Ford Bronco vs Jeep Wrangler: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
On EPA ratings the 2025 Jeep Wrangler's best version gets 21 mpg combined against 20 mpg for the Ford Bronco.
Ford Bronco
20mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic
Jeep Wrangler
21mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.0L turbo 4-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic · 2-door
The cheapest Jeep Wrangler to fuel costs $2,950 a year at EPA's prices, $150 less than the cheapest Bronco. NHTSA lists 19 recalls for the 2025 Bronco and 6 recalls for the Wrangler.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Bronco | Wrangler |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 20 mpg 2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic | 21 mpg 2.0L turbo 4-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic · 2-door |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 20 mpg | 21 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | No | Plug-in hybrid 49 MPGe on electricity |
AWD or 4WD available | Yes | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $3,100 | $2,950 (clearly better) |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Costs $4,500 more | Costs $3,750 more (clearly better) |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 19 | 6 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 57 | 84 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | Not rated | Not rated |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 25.6% | 21.2% to 26.7% |
Marks the clearly better figure. Small gaps (under 2 mpg or 5%, $100 a year in fuel) and overlapping crash-test ranges are not marked, and recall and complaint counts are not scored because they depend on how many were sold.
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version of each, every model year since 2010. The Wrangler rated higher in every one of the 6 years both were sold.
- Ford Bronco
- Jeep Wrangler
2025: Ford Bronco 20 mpg · Jeep Wrangler 21 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Ford Bronco | Jeep Wrangler |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | – | 17 |
| 2011 | – | 17 |
| 2012 | – | 18 |
| 2013 | – | 18 |
| 2014 | – | 18 |
| 2015 | – | 18 |
| 2016 | – | 18 |
| 2017 | – | 18 |
| 2018 | – | 24 |
| 2019 | – | 24 |
| 2020 | – | 25 |
| 2021 | 21 | 25 |
| 2022 | 20 | 25 |
| 2023 | 20 | 25 |
| 2024 | 20 | 21 |
| 2025 | 20 | 21 |
| 2026 | 20 | 21 |
Recalls by model year
Safety recalls NHTSA lists for each model year. Counts depend on how many were sold and how long each model year has been on the road.
- Ford Bronco (left bar)
- Jeep Wrangler (right bar)
2026: Ford Bronco 10 recalls · Jeep Wrangler 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Ford Bronco | Jeep Wrangler |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | – | 10 |
| 2011 | – | 10 |
| 2012 | – | 9 |
| 2013 | – | 6 |
| 2014 | – | 4 |
| 2015 | – | 3 |
| 2016 | – | 5 |
| 2017 | – | 5 |
| 2018 | – | 14 |
| 2019 | – | 9 |
| 2020 | – | 13 |
| 2021 | 20 | 17 |
| 2022 | 23 | 16 |
| 2023 | 18 | 16 |
| 2024 | 16 | 14 |
| 2025 | 19 | 6 |
| 2026 | 10 | 3 |
More on each model
- 2025 Ford Bronco MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Ford Bronco by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Jeep Wrangler MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Jeep Wrangler by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Bronco or the Wrangler?
For 2025, the Wrangler. Its best version is rated 21 mpg combined; the Bronco's best is 20 mpg.
Which is cheaper to fuel, the Bronco or the Wrangler?
For 2025, the Wrangler. At 15,000 miles a year and EPA's fuel prices, its cheapest version to fuel costs $2,950 a year and the Bronco's costs $3,100, a difference of about $750 over five years.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
We compare the best-rated version of each model unless a row says otherwise. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.