Ford Maverick Lobo Among 2026 North American Truck Of The Year Candidates

Over the past few years, Ford has racked up quite a few North American Truck of the Year (NATOY) awards, which is notable given the fact that this is among the more prestigious automotive accolades that exists. Given Ford’s commitment to trucks, in general, this comes as little surprise, and with each passing year, we continue to see at least one Blue Oval hauler receive a nomination – and more oftentimes than not, an outright victory. This year, that’s once again the case, as the Ford Maverick Lobo is among the candidates for 2026 North American Truck of the Year.

The sporty Ford Maverick Lobo will be competing against a few rivals and one of its lineup mates for 2026 NACTOY – the Ford F-150 Lobo, Ram 1500 Hemi, Ram 2500, and Rivian R1T Quad Motor. Along with Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year, the NACTOY awards seek to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year, which serve as benchmarks in areas including design, safety, innovation, handling, user experience, value, and driver satisfaction.

What makes the NACTOY award unique is that it’s determined by an independent jury of automotive enthusiasts across the U.S. and Canada, rather than just a single publication, website, or other venue. In the coming months, those jurors will evaluate each of these vehicles in a variety of areas and come up with a list of semifinalists and finalists, after which a winner will be chosen.

The Blue Oval certainly has a good shot at bringing home NACTOY for 2026, given its recent track record. Back in 2021, the redesigned Ford F-150 won NACTOY, and the next year, it was joined by the then-new Ford Maverick. The new-for-2023  Ford Super Duty brought home that same prize in 2024, and just this past year, it was followed by the recently redesigned Ford Ranger, too.