The Most Reliable Truck Got Discontinued Because No One Wants It
Sorry, the most reliable truck has been sent out to pasture. It’s possible that drivers didn’t give the only Ford Maverick fighter a chance before it was too late. However, its abysmal sales have caused the automaker to pull the plug on the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
The most reliable truck just got discontinued
Drum roll, please! The most reliable truck is the Hyundai Santa Cruz. However, being dependable apparently doesn’t make a truck worth buying because drivers have shunned this Ford Maverick competitor.
According to the U.S. News, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz has a reliability rating of 88 out of 100, which is great. It’s above-average.
The score comes from J.D.Power which ranks vehicles based on surveys it sends to customers, allowing them to report any problems they may have faced. Anything between 70-80 is average, while scores between 81-90 are above-average, and scores between 91-100 are best.
The 2026 Ford Maverick earned a score of 85, so it’s only three points behind the Santa Cruz. It must have had a few more issues reported, but this difference isn’t enough to influence drivers.
In 2025, the Maverick sold 155,051 trucks. It experienced an 18.2% sales increase year-over-year. Meanwhile, the Santa Cruz sold 25,499 models for a 31% sales decrease.
Hyundai has discontinued the Santa Cruz due to low sales and high inventory. Production is already coming to a halt. But the Korean automaker isn’t done with trucks. It’s building a more rugged, mid-size truck with a body-on-frame build.
However, the Ford Maverick has a unibody construction, so the Santa Cruz didn’t fail due to not being tough enough. It doesn’t have a hybrid engine like the Maverick, is more expensive, and doesn’t have a traditional truck style.
