Auto Insura

Insurance, Automotive and Business Review

Car Guide

Crew Cab Vs Extended Cab Truck – Which Size Is Best For You?

Crew cab vs extended cab

If you are in the market to buy a new truck but are confused about choosing between crew cab vs extended cab vs regular cab, we are here to help. Pickup trucks are no longer just the giant workload rides. Today, they are preferred by people as their everyday automobiles.

The practicality and popularity of pickups have grown so much that every top automobile manufacturer is building them in both economic and luxury classes. If you desire a luxury ride offering space, comfort, and style and can help you move huge loads quickly, there is nothing better than a pickup truck.

But buying a pickup is more challenging than ever. Trucks are now available in multiple sizes, with many options to explore. We bring this beginner’s guide to help you search for a new truck. 

You will learn everything about regular cab vs crew cab vs extended cab, including differences, similarities, prices, market preferences, and more. Let us begin to see whether extended cab vs crew cab suits you most.

Crew Cab Vs Extended Cab Vs Regular Cab Truck – Let’s Get Familiar

The crew cab, extended cab, and regular cab are the truck model sizes. Almost every truck model in the American automotive market, from Chevy Silverado to Toyota Tundra, comes in these predefined sizes.

To understand which size will be your ideal purchase, crew cab vs extended cab or regular cab vs crew cab, you first need to learn everything crucial about these cab sizes.

What Is A Crew Cab?

Crew cab truck

The crew cab is the biggest size in the truck segment. In simpler words, the general term that auto manufacturers use to refer to their full-size trucks is “Crew Cab.” Crew cab pickups feature four full-size doors and spacious & comfortable two-row seating for six people.

This truck size or type was designed with the idea of ample interior space and a style that shows modernization at its best. The modern crew cab truck can carry its passengers more comfortably as it comes with more legroom, headroom, and general luxury.

Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra, and Ford F-150 are some of the most popular crew cab trucks in the US automotive market.

However, all top automakers have their name for their crew cab models. For example, Toyota’s crew cab option on the Tundra lineup is called CrewMax. So, you need to be careful when exploring different crew cab models.

Key Features

  • The rear doors are full-size
  • The rear seating is more prominent among all the available truck sizes in the market
  • Child car seat compatible
  • Crew Cab trucks come with more advanced tech & safety features
  • SUV-like  proportions
  • Built to carry more passengers and stuff

Pros

  • Most spacious truck with ample legroom & headroom in the rear
  • Most in-cabin cargo storage space
  • Comes with most luxury options
  • All passengers can quickly get in & out of the truck at the same time

Cons

  • Costly
  • Might not offer the largest bed
  • Lower payload and towing capacity

What Is An Extended Cab?

Extended Cab Truck

The extended cab, sometimes called a double cab, is the second largest truck size you can own. When it comes to crew vs extended cab, the extended cab pickup is smaller than the crew.

The extended cab truck comes with a mid-size interior featuring two-row seating. The seating space in the front row is excellent, but the rear can be cramped.

Also Check:

The second row of extended cabs can come with smaller or no doors. It means you may have to access the second row by folding the front seats forward.

If you do not plan to use the extended cab for family trips, remove the second row and increase your cargo area within the cabin.

Key Features

  • More space than standard-sized trucks
  • Are available in four- and two-door body styles
  • You can remove the second row for more cargo room

Pros

  • Good passenger space
  • Ample cargo space inside the cab

Cons

  • Limited space in the second row
  • The second row may or may not come with doors to access them

What Is A Regular Cab?

Regular Cab Truck

A regular cab is the standard truck size. You get two rows, with the second row consisting of a bench seat or a pair of bucket seats.

The regular cab trucks are generally the work trucks. They do not come with much interior storage, and a narrow space behind the seats barely makes for cargo space.

Also Check:

Regular cab trucks do not offer luxury and advanced & modernized interiors at their best, but they will give you longer beds.

Key Features

  • Ideal for rugged work or jobs
  • Give you access to more extended bed sizes
  • There is not much seating and storage area
  • The option is becoming scarce

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Come with larger bed sizes
  • Higher towing and payload capacity

Cons

  • Small interior
  • Limited access to premium options

Crew Cab Vs Extended Cab Vs Regular Cab Trucks – Know All The Difference

Crew Cab Vs Extended Cab Vs Regular Cab Trucks

Now that you know what crew cab vs extended vs regular cab means, it is time to move forward. Simply knowing the definition of crew cab vs extended cab is not enough to be able to buy the right pickup truck.

You also need to learn how these three truck sizes differ and to what extent. To help you get a better idea, we will compare all three prominent truck sizes based on crucial factors like size, price, comfort, and more. This comparison will clearly distinguish each cab size and help you decide which fits your needs better.

1. Size

The size is one of the biggest factors in deciding between an extended cab truck vs a crew cab vs a regular cab. Crew cab trucks are the biggest of the three. They offer the largest and roomiest interior to comfortably seat up to five people.

The regular cab is the smallest pickup truck size. Its interior offers two rows, but the rear space is not ideal to seat adults. There is barely enough to place kids in the rear.

The extended cab trucks are the midsize ones. They are bigger than the regular cabs but smaller than the crew cabs. For example, let us consider Ford crew cab vs extended cab. In the 2024 Ford F150, the crew cab or SuperCrew Cab is 232-244″ long, 80-87″ wide and 76-80″ high.

Whereas the extended cab or SuperCab of the 2024 F-150 is 232-250″ long, 80″ wide, and 76-77″ high. Thus, you can see how the crew cab offers more cabin space and height with a length almost similar to the extended cab.

2. Price

Money is another prominent factor that plays a huge role in buying an automobile. So, when it comes to crew cab vs regular cab price, the crew cab trucks are generally the most expensive while the regular cab trucks are the least expensive.

The extended cab trucks fall in between the regular and crew cab trucks. Crew cab trucks are pricier because they are bigger, come with full-sized doors for both rows and are generally integrated with luxury and plenty of modernized features.

For example, take the instance of Chevy crew cab vs extended cab. You can buy the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500‘s regular cab for a starting price of $36,800, extended cab for a starting price of $40,100, and crew cab for a starting price of $42,500.

3. Doors

The availability of doors can also significantly impact your decision to buy a crew cab vs extended cab or regular cab. The crew cab pickups come with four full-size doors offering easy and uninterrupted access to all the seats. 

Passengers can effortlessly get in and out without any fuss and simultaneously. The extended car trucks may or may not come with four doors. They generally come with two doors. You have to access the rear seats by folding the front ones.

Also Check:

Some extended cab models offer back doors but are usually smaller than front doors. These back doors of extended cabs can not be opened before the front doors and must be closed before the front doors.

Let us take an example of crew cab vs extended cab Silverado. Explore the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD pickup. You will find that it offers four doors in both crews and extended or double cab body style.

However, the extended variant’s rear doors are much smaller than the crew cab. So, a crew cab truck is the best option if you want easy and spacious access to your rear seats.

4. Bed

Another factor that weighs heavily in the debate of crew cab vs extended cab vs regular cab is the bed size. The crew cabs come with a huge cabin area. Due to this, they come with compact bed sizes. This one is ideal for people who need a spacious ride to carry people.

In extended cabs, you get all bed sizes available in the market. As the cabin area is smaller, the trucks become more apt to have longer beds placed behind them.

In regular cab trucks, you get the largest bed sizes. As the cabin space in this one is the least, there is a big room to haul your heavy items. A regular cab is the best choice for people who generally work in a job that requires constant moving of heavy items in bulk.

For example, crew cab vs extended cab tundra. In the 2024 Toyota Tundra, you get a 5.5 ft. bed size in the CrewMax or crew cab body style. However, you get a bed of length between 6.5 ft. and 8.1 ft. in 2024 Tundra’s double or extended body style.

5. Availability

Before you decide on the combination of body style and bed size for your next pickup purchase, you must check for its availability in the market. You need to remember that not all models will be available in all cab sizes, and not all cab sizes will come with all bed sizes.

So, if you like the idea of a cab size with a particular bed size, research online to check if any model offers the combination you desire. For example, consider you are looking at crew cab vs extended cab Tacoma. But during your research, you will discover that the 2024 Toyota Tacoma is unavailable in crew cab body style.

Other than this, out of the three cab styles or sizes, the availability of regular cabs is scarce in the market. It is simply because they are more of work rides than everyday rides.

6. Maneuverability

How well you can handle a ride on the road is crucial to your truck-buying decision. The bigger the ride, the harder maneuvering it on the road, especially if the area is tight. The crew cab is a large and bulky pickup, making steering harder than the extended and regular cab trucks.

Top FAQs About Crew Cab Vs Regular Cab

What is a crew cab vs an extended cab?

Both crew cab and extended car are the sizes available on modern pickup trucks.

The crew cab is the largest size, whereas the extended is the medium size. The crew is ideal for families or people looking for ample space and comfort inside the truck, with only about 5 to 6 feet of bed size.

Meanwhile, the extended cab has a smaller cabin size than the crew cab. The rear row is ideal for children with cramped room for cargo.

But the bed sizes available on extended cabs are enormous. You can get a bed 5 ft. to 8 ft. behind your extended cab truck.

How much longer is a crew cab than an extended cab?

The crew cab is generally longer, taller, and broader than extended and regular cabs.

A crew cab is about four to five inches bigger than an extended cab in every aspect or dimension.

The only factor the crew cab lacks is its smaller bed size, which is a must; otherwise, the truck will become too long.

Is an extended crew cab a good purchase?

If you are not required to carry adults in your truck’s rear seat often or are simply okay with being cramped in the rear, the extended cab is a great choice.

It gives you the best of both worlds. It has a large bed size like a regular cab, allowing you to haul many items in one go.

Plus, it comes with two rows and four doors like a crew cab. You get a cabin space with a front row ideal for adults and a rear for kids.

And the price is affordable compared to the crew cab.

How many doors are there in the extended cab?

When the extended cab trucks first hit the American automotive market, they were two-door models. You could access the second row by folding the front seats in them.

However, the recent models now come with four doors with smaller rear doors than the front ones.

The rear doors are smaller and inconvenient but offer easy access to the second-row seats.

Should I buy a Ford crew cab vs an extended cab?

If you wish to own a Ford pickup, a crew cab is an excellent choice to get ample space, luxury, and comfort in your cabin.

Crew Cab of any Ford pickup is a perfect choice if you want a pickup that serves more like an everyday ride.

But if a crew cab seems expensive, you can go for an extended one.

The interior will be a little cramped, but you will get a bigger bed at a lesser price.

Is King Cab and Crew Cab the same?

Both crew cab and king cab are two-row truck cabin styles. However, the king cab style is more compact than the crew cab.

In simpler terms, you get a limited rear room in the king cab, whereas in the crew cab, you get enough room to wiggle in the rear row.

Conclusion

Pickup trucks are an ideal choice to buy, especially if you move a lot, like to take outdoor trips or work where you need to haul heavy items.

Modern pickups are complicated. You must carefully choose from crew cab vs extended cab vs regular cab to get a ride that serves you well in every aspect.

This article covers everything you need to know about pickup trucks before making a final purchase decision.

Meet Michael Kors, a seasoned automotive blogger with 8 years of experience in the industry. His passion lies in researching SUVs and trucks, dissecting their features and performance with precision. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for uncovering hidden gems, Michael shares his expertise and insights with his readers, guiding them towards the perfect ride for their needs. Follow along as he navigates the ever-evolving world of automobiles, offering valuable advice and recommendations along the way.

3 COMMENTS

LEAVE A RESPONSE

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.