The average new car price is sky-high, reaching an all-time high of $52,000 in 2026. Once upon a time, $30,000 was the magic mark that seldom got flirted with, but now we live in a world where the sub-$20,000 car doesn’t even exist anymore. $30,000 is the new $20,000.
If you’re looking for any semblance of performance, very few automakers give you more than 200 horsepower for that amount of cash. But one stands out as a performance bargain, giving you more horsepower for less than $30k than anyone else. It’s not a sports car or even a hot hatch. It’s not even a crossover. It’s a Ford pickup.
The Ford Maverick Is A Performance Bargain
250 Horsepower for $27,145
2025 Ford Maverick XLT FX4 Desert Sand Front Angle Off-Road DrivingFord
Designed to occupy the compact truck segment, which only has one other entry at this stage, the Ford Maverick slots in below the Ranger and F-150 in Ford’s pickup truck lineup. Unlike those body-on-frame pickups, this unibody truck shares a platform with the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport. It’s been a sales success since day one, largely owing to its affordable price tag.
For 2025, you could get a Maverick for just $23,920, but for 2025, a mild facelift has brought along a higher price tag. Despite the increase, the Maverick remains an affordable powerhouse, starting at $27,145. For that, you get the 2.0 EcoBoost engine as standard. In previous model years, the 2.5-liter hybrid was the default engine, but Ford swapped that around. The 250-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger is now standard fitment, and available with front-wheel drive, and not limited to all-wheel drive models as before. You now have to pay $1.000 extra for the hybrid powertrain.
On the XL trim, the Maverick comes standard with 17-inch steelies. To us, that makes it even cooler. An Oxford White Maverick EcoBoost on steelies is the ultimate sleeper.
2024 Ford MaverickFord
The Best Bang For Your Buck Of Any Sub-$30k Car In America
There’s simply no sub-$30k car on sale in the US that gives you more power than the Maverick, with the closest being the 268 hp of the Dodge Hornet GT, but there were only 80 of those left at the time of writing.
Ford charges you $109.66 for every horsepower the Maverick EcoBoost XL produces. Its closest rival is the Toyota Camry, and you have to pay $127.56 for each of its 227 horses. That’s quite a big gap.
That’s an overall strong showing from Ford, placing it just outside the top 10 cars with the cheapest horsepower in America. The difference is that the rest of those cars vary in price, all of which start at over $30,000 and many go beyond $50,000.
The Maverick’s Unique Spot In The Market Is A Target For Other Automakers
2025 Ford Maverick Lobo Blue Front Angled ViewFord
Ford pulled a bit of a masterstroke when it introduced the Maverick back in 2022, as it relaunched a market segment that had been laying dormant: the compact pickup truck. It’s ideal for those who need to move around plenty of stuff, but don’t need larger vehicles like the Ranger or F-Series. Not only is it more compact and easier to swing around tighter areas like cities, but the Maverick can also be sold for significantly less than the larger offerings.
None of Ford’s major rivals, such as Toyota and Chevrolet, have currently brought out a rival for the Maverick in the newly established battleground. This makes it pretty unique in its field currently, with the Hyundai Santa Cruz its closest competitor. The Maverick is superior in pretty much every way though, as not only does it have a lower starting price, but its engines are also more effective.
The Maverick Has Few Rivals To Take On
2025 Ford Maverick XLT Blue Side View Being LoadedFord
Lower-end versions of the Santa Cruz come with a non-hybrid 2.5-liter inline-four with 191 hp. While possessing the same power as the hybrid Maverick, its fuel efficiency is significantly worse off at an average of 25 MPG on the AWD version. A more powerful 281 hp variant is available, though you’ll need to fork out over $40,000 for the privilege. It also only has a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 lbs with AWD. As far as value for money goes, the more powerful and stronger Maverick is definitely the one to have compared to its Korean rival.
The Slate recently entered the market as America’s cheapest pickup truck with a base price of $24,950. We had a good time driving this new electric truck, but it can get quite expensive when you start adding some of the many options.
Sources: NPR, Ford, Hyundai
