Ford Ranger vs Toyota Tacoma: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
The 2025 Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma tie on EPA's best combined rating at 23 mpg.
Ford Ranger
23mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic
Toyota Tacoma
23mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.4L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · 4WD · 8-speed automatic
NHTSA lists 13 recalls for the 2025 Ranger and 5 recalls for the Tacoma.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Ranger | Tacoma |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 23 mpg 2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic | 23 mpg 2.4L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · 4WD · 8-speed automatic |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 23 mpg | 23 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | No | Hybrid 23 mpg |
AWD or 4WD available | Yes | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $2,800 | $2,800 |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Costs $2,500 more | Costs $2,500 more |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 13 | 5 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 40 | 98 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | 4 stars | 4 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 22.8% to 27.9% | 18.5% to 19.8% (clearly better) |
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 2016. The Ranger rated higher in 5 and the Tacoma in 1 of the 8 years both were sold; they tied in 2.
- Ford Ranger
- Toyota Tacoma
2025: Ford Ranger 23 mpg · Toyota Tacoma 23 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Ford Ranger | Toyota Tacoma |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | – | 21 |
| 2017 | – | 21 |
| 2018 | – | 21 |
| 2019 | 23 | 21 |
| 2020 | 23 | 21 |
| 2021 | 23 | 21 |
| 2022 | 23 | 21 |
| 2023 | 23 | 21 |
| 2024 | 22 | 24 |
| 2025 | 23 | 23 |
| 2026 | 23 | 23 |
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 Ranger (left bar)
- Toyota Tacoma (right bar)
2026: Ford Ranger 8 recalls · Toyota Tacoma 0 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Ford Ranger | Toyota Tacoma |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 | 5 |
| 2018 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 | 11 | 4 |
| 2020 | 7 | 1 |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 |
| 2024 | 13 | 6 |
| 2025 | 13 | 5 |
| 2026 | 8 | 0 |
More on each model
- 2025 Ford Ranger MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Ford Ranger by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Toyota Tacoma MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Toyota Tacoma by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
How do they compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Ranger is rated 4 stars overall and the Tacoma 4 stars. Rollover risk is 22.8% to 27.9% for the Ranger and 18.5% to 19.8% for the Tacoma.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 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.