Get Your Motors Running with These 2026 Award-Winning Fords

Americans love trucks – especially Ford trucks. The Ford F-Series has led the market for 49 consecutive years and been the overall best-selling vehicle for 44 years. Other Ford trucks and SUVs are award-winners, too. Recently, the 2026 Ford Bronco, Maverick, Transit van, Mustang and F-Series and Maverick pickups have all won prestigious awards.

Car and Driver

Car and Driver’s automotive experts really, really like vehicles built by the Blue Oval. For the “2026 Editors’ Choice: The Best New Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Minivans,” the editors drove about 450 different vehicles in 47 market segments, rating performance, features, value, driving enjoyment and technical data on acceleration times, braking distances, cornering grip, and interior sound levels. 

• 2026 Ford Bronco Sport (Compact SUV) won for off-road capability and features, and for the interior’s “practical touches.” It can “get farther out into the wilderness than most of its rivals.” That’s a big plus in outdoorsy Colorado.
• 2026 Ford Bronco (Mid-Size Two-Row SUV) earned a nod because, “Dunes, boulders, mountains  – no problem, multitude of off-road packages, every trim looks boss.” The 2026 Bronco Raptor noted for “high-flying off-road fun.”
• 2026 Ford Maverick (Compact Pickup) was called it out for practicality, gas or hybrid powertrains, ease of parking and urban driving. 
• 2026 Ford Ranger and Ford Ranger Raptor (Mid-Size Pickups) were favorites for their exterior design. The Ranger’s choice of engines, quiet cabin and smooth ride were selling points. The Raptor’s handling made it “a force of nature on any surface.”
• Full-Size Pickup winners were the 2026 Ford F-150 and F-150 Raptor. The F-150 scored highest for the variety of engines, cabs, beds and trims, as well as payload and towing capacity. The Raptor won for having two “tenacious” engines and being “massively capable off-road.”  
• The 2026 Ford Mustang (Muscle Car) had “impressive performance” and “comfortable retro-modern interior.
• Among Full-Size Vans, the 2026 Ford Transit stood out for its great configurability, comfort and turbo power.

Consumer Reports

The 2026 Ford Maverick and 2026 Ford F-150 were among CR’s 2026 Annual 10 Top Picks in New Car, Trucks and SUVs. The independent testing and reviewing organization annually tests for how well vehicles perform, incorporate safety and reliability and earn owner satisfaction. The Maverick won for affordability, choice of powertrain, spacious cabin and smooth ride, while the F-150 won for “strong powertrains, roomy cabin and simple controls,” as well as reliability, design and tech features.