Ford Maverick returns to its roots with a hybrid base for 2025: What else is new
Mark PhelanFord's award-winning Maverick compact pickup delivers a bed-load of goodies for the 2025 model year.
The popular little truck returns to its roots by making the base model a hybrid — capable of up to 42 mpg in city driving, per EPA tests — and adds the No. 1 feature on shoppers’ lists, making the fuel-saving hybrid system available with all-wheel drive for the first time.
The 2025 Maverick also adds a pair of advanced features to make backing up while towing a trailer and hooking up to a tow hitch easier. The base Maverick can tow 2,000 pounds, the AWD hybrid 4,000. The truck can also haul 1,500 pounds in its cab and bed.
The compact Maverick took the market by storm when it arrived as a 2022 model, racking up monthslong waiting lists and sweeping major awards, including Free Press and North American Truck of the Year.
Supply remained tight through the pandemic, causing Ford to add a gasoline-only model below the original front-drive hybrid base pickup.
Ford sold a record 94,000 Mavericks last year. It’s on track to trash that total in 2024, with 77,000 delivered through June.
What sets Ford Maverick apart from Hyundai Santa Cruz
Maverick prices will start at $26,295, plus $1,595 delivery charge. That looks like a leap from 2024, when the base price, excluding destination, was $23,920, but remember — the 2024 base model wasn’t a hybrid.
Compared with the 2024 hybrid, the Maverick’s base price rises just $825 — 3.7%
The front-wheel-drive hybrid’s EPA city fuel economy is unchanged at 42 mpg. Ford says the AWD hybrid will get 40 mpg.
The Maverick has little direct competition. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is the only other compact pickup on the market. Hyundai sold 17,945 Santa Cruzes so far this year. The Santa Cruz’s base price is only a few thousand higher than the ’24 Maverick, but it goes higher. The Maverick’s accommodation for DIY bed rails and other workaday features also sets the pair apart.
The 2025 Maverick goes on sale late this year. Dealers will start taking orders Aug. 1.
2025 Ford Maverick trim levels
- XL
- XLT
- Lariat
- Tremor
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2025 Ford Maverick top new features
- Hybrid available on AWD models
- 13.2-inch touch screen
- Pro Trailer Backup Assist
- Pro Trailer Hitch Assist
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane centering
- Street sign recognition
- Slimmer headlights, new grilles
- Available 19-inch wheels
- Tremor becomes a distinct trim level with 360-degree camera, one-pedal off-road mode.
Why buy a 2025 Ford Maverick?
The Maverick remains one of the best vehicles on the market: Affordable, practical efficient and attractive.
Its compact size makes it convenient for people with limited space, while the crew cab can carry five people in reasonable comfort and deliver a lockable, weather-safe space for large items.
The only drawback may be that the small but useful bed guarantees regular calls from acquaintances claiming to be friends when moving day approaches.
2025 Ford Maverick at a glance
Compact pickup
Five-passenger crew cab
Base price: $26,295, plus $1,595 delivery charge
Front or all-wheel drive
Power: 191-horsepower gasoline electric hybrid or 238-hp internal combustion model.
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic with hybrid; eight-speed automatic for ICE.
Fuel Economy: Up to 42 mpg city, more details TBA
Assembled in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.