Ford Ranger vs Ford Maverick: which is more reliable?
The Ford Ranger is clearly ahead of the Ford Maverick on the federal record: 71/100 against 60/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Ford Ranger
- 7 model years scored
- 625 owner complaints on record
- about 10 complaints per year on the road
- 59 recall campaigns, 25 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (84/100) · worst 2019 (47/100)
Ford Maverick
- 4 model years scored
- 481 owner complaints on record
- about 40 complaints per year on the road
- 48 recall campaigns, 16 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (74/100) · worst 2023 (33/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ranger against Maverick
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Ford Ranger
- Air Bags — 196 complaints
- Power Train — 143 complaints
- Electrical System — 56 complaints
Ford Maverick
- Power Train — 150 complaints
- Electrical System — 132 complaints
- Engine — 93 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Ranger's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Maverick's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Ford Ranger — avoid: 2019.
Ford Maverick — avoid: 2023.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Ford Ranger prices at about $51,700 and a Ford Maverick at about $51,700 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Ranger or the Ford Maverick more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Ford Ranger scores 71/100 against the Ford Maverick's 60/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Ford Ranger carries about 10 complaints per year on the road against 40 for the Ford Maverick.
Which Ford Ranger and Ford Maverick years should I avoid?
Ford Ranger: 2019. Ford Maverick: 2023. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Ranger and the Ford Maverick?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Ranger is Air Bags (196 complaints); on the Ford Maverick it is Power Train (150).
Is the Ford Ranger or the Ford Maverick cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Ranger prices at about $51,700 and a Ford Maverick at about $51,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.