Ford Maverick Owner Reports $17,750 Savings but Gives Up Towing Capacity

A Ford Maverick owner says choosing the compact pickup instead of the least expensive Ford F-150 saved $17,750 in purchase and gasoline costs over 27,000 miles. The comparison puts a five-figure number on the economic benefit of downsizing, but it also comes with a major limitation: the Maverick cannot match the towing capability of a properly equipped F-150.

The owner attributed $14,000 of the total savings to the Maverick’s lower purchase price. The other $3,750 reportedly came from reduced gasoline use during the first 27,000 miles. In other words, nearly four-fifths of the claimed advantage existed when the truck was purchased, while the remaining savings accumulated with mileage.

That breakdown is important because fuel economy alone did not produce the headline number. The reported gasoline savings work out to about 13.9 cents per mile, but the precise result depends on fuel price, the F-150 used as the baseline and the powertrain installed in the Maverick. The owner did not identify the Maverick model or provide full configuration details for either truck.

Torque News checked the fuel calculation using gasoline priced at $4.27 per gallon, identified as the AAA national average at the time. It found the reported result attainable if the owner drove a Maverick Hybrid rather than the EcoBoost version. Without the exact model, equipment, transaction prices and driving conditions, however, this remains one owner’s comparison rather than a cost result that can be applied to every Maverick.

The purchase-price gap does most of the work

The example illustrates why vehicle size and acquisition cost can matter more than one isolated efficiency figure. A less expensive vehicle can reduce the amount financed and the money exposed to depreciation, while a hybrid powertrain can continue lowering fuel expense as mileage accumulates.

AAA’s 2026 Your Driving Costs analysis reinforces that broader pattern. It estimates the average new vehicle costs $12,863 annually to own and operate, with depreciation remaining the largest single expense. AAA also found hybrids cost less annually than gasoline vehicles in each of the four comparison categories it studied, including pickups.

Vehicle category created an even wider divide. AAA calculated an operating cost of $1.10 per mile for half-ton pickups, 48 cents more than small sedans. Its methodology includes depreciation, financing, fuel, maintenance, repairs, tires, taxes and registration over five years and 75,000 miles. The Maverick owner’s $17,750 figure is narrower because it combines only the reported purchase-price difference and gasoline savings, not every ownership expense.

Lower cost buys less towing capability

The engineering tradeoff appears when the trucks are asked to pull a trailer. A Maverick with the 4K Tow Package can tow up to 4,000 pounds, according to Torque News. Without that package, the limit is 2,000 pounds. Both ratings are well below the capacity available from a properly equipped F-150.

That difference is more consequential than a specification-sheet contest. Trailer mass, frontal area and sensitivity to wind can affect how suitable a tow vehicle feels in actual use. Torque News writer Blake Lowry said crosswinds encountered while towing a camper exposed limitations serious enough that he canceled his Maverick order. His experience is another individual case, but it demonstrates why a trailer’s weight rating is not the only consideration for an owner who tows regularly.

The comparison therefore depends on mission fit. A driver using a truck primarily for commuting, carrying smaller loads and occasional light towing may be able to retain the functions they need while avoiding much of the cost associated with a full-size pickup. An owner who regularly moves a heavier trailer may find that the F-150’s additional capacity is essential rather than optional.

Lowry separately reported spending about 5 cents per mile to charge an electric F-150 Lightning, compared with 11.5 cents per mile for gasoline in a Maverick Hybrid. That operating-cost result does not resolve the broader comparison because it excludes purchase price and does not make the two trucks equivalent in towing use. The more complete lesson from the owner’s reported $17,750 saving is narrower: downsizing can remove substantial purchase and fuel expense, but only when the Maverick’s 2,000- or 4,000-pound towing ceiling still covers the work the truck must perform.

By Thomas Caldwell — AMI’s senior editor for mechanical and mobility engineering, covering vehicle electronics, systems integration, electrification, chassis systems, propulsion, and safety policy.