Where Is the Toyota Tacoma Commercial Filmed?
A behind-the-scenes look at the landscapes, studios and small towns that bring Tacoma ads to life
(By Carmichael Phillip)
Introduction: One Truck, Many Backdrops
If you watch enough Toyota Tacoma spots you’ll notice a pattern: the truck stars in a lot of different places. The Tacoma is shot on desert flats, red-rock canyons, snowbound mountain roads, small-town main streets and on soundstages made to look like cozy homes. That variety is deliberate—truck ads sell lifestyle and capability as much as they sell specs, so the production team picks locations that underline toughness, utility and everyday life.
Because Toyota runs multiple creative campaigns (some global, some regional), there is no single answer to “where the Tacoma commercial was filmed.” Instead, “the Tacoma commercial” is actually dozens of shoots, and production locations vary by campaign. Below I map the most common and most notable filming locations used for Tacoma ads, why those places are chosen, and how to spot where a specific ad was shot.
Moab, Utah — the red-rock playground
Moab shows up again and again in truck advertising because its red-rock mesas, slickrock trails and desert vistas are instantly dramatic. Toyota has used Moab for lifestyle and off-road content tied to Tacoma’s overland/off-road persona — footage often highlights bikers, rock-studded trails and sweeping washes that make the truck look adventurous. Production companies like Moab because the terrain is cinematic, accessible for 4×4 filming, and instantly signals “outdoors” to viewers.
If you recognize a commercial with sandstone fins, rust-colored cliffs and wide blue skies, Moab (or nearby Utah locations) is a likely candidate. Many branded social videos and behind-the-scenes posts from Toyota crews confirm Moab as a go-to for pick-up truck storytelling.
Apex Dry Lake Bed, Nevada — that “otherworldly” flat
Some Tacoma spots use stark, flat environments—salt flats or dry lake beds—that emphasize scale, speed and the vehicle’s silhouette. One widely shared commercial was filmed at Apex Dry Lake Bed in Nevada: shots of the Tacoma crossing a featureless white plain let viewers focus on the truck itself with no distracting background. The barren look can read as epic and almost cinematic, perfect for product hero shots and high-speed tracking.
These locations are production-friendly: long straight runs for camera rigs, predictable light and few permit headaches compared with urban centers. If you see a Tacoma ad where the road seems to dissolve into a white horizon, think dry lake bed.
Colorado mountains & alpine roads — the high-altitude test
Toyota has also filmed Tacoma material in high-altitude mountain settings — snowy peaks, winding alpine roads and even very cold, snowy shoots that show the truck doing serious work in winter conditions. Production credits and cinematographers associated with Toyota campaigns have noted shoots “in the beautiful Colorado mountains” and at elevations above 10,000 feet. Mountain locations underline capability, towing and stability in harsh weather and create striking visual contrasts between truck and environment.
If a commercial leans heavily into snow, tree-lined switchbacks or thin-air vistas, Colorado or other mountain ranges were probably on the call sheet.
Pacific Northwest & Seattle/Tacoma neighborhoods — hometown charm
Not all Tacoma advertising is about macho landscapes. Some campaigns emphasize daily life in neighborhoods and suburbs—packing gear, parking at a diner, towing for weekend projects. For spots that want an authentic Northwest vibe, production has used Seattle and Tacoma (Washington) neighborhoods and local businesses. A few viral spots and community sleuths have located specific houses and businesses used in holiday or family-oriented Tacoma commercials in the Queen Anne / Tacoma area. These locations help sell Tacoma as a practical, family-friendly truck rather than only an off-road beast.
Look for ads that show small diners, recognizable city skyline silhouettes (Seattle’s profile is a giveaway), or coastal woodlands—those point to PNW shoots.
California desert, Newberry Springs & Mojave locales — classic road-trip backdrops
Southern California desert and Mojave-area sites like Newberry Springs are frequently used for car and truck work because they’re close to Los Angeles production resources while offering wide open desert scenes and old-road Americana aesthetics. Local community posts and crew accounts sometimes surface and identify Newberry Springs as a shoot location for certain Tacoma spots, especially when the spot needs classic roadside imagery—vintage motels, salt flats, or dusty service stations. These places give a commercial a road-trip feel without flying the crew far from LA.
If you spotted an art-direction that included neon motels or long desert two-lanes, think Mojave/Newberry style location.
Small towns & coastal dunes — places like Pentwater, Michigan
Toyota doesn’t restrict Tacoma filming to the obvious truck locales. Production has turned up in surprising small towns and coastal dune areas (for example, Eaton County or Pentwater region style shoots), where crews stage lifestyle scenes—shopping, marinas, art studios and long beaches. Local newspapers sometimes report when a production passes through—and those articles are a great way to confirm a shoot. A few regional stories have confirmed Toyota crews filming short-form sequences in towns like Pentwater to capture authentic “small-town” moments.
These community shoots are also an efficient way to hire background talent and create a genuine local vibe.
How production picks the right place (and why it’s not always what it seems)
Picking a filming location is a balancing act. Directors and location scouts consider visual fit, permitting, safety, logistics (hotels, roads, helicopter access), local incentives, and the ability to control the set. Sometimes a “location” is actually a studio build or a composite of multiple places — an exterior shot in Moab edited with cabin interiors filmed on a soundstage back in Burbank. That’s why two shots in the same :30 may feel cohesive even though they were filmed thousands of miles apart.
Another wrinkle: Toyota runs several campaigns in parallel (regional cuts, rugged off-road social content, storytelling brand pieces) and may reuse the Tacoma in different creative universes. So when you ask “Where was the Toyota Tacoma commercial filmed?” the best answer is usually “Which one?” — then you can match the visuals to likely geographies.
How you can identify the exact location of a spot you saw
If you want to track down the precise filming spot for the ad you watched, here’s a quick checklist:
• Capture a clear screenshot of a distinctive frame (landmarks, signs, unique rock formations).
• Check iSpot.tv or YouTube for the specific ad title and production notes (some entries list a production company or director).
• Search local news for “Toyota commercial filmed” plus the suspected city — local outlets often cover a big shoot.
• Scan crew/actor social media (Instagram, LinkedIn) for behind-the-scenes posts that tag a city.
• Compare visuals to Google Street View if you think it’s a neighborhood scene.
These tactics usually resolve most cases, especially for location-heavy ads filmed in distinctive landscapes.
Conclusion: Tacoma’s ad locations tell the brand story
There’s no single location that answers the question because Toyota uses the Tacoma as a versatile storytelling tool—filming in Moab’s red rocks, Apex’s dry lake beds, Colorado’s high passes, Seattle/Tacoma neighborhoods, Southern California deserts and small coastal towns. Each place supplies a different emotional cue—adventure, dependability, hometown practicality—that helps viewers imagine the Tacoma in their own lives.
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