2025 Ford Maverick Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The updated 2025 Ford Maverick is fresh yet familiar. The chunky styling theme of the previous version remains, as do the large wheel arches that recall bigger Ford trucks like the Ranger and F-150, helping to disguise the fact that the unibody Maverick shares its C2 platform with the Ford Escape crossover. But Ford deleted the cross bar that previously bisected the headlights for a more conventional look. That also opens up the grille, which now available in different designs depending on the trim level.

Those trim levels include the base XL, XLT, and Lariat, plus the specialty Tremor and Lobo models that aren’t available with the hybrid powertrain. Now a dedicated trim level instead of an option package, the Maverick Tremor is an off-road model with dedicated suspension tuning, all-terrain tires on 17-inch wheels, skid plates, and a twin-clutch rear drive unit for its AWD system.

The new-for-2025 Maverick Lobo is a tribute to the street truck trend that started in the 1980s and lasted into the early 2000s. It aims to recapture the look of those modified trucks with a cleaner front fascia, painted rear bumper, side skirts, and 19-inch wheels, additions that are emphasized by lowered suspension. That’ll likely help the Lobo stand out more than the Tremor, which is just one of many off-road-themed pickups and SUVs on the market right now. Note that the Maverick’s closest rival, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, adds an XRT off-road model for 2025, but so far there’s no N-Line variant to compete with the Lobo.

The Maverick XL continues to model basic chic with its standard 17-inch steel wheels, while XLT and Lariat grades get 17-inch and 19-inch alloys respectively. Ford Maverick Lariat models also have a gloss-black grille instead of the more basic mesh on the XL and XLT. That same finish is repeated on the Maverick Lobo, but with a waterfall design. A unique turbofan-style wheel design is also available for that model.

Regardless of trim level, the Maverick offers one of the best basic interiors of any vehicle. Even the base Maverick XL features neat details like multicolor trim and purposefully exposed screwheads, making you feel like you’re in a life-size Tonka truck. Lobo models add splashes of bright Grabber Blue and yellow. Ford did a great job of showing that even when materials aren’t fancy (we’re talking mainly plastic here), an interior can still have a fun design and high-quality feel.

The Maverick’s two powertrain options carry over for the 2025 model year, but with some notable changes to available drivetrain configurations. The standard hybrid powertrain is now available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or AWD, while the non-hybrid powertrain is AWD-only, the reverse of previous model years.

The 2025 Ford Maverick hybrid uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine running on the Atkinson cycle, working with a single electric motor and continuously variable transmission (CVT). This combination produces 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. An optional 2.0-liter Ecoboost turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces 238 hp 275 lb-ft of torque. Most trim levels get an eight-speed automatic transmission with this engine, but the Maverick Lobo uses a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

In addition to the unique transmission, the Lobo treatment includes lowered suspension (0.5 inch in front, 1.1 inches in the rear), dual-piston front brake calipers from the European-market Ford Focus ST hot hatchback, upgraded cooling system (with the larger radiator and fan from the 4K towing package plus a transmission oil cooler) and a track-focused Lobo drive mode. It also borrows the Maverick Tremor’s twin-clutch rear drive unit for torque vectoring.

The Lobo’s emphasis on handling makes it unique among pickup trucks—where “performance” usually means “off-road capability”—and an excellent use of the Maverick’s unibody platform. Ford set up an autocross course for us to really push this truck’s limits, and while the high center of gravity was apparent, the Lobo did much better than a conventional pickup. And it was fun and satisfying on winding roads, with only a slightly stiffer ride as a tradeoff.

While it lacks the sporty character of the Lobo, the basic Maverick hybrid should also make a great daily driver. The unibody platform imparts a passenger-car-like ride, and handling is well-sorted, even if the hybrid prefers a slower pace than the Lobo. Power isn’t exactly abundant, but that’s why Ford offers the 2.0-liter turbo-four was an upgrade.

All Maverick models have a base towing capacity of 2,000 pounds that can be increased to 4,000 pounds with the optional 4K Towing Package on all models except the Lobo and Tremor, but that’s still less than the 5,000-pound maximum of the rival Hyundai Santa Cruz. Hybrids have a payload capacity of 1,400 pounds with AWD and 1,500 pounds with FWD, which is also the max payload for most turbo-four models (excluding the Lobo and Tremor).

Ford also provides plenty of ways to make the most of the onboard space. Sections of 2x4 can slot into specially-designed pockets molded into the bed sidewalls to serve as cargo dividers. These allow for secure stacking of cargo as well. The bed has a 110-volt outlet as well (there’s also one in the bed), plus pre-wired 12-volt connections for additional, owner-installed outlets.

The Maverick’s 4.5-foot bed is a bit shorter than those more conventional pickups, but the tailgate can be locked in place at an angle, allowing it to serve as a tie-down-style brace for cargo that wouldn’t fit in the bed with the tailgate fully closed. Ford claims this provides enough room for 4x8 sheets of plywood, with enough room to stack 18 of them in the bed. A bed extender is also available in Ford’s accessories catalog.

Inside the cab, Ford did away with conventional door armrests to make more room for drink bottles and other smaller items. The in-door cubbies are also intricately molded to accommodate different sizes of beverage containers, so your Starbucks Tall to-go cup won’t slosh around in a space designed for something bigger. Ford also included mounting points for 3D-printed accessories, such as charging-cord wraps, console dividers, and additional cupholders.

Demonstrating the packaging efficiencies of its unibody platform, the Maverick also has similar headroom and legroom across both rows of its four-door cab as the larger Ford Ranger. Those measurements are also nearly identical to those of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the closest thing the Maverick has to a direct rival.

The Maverick was previously behind the rest of the Ford lineup when it came to tech, but that changes for 2025. The Sync 3 infotainment system has been replaced with the current Sync 4 system, and a standard 13.2-inch touchscreen replaces the previous eight-inch touchscreen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard as well, along with a new eight-inch digital instrument cluster.

The tech was as simple and straightforward as the truck itself. We had no problem finding needed functions on the touchscreen, or quickly reading the instrument cluster, whether we were watching our speed or looking at the distribution of power in the hybrid model. However, Ford’s continued reliance on the touchscreen for temperature and seat heaters is irksome. The on-screen sliders are trickier to use than physical buttons or knobs.

For 2025, the Maverick also borrows some towing tech from Ford’s bigger trucks. Standard on the Maverick Lariat and Tremor models, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist uses the rearview camera and driver-assist radars to align the truck with a trailer hitch, controlling steering acceleration and braking. Pro Trailer Backup Assist can then automatically reverse the trailer, with the driver simply setting the angle by twisting a knob.

While many similarly-priced crossovers and sedans offer a fully array of standard driver-assist features, that isn’t the case with the Maverick. Forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high beams are standard on the base XL, but you have to upgrade to the Maverick XLT to get lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and to the Lariat or Tremor to get adaptive cruise control (which also features lane-centering and stop-and-go functions). A 360-degree camera system is a new addition to the option list for 2025.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2025 Maverick a four-star overall safety rating, with four stars in rollover crash testing and five stars in frontal and side crash tests.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hadn’t published full crash-test ratings for the 2025 Maverick at press time, but the results it has released aren’t exactly encouraging. The Maverick received a top “Good” rating in the updated side crash test, but only a “Marginal” rating in updated moderate overlap front test, as well as an “Acceptable” headlight rating.

The Maverick is a small pickup, and its size and standard hybrid powertrain pay dividends when it comes to fuel economy. The base FWD hybrid returns an impressive EPA-estimated 38 mpg combined (42 mpg city, 35 mpg highway), and the new-for-2025 AWD hybrid is just behind it at 37 mpg combined (40 mpg city, 34 mpg highway).

XL, XLT, and Lariat models with the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine are rated at 25 mpg combined (22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway). Combined and city fuel economy drop 1 mpg each in Lobo spec, while the Maverick Tremor is rated at 23 mpg combined (21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway).

Ford’s warranty coverage includes a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, plus an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for hybrid powertrain components. That’s reasonable coverage, but Hyundai continues to offer its 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and five-year/60,000-mile new-vehicle warranty on the Santa Cruz.

For 2025, Maverick pricing starts at $29,840 (including a mandatory $1,695 destination charge) for a basic XL hybrid with FWD, steel wheels, and manually-adjusted mirrors. That’s less than the $30,200 starting price (with destination) of a Santa Cruz, but it’s $8,350 more than the base price from the Maverick’s 2022 launch model year. And that’s before any potential hikes from new tariffs.

While this refresh brings up-to-date tech, addressing one of the few issues with the 2022 Maverick, this steep price increase has eroded the value proposition that has always been this little truck’s strongest attribute. The Maverick is no longer the ultimate bargain it once was.

There’s still plenty to like here, though. The Maverick remains practical, fuel efficient in hybrid form, and pleasant to drive. The Lobo is a worthy addition to the lineup for buyers willing to pay a little bit extra. And when it comes to small trucks, Ford simply offers more options and truck-relevant features than Hyundai does with the Santa Cruz. The Maverick is still a great vehicle, even if the price of entry is now higher.