Should You Keep or Sell Your 2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport in 2026?

You bought a 2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport back when mid-size trucks were selling for stupid money. Now it's mid-2026, you've put some miles on it, and you're wondering if you should cash out while Tacomas still command premium prices or hold on for the long haul.

The short answer: keep it. But let's walk through the numbers so you can see exactly why.

The setup

We're assuming you bought your 2023 Tacoma TRD Sport new or lightly used around late 2022 or early 2023. You probably paid somewhere between $42,000 and $45,000, which felt painful but you justified it because Tacoma. You've got the 3.5-liter V6, four-wheel drive, and the double cab configuration that actually fits humans in the back seat.

You've driven it about 30,000 miles by now. Mix of commuting and weekend adventure stuff. Maybe some light off-roading, definitely some Home Depot runs. You're financing around $28,000 at somewhere between 5.5 and 7 percent depending on when you bought and what your credit looked like. Monthly payment is probably in the $550 to $650 range.

The truck runs perfectly because of course it does. It's a Tacoma with 30,000 miles. You've done oil changes and rotated the tires. That's basically the whole maintenance story.

The math

Your 2023 Tacoma TRD Sport with 30,000 miles is worth approximately $38,000 in today's market. Private party you might squeeze out $39,500 if you find the right buyer. Trade-in value is closer to $36,000. These numbers are down slightly from six months ago because the used market has been cooling, but Tacomas depreciate slower than almost anything on four wheels.

Here's what three years of ownership actually cost you:

That $1,333 per year in depreciation is absurdly low. For context, a 2023 Chevy Colorado would have lost about $8,000 in the same period. A Ford Ranger would be down $7,000. The Tacoma tax you paid upfront is now working in your favor.

If you sell today, you walk away with about $39,500 minus whatever you still owe. Let's say you owe $26,000. That's $13,500 in your pocket. Sounds good until you think about what happens next.

You need a vehicle. If you buy another used truck in the $25,000 to $30,000 range, you're looking at something with 60,000 to 80,000 miles and probably not a Tacoma. You'll be financing that purchase at current rates, which are running 7 to 9 percent for used vehicles even with good credit. Your insurance might drop slightly but not enough to matter.

If you buy new, you're paying $48,000 minimum for a 2026 Tacoma TRD Sport because Toyota raised prices again. The new generation is nice but you're eating massive depreciation all over again, and your payment jumps to $750 or more.

Now let's look at the keep scenario. Your Tacoma will be worth roughly $35,000 in another year at current depreciation rates. That's another $4,500 in value loss, but it's slowing down. By year five, these trucks tend to flatten out. A 2019 Tacoma TRD Sport with reasonable miles still sells for $32,000 to $34,000 today.

Maintenance over the next two years will be minimal. You'll hit the 60,000-mile service which runs about $400. New tires at some point, call it $1,200 for decent all-terrains. Maybe brake pads if you're hard on them, another $500. Total expected maintenance through 2028: roughly $2,100.

Your financing situation matters here too. If you're at 5.5 percent, refinancing doesn't help much in today's environment. If you're at 7 percent or higher and you've got strong credit, you might shave a point off by refinancing to the low sixes, but we're talking about saving maybe $40 per month. Check our refinance verdict page to run your specific numbers.

What we recommend

Keep your 2023 Tacoma TRD Sport and drive it until the odometer shows a number that starts with 2.

What could change our mind

If you genuinely don't need a truck anymore and would be happy in a sedan or crossover, selling makes sense. You could pocket that $13,500 equity and buy a three-year-old Mazda3 or Civic for $22,000 cash, own it outright, and bank the difference. Your insurance and gas costs drop, and you're debt-free. That's a legitimate financial win if the Tacoma was an emotional purchase you regret.

The other scenario is if you're barely driving it. If you're working from home and putting 6,000 miles per year on this truck, the math gets weird. You're paying insurance, registration, and opportunity cost on $39,000 worth of vehicle that sits in your driveway. Sell it, buy a $15,000 older 4Runner or something with similar capability for the occasional adventure, and invest the difference. But honestly, if you're in this situation, you probably already know it.

Bottom line

The Tacoma's reputation for holding value isn't marketing fluff. You're seeing it in real time. You've absorbed the initial hit, the truck is in its prime reliability window, and the depreciation curve is flattening.

Selling now means you're just handing the next owner a truck that's already taken its lumps and is ready to deliver another 150,000 miles of basically free driving. Meanwhile, you're shopping in an expensive market with high interest rates and no great options unless you downsize significantly.

The only time it makes sense to sell a three-year-old Tacoma is when you bought the wrong vehicle in the first place. If that's you, fine, cut your losses and move on. But if you actually use the truck and it fits your life, you're holding exactly the kind of vehicle that justifies keeping. Check our sell or keep guide if you want to compare this to other scenarios, but the Tacoma is pretty much the poster child for the keep decision.

Drive it, maintain it, and revisit this question in 2030 when it has 100,000 miles and is still worth $28,000.