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 | $2,700 | $2,700 |
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 | 46 | 118 |
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 2010. The Ranger rated higher in 7 and the Tacoma in 1 of the 10 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 24 | 22 |
| 2011 | 24 | 22 |
| 2012 | – | 22 |
| 2013 | – | 23 |
| 2014 | – | 22 |
| 2015 | – | 22 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8 | 13 |
| 2011 | 5 | 9 |
| 2012 | – | 7 |
| 2013 | – | 6 |
| 2014 | – | 4 |
| 2015 | – | 4 |
| 2016 | – | 4 |
| 2017 | – | 5 |
| 2018 | – | 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
Which gets better gas mileage, the Ranger or the Tacoma?
Neither, for 2025. The best version of each is rated 23 mpg combined.
How do the Ranger and the Tacoma compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Ranger is rated 4 stars overall and the Tacoma is rated 4 stars overall. 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 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.