The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are compact pickup trucks that aren’t afraid of hard work. They’re also reasonably friendly to your fuel budget and have starting prices far below the larger midsize and full-size trucks.
For the 2025 model year, the Santa Cruz receives updated styling, a larger touchscreen, and wireless smartphone integration. Meanwhile, the Maverick debuts the Lobo street-truck and Tremor off-road trims, new styling, and improved tech. The standard engine is a hybrid, with the option of a 238-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder.
Let’s look at the highlights of the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick to see how they compare.
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz starts at $30,245, including a factory-to-dealer delivery fee. It comes in five trims: SE, SEL, SEL Activity, XRT, and Limited. The base engine is a 191-hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder paired to an 8-speed automatic. You have a choice of front-wheel (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), the latter of which adds about $1,500 to the bottom line.
Hyundai Santa Cruz Highlights
Optional turbocharged engine: The base engine keeps the Santa Cruz’s price low, though we suggest at least trying the optional turbocharged engine. Its 281-hp output significantly improves acceleration and towing capacity. Plus, it’s nearly as fuel-efficient as its unjuiced stablemate.
All-terrain XRT model: The Hyundai fits the Santa Cruz XRT with standard all-wheel drive, dark exterior trim, fender flares, alloy wheels with orange center caps, and side steps. It comes with the peppier turbo engine, too.
Clever cargo bed: The 4-foot-3-inch cargo bed measures 27 cubic feet in capacity and has a lockable in-bed trunk that can serve as a cooler. The upper trims have an integrated locking tonneau cover to keep valuables secure and hidden from prying eyes.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Hyundai Santa Cruz models for sale near you.
2025 Ford Maverick
The 2025 Ford Maverick was introduced for the 2022 model year. Instantly, it made a statement, thanks to its versatility and easy-going driving nature. The 2025 update brings new styling and two new trim levels. In addition, the hybrid is now available with all-wheel drive, and hybrid-powered Maverick trucks can now be equipped to tow 4,000 pounds, just like with the gas engine. Like the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Maverick uses a unibody chassis based on a compact SUV. This construction means the ride is smoother and the handling more agile than what you’d get in a traditional body-on-frame truck. Pricing starts at $29,840, including delivery charges. The Maverick’s base price would be roughly the same regardless of engine, except the gas engine is bundled with all-wheel drive for a $125 added charge. There are five trims: XL, XLT, Lobo, Lariat, and Tremor.
Ford Maverick Highlights
Fuel economy: The hybrid 4-cylinder engine offers an impressive EPA-rated 38 mpg combined city/highway fuel economy — downright phenomenal for a small truck. Behind the wheel, this engine feels more than capable in city and highway driving. In addition, all-wheel drive is now available, and the hybrid has a towing capacity of up to 4,000 pounds.
Tremor trim: The Maverick holds the advantage for anyone who wants to venture off-road. The new Maverick Tremor gets you a beefed-up suspension, additional underbody skid plates, 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, and locking all-wheel drive.
KBB trophy cabinet: We would be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t point out that the Maverick earned our Compact Truck Best Buy of 2025 Award. We noted its truck-like versatility and compact car fuel economy, not to mention its affordability and all-terrain prowess.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Ford Maverick models for sale near you.
Similarities
The Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick occupy a small niche of the truck world, though we think they go above and beyond expectations. Because their bodies are based on compact SUVs, they have easy-going driving manners and don’t guzzle gas.
Specifications
Specification table reflects the typical configuration of vehicles shown.
Pricing
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors.
The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for vehicles and New 2025 Ford Maverick vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership.
These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.
Conclusion
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a great pickup for people who probably never considered a truck in the first place. It has a quirky car-meets-truck design that conjures up memories of the Chevrolet El Camino or Subaru Brat (we’ll let you decide). However, in terms of truck capability, the Hyundai is a little too beholden to its small SUV roots. The Ford Maverick doesn’t have the max towing capacity of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, though it comes across as the more versatile and customizable choice here. We also love its outstanding economy in its hybrid format.