Slate’s homepage offers an interesting interactive graphic showing how the dimensions of the truck compare to modern day trucks like the Chevy Silverado EV and Ford Maverick, as well as the 1985 Toyota SR5 Pickup.

As the graphic shows, the Slate Truck is much smaller than the Maverick, which currently stands as one of the smallest modern trucks on the market. It’s still slightly larger than the classic Toyota from the 80s.

The message from the module is clear – modern-day trucks have grown to be enormous, and there was once a time when excellent pickups were much smaller.

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment. Bigger isn’t inherently better. But there’s also a reason why small pickups, and compact cars more generally, have steadily disappeared from the market: a lack of buyer demand.

Slate Auto

Lengthwise, at nearly 175 inches, the Slate truck is just an inch longer than the 2025 Chevy Trailblazer or 5 inches longer than the Land-Rover Defender 90, so it’s not exactly a micro-car.

Still, it’s significantly smaller than the other compact trucks on the American market. The Ford Maverick is nearly two feet longer than the Slate, while Hyundai’s odd Santa Cruise is over 20 inches longer. Both also have room for four passengers instead of the Slate’s two.