The Ford Escape is reportedly living on borrowed time, set to be discontinued following the 2026 model year and potentially replaced by a new all-electric vehicle on the lines at the Louisville Assembly plant. However, the Escape still remains a popular choice in the compact crossover space, which is hugely popular with American consumers, specifically, and chock full of competition. At the same time, it does seem as if the Ford Escape is losing some customers to one of its chief rivals – the Chevy Trax – according to a new report.
This new information comes to us from Experian’s Q1 2025 Automotive Consumer Trends & Analysis report, which revealed some conquest data as it pertains to a few popular crossovers – the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Tesla Model Y, and Chevy Trax. Turns out, in the first quarter of this year, 1.39 percent of all Trax buyers came from a Ford Escape, which was more than any other model. The Trax also conquested quite a few owners of the Buick Encore/Encore GX, as well as the Hyundai Elantra. Additionally, the RAV4 got 1.27 percent of its sales in Q1 from Escape owners, too.
The latest-generation Chevy Trax debuted for the 2022 model year with a base MSRP of $21,495, and it did so with more space than the outgoing model, as well as more standard equipment – making it a rather enticing bargain proposition for customers in this space. Now that the Ford Escape is reportedly set to be discontinued following a potentially abbreviated 2026 model year run, the Trax could certainly benefit from that absence, too.
On top of all that, as Ford Authority recently reported, the 2026 Ford Escape won’t be sold in six U.S. states, either – California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington – due to the implementation of new emissions regulations. As Ford Authority previously reported, the Louisville plant will undergo a major retooling in preparation for the production of a new all-electric model late this year, as the automaker has already submitted plans to the city outlining specific details pertaining to that action. That remodeling includes the addition of an electric vehicle charging station spanning 12,000 square feet, which is set to feature a canopy providing cover for 16 charging units and a substation.
Comments
Strange defection but at 1.4%, not a very big one. I’m not a huge fan of the current Escape (haven’t been since its 2020 intro) but neither am I of the Trax. Trax is cheaply made with a wheezing engine and extremely uncomfortable seats with too-short lower cushions, among some less major things. I can’t see Escape owners going to one unless money is really tight. I think this is a non-story, TBH.
The Escape with the price cut for the 2025 model year is a good buy, the 2.0 Liter makes it one of the faster models in the class plus the coolant intrusion was fixed years ago. The redesign in 2023 made it better looking, better interiors with the ST-Line.