2026 Ford Maverick

Name: 2026 Ford Maverick Review
Brand: Ford

Release Date: Summer 2025

Estimated Price: Starting around $28,500

The 2026 Ford Maverick may not be as capable as a midsize truck and can feel a bit rough around the edges, but in a way, that's the point of this low-priced compact, crossover-like truck. It's supposed to be different, with the trade-offs/benefits being city-friendly dimensions, improved handling and far better fuel economy, especially with the hybrid powertrain. Its bed and interior space should be just right for many buyers.Read full review

Contact your local dealers about upcoming availability and pricing details.

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2026 Ford Maverick Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Low starting price on base versions
Loads of available equipment to enhance towing and off-roading capability
Hybrid powertrain returns excellent fuel economy
Quick acceleration from the optional turbocharged engine

Cons

Bumpy ride quality
Some features are hidden in costly option packages
Interior has a low-buck feel to it
Limited range of adjustment for the driver's seat and steering wheel

What's new

We don't expect major changes for 2026
Part of the first Maverick pickup truck generation introduced for 2022

Overview

The 2026 Ford Maverick is the smallest truck in the Blue Oval's lineup, filling the need for those who want the utility of a pickup but are put off by their ever-increasing price and size. The Maverick has a unibody design, which means it has more in common with an Escape than a F-150. That comes with some benefits, like improved ride quality and a quieter ride overall, but you do sacrifice some capability in the process. It can't tow as much as the next-size-up Ford Ranger, for instance, and its off-road hardware isn't as impressive. As long as you don't plan on pushing your truck to its limits, however, the Maverick offers a compelling value statement. This is bolstered by the Maverick's standard hybrid powertrain, which nets the compact truck an impressive EPA-estimated 37 mpg in combined driving.

Edmunds spotlight: The right size for you

The Maverick's primary appeal is its size. Full-size and midsize pickup trucks have grown dramatically over the past 20 years, but customer needs really haven't. If you want the utility of a truck for camping trips, hardware store runs and soccer practice, the Maverick will almost certainly do the job. And it will do so at a lower price with better fuel economy.

Competitors to consider

The Ford Maverick has one primary competitor: the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz has a less traditional design that you may find either appealing or off-putting. It is also not available as a hybrid (yet). But it's feature-rich and offers a more upscale interior than the utilitarian Maverick. And you can't beat Hyundai's impressive 10-year powertrain warranty.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict

^{The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.}

Average

7.6

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

7.5/10

How does the Maverick drive? The hybrid engine on the Maverick is thrifty with fuel but not the best for quick acceleration. In Edmunds' testing, a Maverick with the hybrid needed 8.4 seconds to sprint from 0 to 60 mph. That's a trade-off we'd make given the improved fuel efficiency, though. We also tested the sporty Lobo with its 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, which zipped us to 60 in just 6.6 seconds.

For most Mavericks (Lobo excepted), steering and handling are closer to what you get from a traditional truck. A slightly stiff ride and a lack of steering feel will keep you from wanting to go too fast, but the Maverick's compact size means you can thread it through traffic or down a twisty road with far more confidence than you could a midsize or full-size truck. The Lobo's handling benefits from a sport-tuned suspension and a specialized all-wheel-drive system. From an on-street handling standpoint, we think the Maverick Lobo is the most fun-to-drive truck you can buy.

Comfort

7/10

How comfortable is the Maverick? When it comes to comfort, the Maverick embraces more of the truck vibe than its Hyundai Santa Cruz rival. Over broken or bumpy roads, it has a choppy ride quality that never seems to go away. The seats are firmly padded but supportive, and they hold up over long trips. But there are hard plastic door panels right next to your knees, and they're uncomfortable to brace against when navigating down curvy roads or traversing a bumpy dirty road.

There isn't much noise from the engine on the highway, but it's a bit unrefined at idle and under full-throttle acceleration. The more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine sounds a bit better.

Interior

7.5/10

How’s the interior? You'll love the Maverick if you like your truck interiors simple. There aren't a lot of frills or buttons, but finding the controls you need is very easy. Getting in and out requires some ducking of heads for most, but once you're inside there's a decent amount of headroom all around. The driving position is relatively upright, and the driver's seat and steering wheel don't offer much adjustability. Legroom is limited in the rear seat, as is the space under the front seats for your feet.

The Maverick's boxy cab, however, provides excellent visibility. Big, squarish windows mean that you can see well in every direction, and while they're a bit on the small side, we like Ford's useful integrated blind-spot mirrors.

Technology

7.5/10

How’s the tech? This year's Maverick comes standard with a new 13.2-inch center touchscreen backed with Ford's current Sync 4 operating system. That means it has crisp graphics, is fast-acting, and has easy-to-use menus and buttons. Otherwise, there isn't much standard tech inside the Maverick. The standard stereo is pretty underwhelming when it comes to output volume. Most of the Maverick's advanced driver aids, such as adaptive cruise control or blind-spot warning, are optional or standard on the more expensive trim levels.

Towing and Storage

8/10

How are the towing and storage? The Maverick's party piece is the massive number of cubbies and interior storage areas. The doors can accommodate huge water bottles, the rear underseat storage is relatively large, and there are all sorts of useful dividers in the large center console. The Maverick has mastered small-item storage.

Loading in a large car seat will be a bit difficult because the top tethers are located behind the folding rear seats. Plus, the underseat storage is accessed by lifting up the entire rear seat bottom, so you'll have to remove any child seats to get underneath. What a pain.

The Maverick's maximum towing and payload capacities are impressive for such a small vehicle: 4,000 pounds and 1,500 pounds, respectively. The Maverick also offers a four-pin and seven-pin connector and an integrated trailer brake controller, the latter of which is missing in the rival Hyundai Santa Cruz. So while the Santa Cruz ultimately has a higher overall towing capacity, the Maverick is better equipped to tow straight from the factory.

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

Fuel Economy

9/10

How’s the fuel economy? The hybrid Maverick gets a segment-topping EPA estimate of 38 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 37 mpg combined if you opt for all-wheel drive. That beats most non-hybrid compact sedans. In the real world, we regularly saw over 40 mpg combined during testing, which is promising. If fuel efficiency is a top concern, the Maverick's hybrid powertrain is a real trump card over the Santa Cruz, which got 27 mpg on the same evaluation route. The Maverick with the 2.0-liter engine got 25 mpg in our testing.

Value

8/10

Is the Maverick a good value? At its entry price, there's no denying the Maverick's appeal. That's especially true if you get the hybrid powertrain to help save on gas. The lower Maverick trim levels lack some advanced driver aids that come standard on other vehicles at this price, but this is still one of the better values out there. The higher trim levels add some personality and features but get rather pricey.

A three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty are pretty typical among trucks, and that's what the Maverick offers. But the Santa Cruz blows it out of the water with a five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Wildcard

7.5/10

The Maverick is relatively nondescript. It accomplishes its mission of looking like a truck, so it goes mostly unnoticed. The optional engine is peppy, and it can be relatively fun to drive, especially in the off-road-ready Tremor trim or the sport truck-styled Lobo.

We give it some credit for its efficient hybrid engine, along with its no-frills interior and low starting price. Pair that with a functional and easy-to-use bed, and you've got about as much truck as most people will ever need.

Which Maverick does Edmunds recommend?

Ford hasn't released official information on the 2026 Maverick as of this writing. We'll update our recommendation if anything changes, but based on last year's Maverick, we recommend the XLT trim level for most Maverick buyers. Its pricing is within the realm of reasonable, and besides its extra standard features, it's available with a number of options you can't get on the base XL.

2026 Ford Maverick videos

TESTED: Ford Maverick Lobo | A True Mini Sport Truck Revival?

NOTE: This video is about the 2025 Ford Maverick, but since the 2026 Ford Maverick is part of the same generation, our earlier analysis still applies.

Introduced for the 2025 model year, the Ford Maverick Lobo aims to revive the lost art of the sport truck. But does the Lobo live up to its name and aggressive styling, or is this trim all show and no go? In this video, Edmunds’ Brian Wong gets the Maverick Lobo down to our test track to find out.

2026 Ford Maverick

2026 Ford Maverick Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Edmunds spotlight: The right size for you

Competitors to consider

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict

Performance

Comfort

Interior

Technology

Towing and Storage

Fuel Economy

Value

Wildcard

Which Maverick does Edmunds recommend?

2026 Ford Maverick videos

TESTED: Ford Maverick Lobo | A True Mini Sport Truck Revival?

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