This Pickup Beat Ford's Maverick In Consumer Reports' Best Cars Made In America List

Word from CarEdge is that a whopping 117 different new vehicle models have rolled off production lines across America in 2026. There's an abundance of choice if you want to support domestic manufacturing — or to potentially shield yourself from the worst effects of recent tariffs. 

But as with cars assembled anywhere else in the world, not all American-made vehicles are built the same. That's where Consumer Reports comes in; each year, the non-profit organization compiles a list of the best vehicles in each segment based on their performance in its tests and member surveys. This year's compilation doesn't differ much from the last few years', though the Honda Ridgeline muscled out perennial favorite Ford Maverick to become the best midsize pickup for 2026. 

The Maverick had been featured on CR's annual "Top Picks" list between 2023 and 2025. But in the U.S., Honda won out, and it wasn't the only brand to shake things up. Another new entrant, the BMW X3, also quietly snatched the luxury compact SUV crown from the Lexus NX. The two newcomers feature alongside regulars such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Subaru Crosstrek, and Subaru Forester in the top ten.

Although the Ridgeline's unibody construction is not to everyone's taste, there are other reasons as to why it received the distinction of being the best. We praised its handling in our review of the off-road-focused Honda Ridgeline Trailsport, but it's also worth noting that it's built off of the same platform as the previous-generation Pilot. That allows its handling and interior comfort to also feel familiar to those coming from that other model. 

Output is good, too. Every Ridgeline comes with a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 good for 280 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard, and it comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission. It manages 30 horsepower over the Maverick's most capable engine, the 2.0 EcoBoost found in the sport-tuned Ford Maverick Lobo and the more off-road capable Maverick Tremor. Its 5,000-pound maximum towing capacity also beats the Maverick's by 1,000 pounds.

Thus, it's come as little surprise that owners are happy with their purchase. Consumer Reports' data indicates that the Ridgeline is a high-scoring midsize pickup for driver satisfaction, with the 2026 model earning better-than-average scores. The one area in which it wasn't rated so well is reliability, where it scored average. But this shouldn't be too much of a dealbreaker, given Ridgelines have generally proved reliable over the years — as you can see from this list of the most reliable used pickup trucks you can buy. 

According to Honda itself, almost two-thirds of the brand's vehicles sold in the U.S. are from its American manufacturing facilities. Production of the Ridgeline takes place exclusively in Lincoln, Alabama at the Alabama Auto Plant (AAP), which has the capacity for 340,000 vehicles a year. 

The plant covers 4.9 million square feet, and the truck has been built there since 2009, after production for the North American market was moved from Canada. Likewise, production of the Ridgeline's 3.5-liter V6 engine is centered in Lincoln, but the nine-speed transmission is manufactured in Gray Court, South Carolina — which is the only transmission to be made there.

The Lincoln plant also builds the Honda Pilot SUV, Passport, and Odyssey Minivan alongside their engines. Like the Ridgeline, all three have their transmissions produced at a separate plant, though it's the Honda Transmission Plant in Tallapoosa, Georgia in their case. The Honda Accord and CR-V, for their own part, are built in plants based in Ohio.