This year marks one full century since the first factory-assembled pickup truck debuted: the 1925 Ford Model T "Runabout." Even back then, the Model T featured an adjustable tailgate as well as pockets in its bed for inserting stakes to secure bigger cargo. In the subsequent century, not much changed in tailgate technology, as most pickups featured tailgates that dropped straight down to form a level surface with the bed floor.
However, tailgates have changed 100 years later, beginning with innovations
like the Ford F-series' removable tailgates in the 1980s, which unfortunately made them vulnerable to thieves until Ford added a locking mechanism. By the twenty-first century, an increasingly competitive pickup truck market led to further innovations, and today, pickup buyers are spoiled for choice.
From basic tailgates that open to different heights to ones designed to make life easier when towing trailers or campers, there are tailgates for nearly every trucking task. Domestic manufacturers have really upped their tailgate game, but as we'll see, a foreign truck maker started the modern era of specialized tailgates.
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Honda Ridgeline
Honda made its first foray into the pickup segment when it introduced the Ridgeline in 2006, and right from the start, the company displayed its signature innovativeness in the Ridgeline's tailgate design. At this point, standard truck tailgates swung straight down 90 degrees. The Ridgeline's rear gate could do that, of course, but it could also swing open to the side like a fence gate. Honda calls it the Dual-Action Tailgate, and it provides easy access to the trunk.
That's right, the Ridgeline has a lockable trunk underneath the floor of its cargo bed. Honda calls it the In-Bed Trunk, and in the 2025 model, it offers 7.3 cubic feet of storage space for everything from groceries to gear. It even has a drain plug, so it can be used as an ice cooler or for storing wet gear after your adventures.
The Ridgeline's trick tailgate also provides access to its lay-flat bed, which lacks wheel well intrusions to make it easier to load cargo like 4-by-8 sheets of plywood. The bed is lined with scratch-resistant composite right up to the tailgate, so buying a bed liner is unnecessary. The tailgate also gives access to a power outlet.
Ford Maverick
The Ford Maverick is one of the cheapest trucks you can buy in 2025, and it's not surprising that its trick tailgate is one of the simplest. Nevertheless, it demonstrates how thoughtful engineering can make even a small, cheap pickup much more versatile. Ford calls it the Multi-Position Tailgate, and it's almost absurdly simple to use. Ford has a demonstration video: open the tailgate partway to leave some slack, release the cables that limit its movement, and reconnect them to the tailgate strikers higher up on the inside rear edge of the bed.
Now the tailgate opens only halfway, but importantly, its new position aligns perfectly with the top of the wheel wells in the bed. This lets you lay 4x8 sheets of plywood or other flat cargo across the tops of the wheel wells and the upper edge of the tailgate for level loading.
Some trim levels include one or two in-bed storage cubbies built into the inside walls of the bed just forward of the tailgate. It's all part of the Maverick's Flexbed storage system. It offers multiple ways to divide up the bed for hauling different kinds of cargo and provides tie-downs that function as bottle openers–perfect for tailgate parties.
Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra And Hummer EV Pickup
The Chevy Silverado and GMC's Sierra and Hummer pickup truck lines share an essentially identical tailgate that Chevy calls Multi-Flex and GMC refers to as MultiPro. This tailgate can be found across both brands' full-size pickups, including both half-ton and heavy-duty models. Motor Trend tested a 2024 Silverado ZR2 equipped with the Multi-Flex tailgate and declared that it has "one of the most useful beds in the business." This was largely due to its tailgate, one of the coolest features of the Chevrolet Silverado.
The Multi-Flex and MultiPro systems provide six essential functions, with only minor variations. In both truck lineups, the primary gate opens the old-fashioned way in response to the key fob, a switch in the cab, or a button on the tailgate itself. There's a primary gate load stop and an inner gate load stop to prevent items from sliding out. An easy-access inner gate that makes it easier to reach into the bed. The inner gate can also fold down into a step with a 375-pound limit. And finally, there's an inner gate with a work surface for laptops or blueprints.
The GMC MultiPro version of the tailgate allows the inner gate to be disabled to prevent it from opening when a trailer hitch is installed. And perhaps with an eye toward tailgate parties, it offers an optional MultiPro Tailgate Audio System.
Ford F-150
Ford's perennially best-selling F-150 offers an option called the Pro Access Tailgate. This tailgate features a second, inner gate built into the larger tailgate. It swings outward from the driver's side and includes its own button that's easier to reach when approaching from that side. It makes it easier to reach into the bed, giving you 19 inches of extra reach since the main tailgate isn't in the way as it is when open.
The inner gate can also open at incremental angles of 37, 70, and 100 degrees. The 37-degree stop gives access to the bed while trailering. The 70-degree angle is for tight quarters like parking lots. The 100-degree opening gives the best access to the truck bed. It's not quite as versatile as the Chevy/GMC tailgate, but it's still one of the standout features on the Ford F-150.
To make it even easier to access the bed, in 2024, Ford enlarged the step cut-out in the rear bumper, making it both wider and deeper. An optional retractable step can deploy below the bumper for two-step access to the bed. With the optional Pro Power Onboard system, the bed can be equipped with up to four power outlets for powering everything from power tools to TVs and electric coolers at tailgate parties, all easily accessible through the Pro Access Tailgate.
Ram 1500
Ram has offered its Multifunction Tailgate since 2019, gearing it largely toward improved access for stepping into the bed, easier access when trailering, and the ability to support heavy loads. The tailgate can drop 180 degrees like a regular tailgate or be opened sideways to both sides like a pair of barn doors with a 60/40 split. With both doors swung open and an optional Mopar retractable step deployed, it's easy to step into the bed of the truck, as demonstrated in this video from Stellantis North America (the parent company of Ram).
When trailering, the doors can be opened on the sides without hitting the trailer hitch. When folded down traditionally, the Ram's tailgate can support 2,000 pounds of weight, making it easier to load heavy cargo. Keeping the tailgate's load rating despite allowing it to open to the sides is an impressive accomplishment for Ram's engineers.
The tailgate's handle also has a built-in trailer hitch lightto make it easier to line up or disconnect a trailer in poor lighting conditions. While it's not part of the tailgate, the optional RamBox cargo management system offers storage and a 115-volt outlet built into the sides of the bed.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
