The 2023 Ford Maverick is a relatively new option in the automaker’s pickup truck lineup, and it stands out as the smallest and cheapest pickup truck option that Ford offers. With that being said, not all truck shoppers are the same, and Ford offers options and accessories that allow owners to customize their Maverick to their liking. Here’s a look at the 2023 Ford Maverick and if its starting price tag is realistic at all.

Why the low price tag on the 2023 Ford Maverick is a big draw

Cars are expensive, and trucks are even more expensive. The F-150 is undoubtedly the company’s most popular vehicle, but its starting price tag of about $35,000 makes it more expensive than what many families can afford. Many truck owners don’t go for the bare minimum version either, and as such, many truck owners are paying over $50,000 for their trucks.

That’s one of the main reasons why the Ford Maverick is such a good option for truck shoppers. It’s a solid, well-rounded pickup truck that was made by the same company that made the legendary F-150, but it starts at just under $23,000.

On top of that, its top trims aren’t that much more expensive than the base trim, so drivers would still save money compared to buying an F-150. 

Here’s how much a realistic 2023 Ford Maverick build can cost

However, most car shoppers probably want to stick with the base trim. Ford only offers three trims right now. The XL is the standard trim, and it’s followed by the $25,000 XLT and the $28,000 Lariat trim. The XLT trim doesn’t add too many useful features to the base trim, so many drivers may want to skip it. The Lariat adds a lot of luxury features to the truck, such as synthetic leather upholstery, but most drivers can do without these features.

One of the great aspects about the Maverick is that, while Ford offers two engine options for the truck, shoppers can choose between the two for free. The compact truck comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid as standard, and it gets 191 hp. There’s an optional 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that gets 250 hp as well. The hybrid has a better fuel economy of 37 mpg combined, while the 2.0-liter gets 25 mpg combined.

That fuel economy difference is significant enough for most drivers to stick with the hybrid, but shoppers can’t go wrong with the 2.0-liter engine’s more powerful towing capacity since it’s the same price as the hybrid.

One option that most drivers want to add though is Ford CoPilot 360, which costs $650 and adds a lot of safety features to the truck. Ford has over 60 accessory options available, but most of them aren’t going to be necessary for the average driver.

The 2023 Ford Maverick’s starting MSRP accurately reflects what most people will spend

All said and done, a Maverick with those options has a realistic price tag of about $25,500. As such, the Maverick’s realistic price tag isn’t that different from the truck’s starting MSRP. It’s also worth noting that over $2,000 of that final price tag came from the destination charges and the acquisition fee that Ford charges. 

Since Ford has so many accessory options available, the true cost for a Maverick might be a few hundred dollars more than that depending on what the truck shopper is looking for. However, unless truck shoppers absolutely want a luxurious compact pickup truck, they’ll likely stick to the cheaper options available, and that makes the Maverick’s starting MSRP a realistic one.