Ford launched the Maverick in 2021 and it became an unexpected smash hit. The compact pickup was built on an architecture shared with the Escape and Bronco Sport crossover SUVs, and offered truck features in a fuel-efficient, right-sized package. Now, Ford is introducing updates for the 2025 model year that make the Maverick even more appealing.
First off, customers can finally order the Maverick with the fuel-efficient hybrid engine and all-wheel drive. Until now, Ford limited the hybrid powertrain to front-wheel drive models, which maximized fuel efficiency, achieving an EPA-estimated 42 mpg city/33 mpg highway/37 mpg combined. But this decision limited the model’s appeal. Buyers looking for all-weather capability or who needed to tow more than the hybrid’s 1,500-pound maximum had to upgrade to the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, which got 22 mpg city/29 mpg highway/25 mpg combined when paired with all-wheel drive.
“Hybrid all-wheel drive was an overwhelming request from customers,” Dawn Mackenzie, public relations manager for Ford Trucks, told WIRED in an email. As Mackenzie explained, in the initial rollout, the hybrid model was limited to front-wheel drive to maximize affordability. In fact, while Ford promised a base price of $19,995 when it announced the 2022 Maverick, the cheapest Maverick for the 2024 model year will start at $23,920, with the hybrid engine now a $1,500 option. Ford sold more than 94,000 Mavericks in 2023, more than half of which were hybrids.
Photo: Ford Press
The 2025 Ford Maverick comes in a variety of flavors. The base-model Maverick is a front-wheel drive hybrid that gets up to 42 mpg. Adding optional all-wheel drive drops fuel economy slightly but still gets a good 40 mpg city (official EPA ratings have yet to be released). An optional towing package will be available on the hybrid Maverick, allowing you to tow trailers up to 4,000 pounds. If the hybrid’s 191 horsepower and 155 ft-lbs of torque aren’t enough, the 238-hp, 275-ft-lb EcoBoost non-hybrid turbo four-cylinder engine will still be available on all models.
Hybrid Pickup Pickup
Hybrid pickup trucks are becoming something of a craze. Ford unveiled the hybrid F-150 PowerBoost for the 2021 model year. Toyota is introducing an optional hybrid drivetrain to its full-size Tundra pickup truck for the 2022 model year, and Ram will add plug-in hybrids to its light trucks later this year. (General Motors doesn’t currently offer hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra, but there are rumors that the automakers are rushing to add plug-in versions.)
Automakers appear to be widening their bets by hybridizing pickup trucks. Overall, electric vehicle sales in the U.S. are still trending upward, but the once-soaring year-over-year growth rates are starting to slow. In the world of pickup trucks, EVs are still a small niche. Ford is happy to point out that its all-electric F-150 Lightning is the best-selling full-size electric pickup truck in the U.S., with sales up 55% in 2023 compared to 2022. But the Lightning is largely overshadowed by its internal combustion engine sibling. Ford sold more than 750,000 F-Series pickup trucks in 2023, of which only just over 3% were all-electric.
There are a few factors at play: Full-size electric trucks are significantly more expensive than their internal combustion-engine counterparts. Pricing for the 2024 F-150 Lightning starts at about $63,000 compared to $37,000 for a gasoline-powered car. The base-model Chevy Silverado EV starts at about $75,000. Pricing for the Rivian R1T starts at $70,000, and with Tesla’s promised $60,000 Cybertruck just canceled, you can’t buy one for less than $100,000 now.
