The Cheapest New Ford Isn’t A Cramped Hatchback Or Sedan
It wasn’t too long ago that you could buy several cheap, affordable Ford models for around $20,000 or less, but those days are gone. The Fiesta, Focus, and EcoSport were some of the cheapest Ford cars that were perfect for first-time buyers, but all have been discontinued.
Today, you’ll have to spend almost $30k to buy the cheapest Ford model on sale. However, it’s not a small hatchback nor a compact sedan. Once we interrogated the data, it became clear that the Ford’s cheapest car is a pretty good deal, despite its price going up recently. So what model are we talking about?
The Cheapest New Ford Is The Maverick XL Pickup Truck
By a slim margin, the 2025 Ford Maverick XL is the Blue Oval’s cheapest new model, starting at $28,145 before options or the destination charge of $1,695. The next cheapest new Ford is the Escape, which begins at $29,515 – every other new Ford begins at over $30,000.
By choosing to re-enter the compact pickup segment, Ford has found a way to offer buyers something practical, rugged, and efficient, all packaged in the form of a truck, the body style preferred by a large percentage of Americans. It’s little wonder that Maverick sales are so strong.
The Maverick’s smaller footprint and unibody underpinnings have helped keep costs down compared to the Ranger, but is it worth the price? Furthermore, how does the cheapest Maverick compare to its only rival, the Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Maverick XL Looks Basic, But That Works For A Truck
The 17-inch steel wheels, absence of fog lights, and lack of chrome finishes leave no doubt that this is a basic pickup, not a range-topper. However, while a poverty-spec sedan or sports car may be visually disappointing, a basic pickup is entirely sensible. After all, these vehicles are supposed to be used for towing, camping trips, and carting around awkwardly shaped items. With this in mind, the Maverick XL’s looks are appropriate.
It’s still a modern-looking truck, although Ford’s recent facelift plonked a slightly awkward slab of metal around the bottom of the grille, and not everyone loves it. The following standard features can be found on the Maverick’s exterior:
- Six tie-downs
- Flexbed storage system
- LED reflector headlights
- 17-inch Sparkle Silver steel wheels
You can choose from colors like Velocity Blue and Eruption Green if the commercial look is a bit too unsettling, and there are a wide range of other options to customize the bed area and exterior.
Functional And Basic Interior, But Infotainment Is Modern
Black Onyx cloth seats can be found inside the Maverick XL’s cabin, and there are no alternatives on this trim level for livening up the appearance. You can also expect many hard plastics, but the base Maverick doesn’t feel flimsy.
Being the cheapest Ford on sale, seats must be adjusted manually, there is no automatic climate control, and the best safety features are baked into an optional package. The following interior features are standard:
- 13.2-inch touchscreen and eight-inch digital gauge cluster
- Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
- Manual, single-zone air conditioning
- Remote keyless entry
- Six-way manual driver’s seat
- Pre-collision system with automatic emergency braking
For $795, you can add the Ford Co-Pilot 360 pack with blind-spot monitoring, reverse parking sensors, lane-keep assist, and more.
Efficiency Or Performance: Take Your Pick
The standard powertrain for the Maverick XL is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid with 191 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque. Power goes to the front wheels only via a CVT, and if all of that sounds uninspiring, consider that this is the most efficient pickup on the market: The Maverick hybrid returns 42/35/38 mpg city/highway/combined with FWD.
For only $125, you can select the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbocharged engine. This automatically adds all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, but more importantly, outputs rise to a healthy 250 hp and 280 lb-ft.
Naturally, efficiency drops significantly with the EcoBoost, which gets 22/30/25 mpg, but it’s by far the more potent performer, and we appreciate that Ford charges almost nothing for the upgrade, giving buyers the flexibility to choose efficiency or power.
Properly equipped, the Maverick can tow up to 4,000 lbs. That’s minimal for a truck, but very good when compared with similarly sized crossovers.
How Does The Maverick XL Compare To Its Only Rival?
Hyundai
Only one other automaker builds a compact pickup truck, and that’s Hyundai with the Santa Cruz. In entry-level SE guise, the Santa Cruz starts at $28,750, which means the price gap between these two has almost closed entirely. For several years, the Ford undercut the Hyundai comfortably, but a series of price increases – and the likely implication of tariffs – has seen the Maverick’s price rise steadily.
The base Hyundai Santa Cruz gets a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine that matches the Maverick hybrid’s power (191 hp), but is far less efficient (25 mpg combined). Given that the Maverick EcoBoost still undercuts the Hyundai, the Ford wins this category.
Furthermore, at this price point, the Ford can tow 500 lbs more, has a more spacious bed, and boasts a better payload.
The Hyundai claws back some points in its interior, which feels more modern. You also get standard lane-keep assist, blind-spot collision warning, and rear cross-traffic alert on the Santa Cruz, all of which cost extra on the Ford.
If you want a small truck that feels more like a crossover, get the Hyundai. But if you want a small truck to do truck stuff with, the Maverick wins.
Other Affordable New Fords
If you want an affordable Ford at around the $30k mark but don’t fancy a pickup truck, the brand has two other options worth looking at.
Ford Escape: $29,515
Ford
Slightly pricier than the Maverick, the base Ford Escape Active offers the typical compact SUV experience. It’s nimble enough in the city, smooth enough on the highway, and has reasonably handsome looks. It’s better specified than the base Maverick, with standard alloy wheels and dual-zone climate control, so this is the preferred choice if you don’t need the versatility of a truck.
Ford Bronco Sport: $30,995
Ford
As good as the Escape is, the Bronco Sport is even better. In Big Bend form, it starts at $30,995, and gets a standard 4×4 system with various driving modes for different terrains. The butch looks are great, and the 180-hp EcoBoost engine is efficient.
