Ford pulled off something no automaker has managed in Consumer Reports’ recent memory: winning the top pickup truck award in two categories at once. The 2026 Top Picks list, published earlier this year, named the Ford Maverick as the best small pickup and the Ford F-150 as the best full-size pickup, marking the first time in years that any full-size truck scored high enough to earn the designation. But the celebration comes with an asterisk: a recall covering more than 270,000 Ford electric and hybrid vehicles over a roll-away risk has put both nameplates back in the headlines for less flattering reasons.
Why the Maverick won
The Maverick Hybrid posted 37 mpg in CR’s own track testing, a figure no other small pickup comes close to matching. For context, the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Toyota Tacoma, its closest competitors in the segment, trail significantly in fuel economy, particularly in city driving. That efficiency advantage, combined with a starting MSRP around $25,000 for the base hybrid model, gives the Maverick a cost-of-ownership argument that’s hard for rivals to counter.
But CR’s overall score isn’t just a fuel-economy contest. It blends four weighted components: road-test performance, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. The Maverick cleared all four, which is what separates a Top Picks winner from a truck that simply tests well on the road. Predicted reliability, often the category where newer models stumble, draws on CR’s annual member survey, which for the current cycle covered hundreds of thousands of vehicles spanning model years 2000 through early 2026, according to CR’s reliability methodology.
The F-150’s surprise appearance
The bigger story may be the F-150. Full-size pickups have historically struggled in CR’s scoring system because the methodology doesn’t grade on a curve within segments. A truck competes against the same reliability and satisfaction benchmarks as a sedan or an SUV. That’s why the full-size pickup category has often gone without a Top Picks winner at all. The Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado have both fallen short in recent cycles, making the F-150’s selection a genuine shift rather than a default win in a weak field.
CR hasn’t published a granular breakdown of exactly where the F-150 gained ground, but the implication is clear: the truck improved enough in predicted reliability and owner satisfaction to complement what has long been a competitive road-test score. For a nameplate that sells roughly 750,000 units a year in the U.S., even incremental gains in survey data reflect a massive volume of owner experience.
The recall that complicates the picture
In early 2025, Ford issued a recall covering more than 270,000 electric and hybrid vehicles because of a defect that could allow affected trucks to roll away after being parked. The campaign covers 2025 and 2026 model-year Mavericks and 2022 through 2026 F-150 Lightnings, according to Associated Press reporting. No injuries have been publicly linked to the issue.
An important distinction: the F-150 that earned the Top Picks nod is the conventional gas-powered F-150, not the all-electric F-150 Lightning. The Maverick recall, however, does directly overlap with the award-winning hybrid powertrain. That matters because CR’s predicted-reliability scores were calculated before the recall reached full public visibility. If a significant number of 2025 and 2026 Maverick Hybrid owners report parking-brake problems in the next survey cycle, the reliability component could shift enough to affect future scores.
Owners can check whether their specific vehicle is affected through the NHTSA recalls portal using a VIN lookup.
How the competition stacks up
The Maverick’s win is partly a story about a thin competitive field. The small pickup segment has only a handful of players, and none of them match the Maverick’s combination of hybrid efficiency and low base price. The Hyundai Santa Cruz offers a more car-like driving experience but doesn’t deliver the same fuel economy. The Toyota Tacoma, redesigned for 2024, is larger and more capable off-road but starts thousands of dollars higher and drinks more fuel in daily commuting.
In the full-size category, the F-150 beat out the Ram 1500, which has been a CR favorite in past years for its refined interior and smooth ride, and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which has improved but still trails in owner-satisfaction surveys. The Toyota Tundra, while durable, continues to lag in predicted reliability for its current generation. The F-150’s win doesn’t mean it’s the best truck for every buyer, but it does mean it posted the strongest all-around score when every CR metric is factored in.
What shoppers should actually do
If you’re cross-shopping small pickups and fuel economy ranks high on your list, the Maverick Hybrid’s 37 mpg result gives it a real-world edge that EPA window stickers alone can’t convey. CR tests on its own track under controlled conditions, so that number is more trustworthy than manufacturer claims. At a starting price near $25,000, the Maverick also undercuts most competitors in the segment.
For full-size truck buyers, the F-150’s Top Picks selection is meaningful precisely because the bar is so high. It suggests that Ford has addressed enough of the reliability and refinement gaps that kept the truck off the list in prior years. That said, buyers should pay attention to trim and powertrain choices. CR’s scores reflect specific configurations, and a loaded F-150 Platinum with the PowerBoost hybrid may have a different reliability profile than a base XL with the 3.5-liter V6.
Regardless of which truck you’re considering, the recall deserves a practical response, not a panicked one. Ask the dealer to confirm the roll-away fix has been completed before taking delivery. If you’re buying used, run the VIN through NHTSA’s database and request service records. Recalls are routine across the auto industry; what matters is whether the repair has been done and whether the fix holds.
Where Ford’s truck reputation goes from here
The real test comes with CR’s next survey cycle. If Maverick Hybrid owners report that the recall fix resolved the issue cleanly and their overall ownership experience stayed positive, the truck’s reliability score should hold. If complaints persist or new problems surface, the Maverick could lose its Top Picks status as quickly as it earned it. The same logic applies to the F-150, though the gas model’s separation from the Lightning recall gives it more insulation.
For now, Ford holds a rare double win that no other automaker matched in 2026. The trucks earned it through CR’s most rigorous scoring process, not through marketing or editorial favor. The recall is a legitimate concern, but it’s a specific, fixable defect, not a wholesale indictment of either vehicle. Buyers who take the time to verify recall status and compare CR’s detailed scores against their own priorities will be better positioned than those who react to either the award or the recall headline alone.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
