Is the Maverick a "Truck"?

Hey everyone,

I got into an argument with a buddy about my Maverick (2022 XL EcoBoost). I called it a “small truck,” and he insisted it’s not a truck at all but a “UTE.”

His argument: It’s not built on a truck frame but a car frame. Ford calling it a truck is just marketing and not an actual classification.

My argument: If it looks like a truck, does truck things, and even has a towing package capable of 4000 lbs, then it’s a truck. Ford markets it as a truck, my insurance calls it a truck, and if you asked 1000 people, most would agree.

To me, this feels like calling a tomato a fruit—it might be technically true, but in practice, it behaves more like a vegetable.

What do you all think? Who’s right?

  1. Who cares?

  2. My insurance and registration both classify it as a light truck.

  3. Also, tomatoes are fruit.

Vesper said:

  1. Who cares?
  1. My insurance and registration both classify it as a light truck.

  2. Also, tomatoes are fruit.

  3. Hot dog is a sandwich.

Finn said:

Vesper said:

  1. Who cares?
  1. My insurance and registration both classify it as a light truck.

  2. Also, tomatoes are fruit.

  3. Hot dog is a sandwich.

So tacos are sandwiches too?!

I just call it a pickup if people want to get technical.

Micah said:
I just call it a pickup if people want to get technical.

Which is short for ‘pickup truck.’ If it has a bed and can haul, it’s a truck. The whole ‘it’s not body-on-frame’ argument is just gatekeeping by people who use their truck as a personality trait.

It passes the shovel test: If you can toss a shovel in the back without worrying about it, it’s a truck.

It’s a pickup truck—just a smaller one.

Most half-ton trucks never haul anything heavier than a Maverick does. People act like an F-150 is a ‘real truck’ but then use it as a daily driver and never put anything in the bed.

If you want an official answer, the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations classifies the Maverick as a Light Truck. It meets all the legal requirements, including max towing and gross vehicle weight rating.

Your friend is splitting hairs. Trucks have traditionally been body-on-frame, but not always. The Suburban, for example, would be a truck by that logic.

Also, in some states, all pickups—including the Maverick—have to be registered as commercial vehicles. Mine was.

What’s a UTE?

Hart said:
What’s a UTE?

Think El Camino, Ranchero, or Subaru Baja—a car-based vehicle with a bed.

Ford calls it a truck. The government calls it a truck. My insurance calls it a truck.

Your friend, however, knows better because of YouTube.

And with a 1500 lb payload capacity, the Maverick is technically a ¾-ton truck.

No one cares. Does it have a truck bed? Yes? Can it haul and tow? Yes? Then it’s a truck.

For all intents and purposes, it’s a truck. If someone needs to go to the highest court of truck definitions to argue otherwise, they have too much time on their hands.

Insurance calls it a truck. The DMV calls it a truck. Car reviewers call it a truck. My cousin Chad, who only buys lifted diesels, says it’s ‘not a real truck.’

I think I know who I’ll trust on this one.

  1. My insurance calls it a truck.
  2. Rental companies call it a truck.
  3. Car magazines put it in the truck category.
  4. Ford lists it under the truck tab.

Oh, and Chick-fil-A labeled my order as ‘yellow truck.’ Good enough for me.

Former Subaru Baja owner here. You’ll always get people trying to argue about classifications. Just ignore them and enjoy your truck.

The ‘Chicken Tax’ (25% tariff on foreign light trucks) is why you don’t see more vehicles like the Maverick from non-U.S. brands. Otherwise, this segment would be booming.

So, yes, the government definitely considers it a truck.