The Ford Maverick outsold the Hyundai Santa Cruz by a striking margin in August, highlighting a widening gap between the two compact pickups. Ford sold 13,680 Mavericks during the month, up 14.4 percent from 11,956 a year earlier, while Hyundai’s Santa Cruz has managed just 13,191 sales for the entire year through August.
Ford Maverick Widens the Sales Gap
The August figures put the difference into sharp perspective: Ford sold more Mavericks in one month than Hyundai sold Santa Cruz models in the first eight months of the year.
Hyundai’s Santa Cruz total is down 30 percent from the same period in 2025. Ford, meanwhile, has sold 110,913 Mavericks year to date, roughly flat compared with where it stood a year ago.
The numbers suggest the gap is less about a sudden surge in Maverick demand and more about the Santa Cruz losing ground.
The Santa Cruz Is Hyundai’s Outlier
Hyundai’s broader U.S. sales performance does not show the same weakness. Overall brand sales are down just 2 percent year to date, while hybrid sales have increased 33 percent.
The Tucson and Santa Fe also posted record August numbers, making the Santa Cruz an outlier within an otherwise healthy lineup. The model’s decline is also why Hyundai has reportedly moved up its discontinuation timeline, which was originally planned for the second quarter of 2027.
Price and Efficiency Give the Maverick an Edge
The Maverick’s advantage is not necessarily its refinement. Autoblog’s comparison testing found the Santa Cruz more refined for day-to-day use, while Hyundai’s truck also has a higher towing rating of 5,000 pounds versus up to 4,000 pounds for the Maverick, depending on specification.
Where the Maverick has the stronger numbers is efficiency and pricing. Autoblog’s head-to-head comparison named the Maverick the segment winner for 2027, largely because of its standard 191-horsepower hybrid powertrain, which is rated at 38 mpg combined.
By comparison, the most efficient Santa Cruz configuration reaches 25 mpg combined. Hyundai’s turbocharged engine option also requires stepping up to a roughly $41,000 XRT trim for additional power.
Hyundai Is Moving Toward a Different Pickup
Rather than re-engineer the Santa Cruz to compete more directly with the Maverick, Hyundai is reportedly moving on to a larger, more traditional pickup aimed at the Toyota Tacoma.
That approach moves Hyundai away from another crossover-based competitor to the Maverick and toward a truck that targets a different segment. The Santa Cruz, meanwhile, continues to face a sharp sales gap compared with Ford’s Maverick.
