, and the cost of ownership for second vehicles in a family is often prohibitive given fuel prices and tax etc. If they need loads or trailers, they usually hire a professional to do it for them, and the professional has a specialised vehicle for their task, often replacing a trailer entirely - and it's always more suited for the task than a pickup would be. For example moving house in europe, you hire a moving company and get a huge cabover lorry with a ramp at the back and a bunch of strong people - bigger capacity, better load protection, easier to load and unload, with experienced professionals at securing loads. If you're a tradesman, a van is a better option than a pickup for the added security and weather protection, plus the economy of not needing a massive engine. Farmers will usually use a Land Rover or similar in place of a car. Essentially, Europeans have to specialise, whereas Americans need to be generalists.
You have a good point - Americans don't want to rent anything or rely on anyone else when they want to do something. So they drive around a huge empty-bed pickup truck that they'll use a couple times a year if the truck is very lucky. This do-it-myself attitude, bordering on paranoia, is baffling to me.
Signed, an American who sees dozens of pickup trucks in the parking lot at work, and which virtually never haul anything (and their owners use the company vans when they haul something for work)
you got it! one has to do it yourself hear! the more remote the more you do your self! sum places you are hours from anything and have to be creative to get by! sum places there are dirt roads that go back to the 1700s -1800s with bridges only fit for one truck/car! one needs 4x4 to get threw! but yes you are right the more remote you are the more independent/cow boy mentality there is! if you are in a farming town with family's going back a long time it thy tend to be less standoffish more open. if it is more of a mining/logging place it tends to be more crazy wiled west as there tends to be more change less generational people and every one there own master! but you will find people are real if you show them you are real and not soft! if you can do that it is all good! it funny you talk about movers never payed for that in my life and moved far with a lot! fixed my own car just bout any thing on it! appliances. house! the idea of paying for it is not something i think of! a lot of places you will find you can not get professional help as it is fare from the city so they will not make the trip! we keep every broken appliance car etc in the yard as you might need a peace of wire ,screw, washer etc!
All of this is just an American asking ”why dont Europeans buy their dream trucks that they have always wanted?” Not realising that we just dont want them. Its not that we cant have them, its that we see them as work equipment. You dont buy one unless you actually need it for your job. Dreaming of owning a pickup truck is like dreaming of owning a panel van. We dream of owning luxury sedans and fast sports cars, not farm equipment.
It's not just Europe that rejects pickups, quite simply it's only America that has such an obsession.
Mexico loves them too
Canada like them alot
It's a very useful and practical vehicle, if you have the room.
Pickups are among the best selling cars in much of South America, the Middle East, and Australia
@@ShadowHawkzx You mean US south and US north? Yeah, they are very US influenced.
Talk about french yellow vest movement, show Rotterdam in the netherlands
exactly hahahah
Was looking for this comment
My country hiked diesel taxes too soon after the yellow vest protests begun but I guess fortunately for the government, at most there were just grumbles from the businesses that relied on commercial vehicles (which are mostly diesel-powered here)
Yeah, I was also surprised, since yellow vest is a rather rural movement.
Americans can't tell European countries apart, remember? To them Europe is one big country.
I like my 4-door, long bed, lifted, F350 Superduty, 4x4. It will go almost anywhere and do almost anything I need it to. It has beautiful interior, heated and cooled leather seats, power everything, lots of room, very comfortable. Great for long trips, the beach, mountains, desert, snow, rain, etc. It's high, so it has a great view. Keeps my family safe if someone were to run into us. Can plow through dangerous situations to get us to safety. Can drive through deeper water than most vehicles when it floods to get us to safety. If there is an accident on the freeway and traffic is at a standstill, I can turn on 4wd and drive across the grass/ditch to make a u-turn or onto the feeder road, etc and still make it home in time for dinner. I can put various covers over the bed like a camper top or a roll-up, locking cover for security/dryness. Or I can remove it if I need to have a forklift load a pallet of whatever I need into the bed. I can hook up a trailer and take my farm tractor to the shop, etc (endless possibilities). I can put 750,000 miles on it before the engine needs to be rebuilt (Diesel). Diesel fuel stores just about indefinitely if done properly. Plenty of capacity for guns, ammo, body armor, night vision, thermal, gear, etc in case tyranny rears it's ugly head again and us REAL Americans gotta handle our business. Or just deer hunting, fishing, boating, etc. If I lived in Europe, I would probably drive something else since everything seems to be small, expensive and restrictive there. But I prefer freedom, so I live in Texas.
So, you're a farmer. That puts in the minority of truck buyers.
@@mojrimibnharb4584 No. My home is in the suburbs. But I also own a 5 acre rural property an hour further away from the city. A tractor is required to mow that much grass and do other things. I do grow some food and keep honey bees. But it's for my family's consumption and I give some to neighbors, friends, etc. I would like to live there full time but my wife doesn't want an hour commute to work. Here in the Houston, TX area, an hour commute is pretty common. It's a very large city. She's also more of a city girl. If things get bad enough in the burbs, she might not have a choice. It's good to have that option, especially with the direction the world is moving in. If we lived there full time, I would be able to grow more and raise animals, too, be off grid and mostly self-sufficient. It's like an insurance policy/investment. The land values in that area are increasing very fast. In the USA, many of the vehicles on the road are full size pickups like mine. They're so useful, it makes sense. We have cars, too.
@@Texas3Percenter That's not a tractor, it's a big riding mower, and you can trailer that behind a volvo wagon. As for exiting the highway, I've done that in a v70xc. You'd be better off with a sedan DD and an old farm truck on the side.
The reality is that you just think it's cool to drive around in that useless behemoth.
@@mojrimibnharb4584 Just a few weeks ago I got my hybrid Ford Maverick XLT which is suppose to get 42 mpgs city and 33 mpgs highway but I got 50 mpgs on my first fill-up. It is a crew cab with a smaller 4.5 foot bed but with the tailgate down it is over 6 feet. It is a narrower than a full size or intermediate so it would fit on your European roads. Too bad they don't offer the Maverick truck in Europe. It is sold out in the USA with 2022 being the first year.
For me it comes down to recreational time. Trucks here at least in Canada are super common for towing camping trailers, boats, quads and dirt bikes or snowmobiles, trucks are also basically a must for hunters. Its then a benefit that you can do other things with them that may be work related. Do the people of europe enjoy recreation differently? What do they do?
One of my neighbours here in Belgium has a Dodge Ram. He bought it because he's a bit of an East Yank (Wears cowboy boots, does airsoft, ... Think weeabo but towards America instead of Japan), but I bet you even he regrets his decision. I see him struggling on the road all the time. He also cannot park anywhere, not even on his own driveway. His wife has to park her car on the road since he got that it because even though it is a driveway meant for two cars, his car is so massive it takes up one and a half spots.
😂
He can park it anywhere. In the grass, in the ditch... ect.
Pickups don't struggle on the road... though sometimes the road may struggle with the pickup.
Ameriboo
Yeehawboo
People who have 4x4's in London are not only hated but laughed at because you don't need them to pick up the kids from school
The UK doesn't really get the weather that necessitates having 4wd on the road. Once you get to a foot or more of snow they really come into their own.
When I lived in Ottawa I left my truck in the driveway and had a drift bury it up to the windows. Even 4wd has limits.
@@rich7447 Fair point I never thought of the climate
@@rtsharlotte It isn't something that you think about until you have to deal with it on a daily basis. I'm in the mid-Atlantic now (near DC) and winters are not nearly as harsh. When we do get snow it is wet slushy garbage that gives almost no traction at all.
I have taken my truck (weighs about 4 tons, 80 inches wide plus mirrors and 270 inches long) through Manhattan NYC and it is not the best vehicle for the city. I can't imagine driving it in London. The buses probably have better turning circles.
I would imagine inbthe UK probably York and points north are best for 4x4. Muddy and wet unless its snowy, icy and cold. Unless you are the kid of a London elite who drives everywhere in like a bulletproof G-wagen or land rover. Does london not see people restoring the old Defender 10s back into military shape to drive?
I have a seat Leon cupra r love the car. Enough to do my daily commute to work, back n forth between the family and groceries. Id say the UK is van country, on the road ill just see a load of vans and a bunch of ford fiestas and vauxhall corsas. I dont trust myself to drive a truck i just feel like its too wide for UK roads I’m not 100 per cent sure.
In addition, I'm pretty sure the US wasn't much more than 100 years old by the time the automobile came to town, whereas European nations were generally already thousands of years old by the same point.
Actually the real question you SHOULD be asking is 'Why there's so many Pickup trucks in America"?
"Why There Are So Few Pickup Trucks In Europe" sounds extremely like an American thing to ask.
The question also is “why Europe hasn’t modernized his highways like China ?”
This is the first time that I’ve ever heard of European roads called thin. Narrow is a more accurate word that comes to mind when I think of my former home.
I wouldn't actually call them thin or narrow, US roads are just gigantic
@@rubenadema1094 yeah you can fit like two cars in one lane
@@rubenadema1094 US roads are all I know, so European roads would be "thin" to me. Especially, because all I have driven is Full sized F-150 trucks.
@@Helperbot-2000 Not 2 US cars, but probably 2 small European ones
Yes. It shows the dumbing down of the sort of people places like Cheddar employ. You would never say a ‘thin’ road - grammatical it’s not even correct. But then most degrees in the USA are just time fillers.
For some reason, they insist on using the size of the gas tank as a measure of fuel consumption. Mileage is the appropriate metric, measured in kilometres per litre or miles per gallon.
Yeah, the fuel tank size doesn't mean much. It's the cost per gallon/liter that determines how expensive a vehicle is to drive.
I guess it's more about the psychologic impact of seeing how much filling the tank is.
@muhahaha I did not consider that at all, thx for pointing that out
good point
It’s just another way to measure. there is no appropriate metric, you use mpg, I use L/100km, they both do the same thing correctly
in South Africa, a former British/Dutch colony, we use vans (pickups) quite often but not nearly as much as the states. Most commonly among business owners and outdoor enthusiast. Even though most manufacturers have plants here, so we skip the whole import tax situation, its still pricey to drive a bigger vehicle than a small family sedan
The hilarious this is that 90% of americans don't haul anything to even need a pickup truck! My old neighbor had an office job, and drove an extended cab F-150.
4:16 Talks about French politics, shows Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Yup, it's pretty obvious this video was made in the US....
bUt ItS EUroPe sO itS tHe SAme CouNtRy
Yeah this video was atrotious
Yellowjacket protests are taking place all across Europe, including the Netherlands
@@u.h.forum. yellowvests. Yellowjackets are wasps
@@u.h.forum. And again someone confusing the Netherlands for France. There haven't been any yellow vests protests in the Netherlands for quite some time, like a year or more, and there never were many in the Netherlands to begin with.
Someone said "why would I need to drive around with a pool full of rain water and dead leaves?"
Mind you, snow and layer of ice in winter!
oh boy… the ignorance
In America, houses are made of wood and need constant repair. This is another reason why I personally (as a home owner) NEED (not want) NEED a pick up so I can get my supplies. Not to mention, we in the USA have large yards. I have to pick up gardening materials every single year from dirt, to seed, to landscaping accessories... the culture in the US is totally different. Many people in Europe live in “flats” and have small living places that are made of bricks and you can’t simply break a wall to remodel like we do here. It’s just totally understandable given the different live stiles... aside from the obvious gas prices being cheaper making owning a pick up much more economical in the US than anywhere else
@@MichaelOrtegaExtra Yeah it's not just gas. I mean how do you park such a gigantic vehicle. And also what's the point of having one ?! Houses here hardly ever need any repairs. And if they do you hire professional.
@@MichaelOrtegaExtra I've never had a house that needed constant repair. Quite the opposite, my houses have never needed anything but minor work.
Nice GMC in the thumbnail 🔥
Well most of us gets asian pickups because of the quality, we don't have time for break downs all the time
One thing they failed to mention, Europeans love trailers! The "small and useless" Golf has a tow rating of 1600 kg (3527), the car itself weighs 1416 kg. If we want to haul something that doesn't fit in the back of the car, we just hook on a trailer and we are ready to go. No need to haul that capability around all the time, much more practical to be able to switch it up depending on different needs, we don't need a big bed to drive to the office or the grocery store.
The US impression that you need a massive car/truck to do medium (~1600 kg/3500 lbs for you Americans) hauling is just plain false, we do it in "small" cars here all the time.
Trailers are awesome. I have a small truck and a small 4x4 SUV ( I camp and Kayak and have to travel unplowed, snow covered roads) and I have 2 types of trailers. People regularly borrow truck or trailers so both are very useful in the US. Delivery charges are expensive and most cars don't have hitches.
I remember seeing a showcase of some american truck and they made a big deal out of it being able to pull a 1 ton trailer. my dad often pulls a 750kg trailer with his Kia Ceed without any issue.
Hauling is hard on small transmissions (straight or manual) and don't forget the most important thing, stopping. America is a big place and you'll likely have to carry that load at 55- 70mph (113kmph). If you impede traffic you can be fined and/or cause a crash. So you can do it but not is a safe and responsible manner.
My car (Seat Ibiza 6l) weighs around 1.2 tonne and can pull 1 tonne no problem. Its 1.4 inline gasoline engine,stock transmission and its output is 75 horsepower. I can tow up to speed of 120kph no problem on stock brakes (front discs,rear drums). And i get fuel consumption of 6.2 litres per 100 kilometres,which is 38mpg. I just dont get the size and fuel consumption of American cars,for me it makes no sense. 90% of truck owners in America actually dont need those type of cars. In Europe most of the people have hatchbacks/small SUVs or estate wagons so called "kombi" which are great family cars. For hauling stuff we have smaller trailers,and for big stuff we usually rent or buy a van,which is significantly better (mpg,cargo space etc.) than a truck. Just a European point of view, no offense.
@@swedenk0 you are speaking facts
Simple answer: import duties, import taxes, road taxes, fuel price and fuel consumption.
Example: avg pickup (say For F150) costs in USA $28.495,00 (roughly €24.220,00)
Price in Netherlands: €60.000 (roughly $70.600,00)
.
Fuel in USA: $2,185 per gallon (=$ 0,85 per liter, or € 0,75)
Fuel in Netherlands: €1,65 per liter = $1,94)
.
So for the price of one F150 in Netherlands, you can buy two F150's in the USA, fill them up and have the money left to buy a nice fishing boat with trailer, rods and reels and still have spare change.
.
I think that clears it up nicely.
In Belgium, the neighboring country of The Netherlands, trucks are tax exempt and are literally the cheapest cars to insure.. I know 2 people in my direct friend circle who have a US pick up.
muhahaha our disposable income is actually quite good, food is very cheap, so is insurance and other costs like electricity and the phone bill and as long you don’t own a gas slurping giant a car will cost you between €300 and 500 a month
@@MrJimheeren The more efficient healthcare systems rather help there too health insurance for a family in the US will run you the equivalent of €1,000+ per month and they still have to pay taxes on top of that to cover everything else. The difference between the tax bill of a European family and an equivalent family in the US is nowhere near that far off from each other, actually, taxes are closer than a lot of people realize due to the combination of the far lower personal allowances in the states and the overly complex system of layered taxation makes the nominal rates look a lot better until you actually do the math.
@@MrJimheeren LOL food "cheap" in Europe. That is a blatant lie. For the price of a loaf of bread in Europe, I can get 2x 2 lb (1 kg each) organically raised steaks and charcoal to grill them in the US (and yes, I have actually been to Europe).
@@benruss4130 you have never been to an Aldo or Lidl haven’t you. Restaurants in Europe are indeed quite pricey, groceries are very affordable. I can buy a whole week of food and eat tree meals a day for less then 100€ and do it for less if I cook in bulk and eat pasta or rice for three days
Love the truck ad before this video! 😄
I dont understand why people hate on pickups so much, like why do you care what other drive.
You drive everywhere, don't you
@@daveassanowicz186 what?
That’s how leftist operates they always feels this moral superiority over others and never mind their business
There are loads of pick up trucks in Denmark they are just used for their actual purpose. Drive by a construction site and they are bumper to bumper. The gas and road issue is true but SUVs are quite popular. Mostly the Merc Bmw and Audi ones.
I suspect that those are NOT American pickups. More likely Toyota which are common on the farms in the UK.
@@davidjames1068 Toyota, Nissan and Volkswagen are the most common but you do spot a Ram or Ford from time to time.
I think there are more crossovers than SUVs on the roads of Europe.
@@koolyman what's the difference?
@@oscarkronborg7176
The main one I see is that an SUV is built on a truck platform while a corssover is built on a passanger car platform. Think station wagon but taller for a crossover vs truck with camper for an SUV.
My aunt had a F150 in London and said it was impossible to park it anywhere since the truck was too long for most UK parking spots.
She used it for work? Because I can't see another reson why someone would buy a such a big car in London, maybe other parts of the UK, but not london. And if she just used it just because she liked it pick ups, then I hope she's making big money.
@@Mollygan my uncle was stationed there and brought their truck over from the US.
well for Europe even a Ranger is too big. and let's not mention fuel consumption... :/
Forget about a truck, the parking spaces in Europe don’t even fit a fat american trying to get out of a parked car.
@@albinoguidedog Ah, that makes sense, I just feel bad for them.
Current fuelprice in the Netherlands is about 8,75 USD per gallon. Most pick-up trucks here are therefore LPG conversions. LGP costs 3,40 USD per gallon but gives 10-20 percent higher fuel consumption, higher chance of technical issues and more road tax to pay . Road tax for private ownership can mount up to 2800 USD per year.
I am from Israel which we drive in the european standards the only times ive seen pickups here are for work purposes
and they are not owned privately most of the time unlike the US where you mght have your own garages at your house people in Europe and nearby countries usually park outside now you do see pickups here but the difference then north america that they are usually powered by diesel engines for more fuel econony and torque (compared to north america which they are normally petrol) and as i said earlier they are usually part of a work fleet they are mostly used by technicians and electricians or constructions for deliveries and haulage we usually use commercial vans then pickup trucks because its not as wide and has a longer space for more cargo.
Before I watch it my guess: Pick up trucks are to huge, expensive to run (fuel consumption) and a trailer would do the job probably better.
Dont forget they are also ugly AF
You were right congrats
Malte Hoffmann and; it rains too much, cargo would be unprotected and most Europeans don’t have a garage to lock up cargo
U forgot about the taxes, at least in Germany you get taxed by engine displacement and emissions
youre right except for the last bit. towing a trailers is pain & you can’t really bring them into a city.
you’re much better off with a van. much harder for scumbags to steal tools out of the back of a van than a flat bed or trailer
As one might guess, I am from central Europe, but I have been living in the US for quite some time.
Here are some more reasons I can think of, why pickups are not as popular here as in the US.
- There is not so much practical use for a large, high riding, frame based off road transporter around here
--> We dont have deserts, big wilderness or remote areas you can only reach by dirt road. You can get almost anywhere on a more or less smooth paved road, so there is no practical reason why one should drive a indestructable offroad monster. A normal van or large station wagon will do just fine and is much more comfortable... Off roading in general is forbidden, unless maybe it is your own property and you have to do it for work.
- You are not allowed to ride on the back
--> While in almost all states in the US you are still allowed to transport people on the back of a pickup truck, in Europe it is illegal to do so anywhere. So no taking your friends to a party or a sports match in the back. You only have a few seats in the front. Many vans, SUVs or station wagons have aditional seats in the back that you can flip up or put in, with seatbelts and all, so we use these...
- You have to lift everything high up onto the bed.
--> a pickup truck classicaly has a sturdy frame the rest of the vehicle is based upon, and all the suspension and axles and stuff are below. That means the cargo area sits on that frame and is pretty high up. Independent wheel suspension and a integral body construction like in most vans make it possible to have a very low entry level in the back, even on a offroad capable vehicle. That way you can easily transport your bike or other stuff and have a lot more storage room in the back.
- Try parking that thing...
--> You can propably spend hours finding a parking spot where one of the bigger pickup trucks will physicaly fit in, where everyone else already has trouble finding a free parking spot at all... For parking around here its the smaller the better. Also many parking garages have size limits that many pickups will not fit in.
Yes, there may be some cases, that a pickup in europe has its uses, but very little compared to the US. It's just not that universal good for everything vehicle around here.
Also there are a lot of special purpose built vehicles you can get here where in the US you would get a pickup.
Actually in the US it's illegal to ride on the bed of the truck or transport people, people might do so it in rural farm areas but it is illegal. Now the rest of the Americas that's a different story. Mexico you can transport people on the truck bed.
Not in all states.
@@jerryvelasco1474 I know you can do it in Texas as long as you stay under 35 or 40 mph
Also, we just use vans
That's basically what I said
They’re actually fairly popular here in Ireland but smaller ones mainly for businesses, farmers and builders. Vans are popular here and in Europe
The video misses one important point: As long as you're not regularly transporting heavy equipment (and few people really do) owning a pick-up truck doesn't even make sense in the US.
"Most European streets are thin" um... do you mean "narrow?"
I mean, given the context thin and narrow seem like synonyms.
Not as many narrow in Eastern Europe.
Just that they have a good diet.
@@cpufreak101 No, thin would mean the asphalt isn't very thick, narrow means that it isn't very wide.
@@Aoderic I've literally never heard thin used in that context before without explicitly mentioning asphalt.
F-150 in Finland starts at $80k. Go figure, you can buy 2 new BMW 3-series with that.
@Glasspack40 points back to the high taxes and import fees
I'd rather have the truck to be honest
@Glasspack40 yeah no they (Mercedes and BMW) are as common as Fords in America as they are in German
@V M what the actual horseshit are u talking about
@V M you might wanna check the happines index of finnland and the US.
There’s also some additional context: Americans tow a lot more, and a lot more larger toys (campers, horse trailers, boats) where as Europeans actually have these vans that haul horses and smaller campers.
Americans also do a lot of DIY projects, a lot more here than what I’ve heard from Europeans. This means putting up decks, garages, entire rooms, and other additions to their home or property is also more common.
Americans seem to be extremely outdoorsy. You don’t see a lot of 4-wheeling in Europe which requires a large SUV or a truck. Tent camping and hunting in remote areas often times NEED larger vehicles. Europe doesn’t seem to have a lot of those activities.
In addition, Americans drive much further on average to work but a whole lot more for leisure. It’s not uncommon to have at least one 4-6 hour drive in a given month or at least several times per year. More difficult to have that in a golf or a mini.
But noting that the extreme taxes put on pickup import and registration is immense make it extremely unaffordable for most in Europe. Why would someone pay 25% more for a truck than they would pay for an SUV like a rav4 or something like that.
I am not trying to start a fight here, but I genuinely wonder: can't people just rent a truck when they have the occasional need for it, if they do some DIY projects? Or get delivery? American here, and I'm assuming that's what Europeans do. And wondering why Americans don't.
It sure seems like it would cost about the same, on average, if you're always paying for twice the amount of fuel that a regular car would consume, while using the truck's large capacity only rarely. Even if Americans who own a pickup truck will actually DO a couple DIY projects a year (highly debatable), wouldn't that not really be worth it?
And that's not even getting into the import expenses you mentioned. It's no wonder why Europeans don't drive many pickup trucks.
I'm sitting here in America wondering why so many Americans do. You see a lot of empty-bed pickup trucks being used as commute-to-the-office vehicles. It's insane.
@@pluspiping that’s interesting cause he just listed what Americans do and then you replied with not understanding why American need trucks. Which part do you live in and what of the activities the OP listed do you do?
@@martinquinn1241 he listed what Americans IMAGINE they do with pickup trucks.
Much like the parents who imagine they are great at parenting, meanwhile they constantly neglect their children.
I live in the midwest. If I told you I lived near a city, I would live near a lot of people, including most owners of pickup trucks - the city and suburban people who do the least with them. If I told you I lived +20 miles away from the nearest Walmart, I'd live near very few people, but who are more likely to use the expanded capacity of a pickup truck.
Statistically: most pickup trucks don't do sh*t and most people who have them don't need them
@@pluspiping no i absolutely disagree with you. I think you are just stereotyping and because you don’t have a truck or see value in it you believe your opinion which is fine. but the OP told what he and they do, not what you believe they imagine they do.
As a parenting example as you brought it up most parents don’t need a stroller then because their kids are not in them very often. So it’s stupid to own a stroller.
Statistically: please you have no data with any value whatsoever to say how often people use pick up beds, and it is just your opinion that people don’t need them. What source could you possibly have, who stood watching pickup trucks go back and forth and where. You started saying I’m not trying to cause a fight then generalize and give your opinion and then give fake statistics. Why do you even care?
@@martinquinn1241 yeah I wasn't trying to start a fight, but then you got mad and got your feelings hurt and decided to lecture me and demand a peer-reviewed study
Why don't you go find a peer-reviewed study if "pluspiping is being WRONG on the internet" matters so much to you?
In Norway there's a lot of pickup trucks, and they're quite popular. I drive a Toyota Hilux, and there are a lot of them here
The video does not address why one would even need an open loading bed that's exposed to the weather. If you're not a farmer, forester or hunter who has to haul dead moose and bulky weatherproof equipment, it appears much more practical to drive a compact van with plenty of inside space for your family and luggage, all protected from weather and theft. It's only a small minority that would have an actual need for such a bulky pickup with lousy aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.
and yet 1 200 000 sold in america every year, I didn't know there were so many farmers ever year!! 😂
@@alfrredd I wonder what are the proportions of those people buy bed covers or that shell thing that makes pickups look like overgrown station wagons?
pretty much. Pickups were meant to be working vehicles, for farmers, construction workers, etc. And that's their use in Europe. The US just decided to use them for everything.
I’m not a farmer but I use my truck for hunting fishing towing construction materials camping etc. here in Montana in America, nearly every family has truck. Driving down the Main Street of Great falls(town of 60,000) all you see are trucks and SUVs. A thing they didn’t mention in the video is weather conditions. Snowy streets are a lot harder to get through with a small car than with a capable pickup.
one can very easily install campers, covers to cover up your cargo in the bed of the truck.
James May, The Grand Tour
"If you pulled up at a set of traffic lights and you had your cement mixer and your chainsaw in the back, they would be stolen, immediately"
Really bad example, all the landscape gardeners etc have pickup trucks, Utes as they are usually called, and they all carry their equipment in them. The gardener and similar occupations is probably the only demographic in the UK where the Ute is the favoured vehicle.
@@paulm2467 again, why do people make this mistake. Utes are NOT trucks, but utility coupes or utility sedans. Trucks inherently have a different chassis than utes, which are always based on a car chassis. Calling it a pick up is fine, never call a ute a truck though.
@@TheChill001 read or listen to the original article, if you want to take up the difference talk to the Americans, they are the ones who describe Utes as trucks. You are right for everyone else, trucks have a different base but in this instance it's the same vehicle in the US described as a truck but in reality it's a Ute.
Cement mixer is pulled behind the truck, and a chainsaw has been in mine for about 7 years and not moved unless I move it. 🤷♂️
The ironic thing is that Clarkson and crew said exactly the same thing on Top Gear and yet the most iconic vehicle in Top Gear was the Toyota Hi-Lux that they couldn't destroy and was their favourite vehicle! Btw, utes are only called utes in Australia!
The main thing I have noticed about Americans and their pick-up trucks, is that about 90 - 95% NEVER pick up anything. The rest are rural people or farmers, who actually have stuff to pick up. Much like South Africa. Thanks, Cheddar. From Cape Town.
Being from America and took a trip to Europe, it was so nice to not see a pickup except once when I was there.
Ah yes, talking about the French yellow vests but showing images from the Netherlands. Great research..
"The yellow vest protests happening around cities AND COUNTRIES".
Plural mulitple countries.
Americans can’t tell the difference.
@@Alex-kn7cb Our "world history" classes are just BRI ISH BAD so 9f course many of us don't know that the Netherlands is a country
It's all the same to most Americans.
Americans don’t realise there’s a whole world outside of America
Americans: Why isnt the entire world the same as us?
@A M lmao yeah not every country can kill 80.000 of its citizens and still go without any trials
Enrico Campbell ?
Yeah, I'd rather be an unlucky European who can get free healthcare and isn't afraid to drop my kids off at school because someone might shoot them 🤷🏻♀️
@A M Americans. The most deluded culture on the planet. No one wants to be you. No one wants to be like you. The rest of the world (those unknown land masses outside your borders) lost respect for you years ago.
Duane Ferguson sweetie true, America is just a thing we laugh at at this point. Noone takes them seriously
In the Netherlands we are TAXED like crazy for pollution charges. If you have a Diesel car here you spend easily above 1800-2000 euros (USD 2,000-2,400) per year in Road Tax alone! So that is a reason why we don't have more pick-ups here.
I think the main reason is that we in general don't need to pick up stuff that doesn't fit in the trunk. We don't need to pick up large amounts of hay, wood or fertilizer. In rare occasions we need to move to another apartment but then we can easily rent a trailer
4:12 Says French politics, shows Dutch footage
Yeah and not even a protest
They say europeans the same way they say asians
Actually in Europe we don’t use pick ups because we see them as a useless cars if u don’t have a work for it. One of the things in Europe we look for a car are: space (trunk space) and performance, so we don’t see need for a car that doesn’t have a proper trunk (u can’t leave anything in the open back of a pick up of any European city, someone gonna robber u) and we like a sports car kind of drive more than truck kind of drive.
That's exactly what I was thinking. I am currently shopping for a new car (in the UK) and am looking for something with good towing capacity and boot space for my work. I've not even bothered with looking at a pickup as the only way to secure them is with a roller shutter which just massively negates the capacity of the bed. Might as well just get an SUV.
James Ray or wagon\estate. I’m very envious of the wider selection of station wagons\estates that youse have in Europe. I don’t like pickup trucks or SUVs, I want the sportier ride with the cargo space.
@@FullOfMalarky I've got to admit i had to google what a station wagon was. But yes, we do have quite a lot over here. :-D
Also in Europe we kind of think that if you drive a pickup truck without actually needing it for your work you have to compensate for something.
James Ray it’s why I added estate. I know youse have the wrong names for everything over there ;)
I had a Tata 4 door crew cab pick up in the early 2000's in the UK, was a rare sight on the roads
"Why There Are So Few Pickup Trucks in Europe?"
You can't have any idea how little I care.
Jesus Christ loves you and died on the cross for your sins and if you repent he will bless you eternal life✝️🙏
You cared enough to comment
@@kallesirvio2695 and watch the video
No mention of the right answer which is that we use panel vans, (Sprinters and Transits) for utility purposes. If we want to move construction and landscaping equipment about we tend to use a flatbed version of one of these. The vans are much more practical than a US pickup with regards to storage space to vehicle footprint.
Indeed, and the flat-bed vans have way more space than pickups.
I'd love to have a pickup though, but they just need too much fuel...
Isn't a flat deck van basically just a truck?
@@callumdonington2227 Sort of, but in the case of flatbed versions of large vans they have much much larger flatbeds than pickup trucks do and they sometimes have a longer body than regular versions of said vans or pickup-trucks, and with the ride-height of regular vans. They're more like small lorries. Or something between a pickup truck and a lorry.
I'm a roofing contractor in TX and I couldn't imagine trying to use a van. I drive a F250 Diesel with a longbed (8ft bed). I need the towing power to haul a trailer full of shingles. A normal 1/2 pickup couldn't haul that trailer, much less a van. The longbed is nice for lumber and decking as decking is a 4ftx8ft sheet and lumber usually is 8ft, 10ft, or 12ft. Plus the 2 story ladder fits nicely on the ladder rack. I could see a contractor with little or lightweight equipment like a painter use a van, but how do framers, roofers, etc. use a van?
@@mattbowdenuh Ladders can easily be transported on the roof of a van or even inside, especially if it's a long one. A Mercedes Sprinter in it's longest and tallest configuration has a 4,7m (~15ft 5in) cargo bed and interior height of 2,24m (~7ft 4in) and with an inline 4 Diesel it has a payload of up to ~5360 pounds, depending on engine variant, and ~6500 pounds with a V6 diesel. Specialized variants exist for high payloads, but they're a rare sight. It's not like you need to always haul everything at once with the (on average) much shorter distances of Europe.
For most construction work around here vans are mainly used to transport tools and other gear as well as smaller amounts of materials, while larger amounts of materials are mostly transported in a trailer or in a lorry, which are often also equipped with a crane.
My late father was a carpenter and for him a regular Ford Transit with a cheap 2-axle flat bed trailer (which he made himself) did the job. I can tell you from experience that combo is more than fine for hauling most material, including lumber, shingles, bricks and ceramic tiles. You might need to make more than one trip but that's okay. He used to drive a 1999 Mitsubishi L200 (Triton in the US) until mid-2000s but he switched to a Transit mainly because the bed on the L200 was too small, and larger trucks were unavailable or too expensive. Many European countries have emissions-based taxes for vehicles.
Trailers towed with vans do indeed tend to be smaller here than what you haul with trucks across the pond. But that's what other, heavier, vehicles exist for.
The way I see it in Europe we usually try to get the best of both worlds by using more specialized vehicles: cheaper, less thirsty and more nimble vans paired with lorries for the heavy hauling, while across the pond trucks are used as a jack-of-all-trades.
A big absence on the topic when covering pick-ups in Europe ( (except for the Navara reference) )is that the Japanese pickups seem to rule that market
Exactly. I'm increasingly disappointed though that the Japanese pickups are getting more and more like the US ones. Soon they'll be just as big. Supposedly it's because although they are bought for work they're also often used as a family vehicle so people want a big comfortable cabin as well as the load bed. Most are already big enough to tow 3 tonnes so that's no longer an excuse to make them bigger.
@@beetooex Maybe it's to make them safer as well? Safety regulations tend to make cars a little fatter, it's why even normal everyday d=cars nowadays are bigger than they used to be. At least the Japanese pickups are still more fuel efficient.
@@Reydriel Japanese trucks generally aren't that much more fuel efficient engine wise, or if at all (I'm looking at you Toyota) to their American counterpart. The biggest distinction is the size of the truck, if you compare a full size Ford to a midsize Nissan, obviously the smaller truck with the 6 cylinder is going to get better mileage and vice versa if you flip it and have a midsize Ford vs a full sized Nissan.
@@Reydriel my Toyota Tacoma gets 14-21 miles per gallon. That's pretty shitty
@@czthjvv my personal best in my Hilux was 34mpg for a tank. At the moment I live in quite a hilly area so normally I'm at 26mpg now.
What you need 250hp for in the Tacoma I have never understood ..
I do find large pickups to be excessive however I got a midsize truck and it's a necessity when owning a pretty decent home. Very easy to pick something big up and haul it back home for house projects.
European tend to drive diesel over petrol and the most common engine size is 2.0lt so most common pick up truck are Toyota and Mitsubishi , Mercedes tried with the x model put it failed