Where each one leads
Ford Ranger
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Toyota Tacoma
- Against cars of the same year, the Toyota Tacoma comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 11% less often than average) than the Ford Ranger (fails 5% less often than average).
Too close to call: NHTSA overall safety rating; official combined fuel use, Canada (l/100 km).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Ranger | Toyota Tacoma | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1983–2026 | 1995–2026 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Ranger | Toyota Tacoma | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 71% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | −7% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | −5% | −11% |
| US owner complaints | 8,486 | 8,473 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Structure |
| Model year with most complaints | 1999 (755) | 2006 (782) |
| US recall campaigns | 102 | 56 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 2,870 | 6,751 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 43 | 12 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford Ranger | Toyota Tacoma | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2020) | 4★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Ranger | Toyota Tacoma | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 11.2 l/100 km (2026) | 11.2 l/100 km (2026) |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).