TopSpeed’s Best Compact Pickup Truck 2024: Ford Maverick

The compact truck segment has never been more quirky. The truth is, the world’s small trucks have all ballooned a bit, if we’re honest. Ford recognized this as their own Ranger pickup, which used to be a compact not that long ago, has also grown in size. It makes sense, some drivers wanted more capability, but without the cumbersome heft of a full-size, not to mention the inflated pricing that goes along with them. We then lived in a world with mid-size pickups beggining to dominate the space.

Picking up where the old Ford Ranger left off when it was discontinued in 2012, the Ford Maverick continues to flex it’s understated muscle into the 2024 model year. Ford saw an opportunity to once again slot in a smaller pickup in the range, and so far the mighty Maverick has grown to win over truck lovers. Maverick is priced similarly to what the old ranger would have been in today’s market, but with a massive uptick in features. Ford deserves praise for bringing such a well thought-out vehicle to market in the compact truck segment.

In order to determine the best vehicle in this category for 2024, our in-house experts have voted on a number of factors, including but not limited to value for the money, performance, and expected reliability and safety. The aggregate review score you see in the display card below is indicative of the average score (rated 1-10) between these factors and is based on real-world experience. Further information regarding our methodology of rating vehicles can be found on the TopSpeed’s methodology page.

Why The Ford Maverick Stands Out As The Best Compact Pickup

The Maverick from Ford continued to impress with its breadth of capabilities and wide range of options/trim levels. Overall, the Ford Maverick allows drivers to rely on a vehicle that will offer high levels of rugged truck, but at a low cost to entry, in addition to it’s highly fuel-efficient powertrain options. Whether you need all-wheel-drive or not, there is a Maverick for you. If you must have a hybrid, there is a Maverick for you. If you want a better off-roader, Ford offers a Tremor package, which gives the Maverick some beefier tires, a lifted ride, and steel skid plates.

Because the Maverick can be configured and optioned in so many ways, accommodating even the strictest of drivers, it deserves the title of “Best Compact Truck Of 2024”. While over-performing and cutting costs to owners, the Maverick strikes the right balance between utility and everyday approachable driving characteristics. We are impressed by its ability to bring the benefits of a pickup to a broader spectrum of drivers.

Performance Specifications

The word performance here means more than pure horsepower and zero to sixty times. A compact pickup, albeit a smaller segment, means the vehicle must offer the best possible towing/hauling, and overall utility for its size. The Maverick does just that, and even makes for a great budget off-roader. Out of context, it might not seem like a show-stopper, but given its capabilities as a pickup with plenty of brawn for a compact, its performance as a fuel-efficient and cost-effective vehicle makes it one of the best around, and certainly the best moving into 2024.

Ford is playing a balancing act here. On one hand, you need some power, which the EcoBoost engine definitely provides. On the other hand, the hybrid version, while not as powerful, will return seriously impressive fuel economy, with only a slight reduction in technical capability. In this size of truck, efficiency matters.

Best Features Of The 2024 Ford Maverick

• Available hybrid powertrain
• Very competitive towing capacity
• Configurable drive modes
• “Tremor” off-road pack
• Truck bed-mounted electrical outlets
• Clever storage solutions

Feature-rich is how we would describe the Ford Maverick. There are a ton of available add-ons, and the possibilities seem almost endless. Very few others offer the variety of features Maverick does, such as the available sunroof, Bang & Olufsen sound system, bed-mounted outlets, and a whole host of driver assistance systems, just to name a few. The small pickup even connects with the FordPass Connect app to control and monitor your vehicle from your phone.

The Runners Up

The Ford Maverick punches well above its class, and even pickup trucks a whole size segment larger have to worry about the mighty Maverick’s impressive grunt. The Honda Ridgeline, a truck that starts at $16,350 more than the Maverick, can only tow up to 5,000 pounds. The Maverick nearly matches that with an impressive maximum of 4,000 pounds. When equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, the Maverick is only down some 30 horsepower, but amazingly, the tiny Ford puts down 15 more pound-feet of torque! Maverick matches Ridgeline’s payload capacity, something a compact shouldn’t be able to do to the mid-size Honda. All this performance, and Maverick also returns better fuel economy, even with its least fuel efficient engine equipped.

Hyundai threw a curveball in the form of the Santa Cruz. This compact pickup plays more into edgy design and the active lifestyle type of driver rather than the utility-focus of the Maverick. Again, the Ford comes in at a lower starting price, this time $3,250, which is a huge difference considering the Hyundai is a direct competitor, within the same size segment. The Maverick might be down on power and torque compared to the Santa Cruz, but you’d have to pay for the $38,210 turbocharged Night edition in order to obtain that power advantage. In non-turbo models that more closely compete with the Maverick’s low price, the Santa Cruz is really at a power disadvantage, a 59 horsepower and 96 pound-foot disadvantage. Available towing is down 500 pounds too, again, unless you spring for the expensive Night model Santa Cruz, with a 5,000 pound capacity.

Final Thoughts And Predictions For 2024

2023 has been a great year for the Ford Maverick, introducing the popular “Tremor” pack that trickled down, originally, from its bigger F-150. 2024 continues that momentum, and brings an already wildly versatile vehicle to even more drivers. With a relatively low starting price, and vast options list, there really is a Maverick for most drivers. We expect to see even more versatility within the Maverick models in 2024 as the model becomes increasingly popular among both first-time truck drivers, and seasoned truck drivers who might be seeking a bit more efficiency in their life.