Best Pickup Truck To Buy 2024

Returning to the winners’ circle after taking the honors in 2022 as both Best Pickup Truck To Buy and our overall Best Car To Buy 2022, the Ford Maverick is The Car Connection Best Pickup Truck To Buy 2024. Like everything in life, this year’s best pickup truck to buy winner will take an explanation, though for some people no explanation is necessary.

The required explanation is because the Ford Maverick checks in with a TCC Rating of 6.5 out of 10, which doesn’t make it the highest-rated pickup truck on The Car Connection. That honor without question will once again go to the Rivian R1T, but that rolling piece of innovation is an expensive luxury vehicle. It’s not what’s best for most people. Same goes for the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV, both the Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and GMC Sierra 2500HD that all top the Maverick’s rating, but these too are not the best truck for most people.

Where things are interesting is the Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150, which check in respectively at 6.8 and 6.7 out of 10. But our editorial team, in a historical moment, all agree without arguing that the Maverick is the best pickup truck for most people, despite its lower rating. The Tundra is great on paper, but it lacks full-time four-wheel drive across its entire lineup, gets middling fuel economy despite the hybrid variant, and feels cheap even in expensive trims. The Ford F-150 is the Baskin-Robbins of pickup trucks with something for everyone, but it’s huge and expensive, bordering on a luxury truck in many trims at this point.

The Maverick shines with fuel-sipping fuel economy, just-right utility for most people, good ride quality, and a garage-friendly size.

The Maverick that grabs headlines is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 paired with a battery pack and electric motor for a combined 191 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque sent to the front wheels through a CVT. It’s a smooth, quiet operator that the EPA pegs at a headline-worthy 37 mpg, or it can tow up to 2,000 pounds.

Buyers looking to scoot or tow up to 4,000 pounds can opt for a 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The turbo-4 unlocks the box for optional all-wheel drive, which can also come with a rear locking differential. Ford added a Tremor model to the Maverick lineup with a lift kit paired with off-road shocks, all-terrain tires, and additional off-road drive modes. Opting for a Tremor model will drop EPA fuel economy ratings to the model’s lowest point of 20 mpg city, 24 highway, 21 combined. 

Despite its size the Maverick looks like a truck without clinging to big-truck cliches. Every Maverick has a crew cab and a short bed with tidy proportions. This is the truck children would draw if asked. It’s refreshingly simple and honest.

2024 Ford Maverick

Inside, the Maverick features as much plastic as a Cozy Coupe kid toy car, but it all feels right at a starting price of $24,995 for the Maverick XL or $26,495 for the Maverick hybrid. Smart colors make the Maverick’s interior feel fun and bright. An 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard. Loaded with every feature the Lariat AWD model with synthetic leather trim, heated front seats, a trailering kit, and roll-up tonneau cover will top $40,000, which is still nearly $6,000 less than the average new vehicle transaction price. 

Ford equips every Maverick with automatic emergency braking along with automatic high-beam headlights. Available (or standard on Lariat models) are blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and rear parking sensors. 

Every team member finds the Maverick to be a notable value and charming. That alone is a feat that makes this truck a winner.

Read all about the winners of The Car Connection’s Best Car To Buy 2024 awards as well as top honors from our sister sites, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports.