Ever since Slate confirmed its $24,950 starting price, every compact truck enthusiast I know has asked me the same question: “Slate or Maverick?” and the answer is tougher to answer than I thought.
Having owned a Ford Maverick before switching to EV pickups myself, I get the hype. Both are compact, affordable, and promise truck utility without forcing you to maneuver a massive gas-guzzling full-size rig into tight parking spots.
Comparing sticker prices on paper is easy, but purchase prices don’t tell you what actually comes out of your bank account month after month. I calculated what both trucks cost to buy, fuel, and maintain over 120,000 miles.
The math didn’t turn out quite how I expected.
The Maverick’s Secret Was Never Just the Price
When I ordered my original Ford Maverick, affordable EV options didn’t exist. I needed a light-duty work truck that could commute without destroying my budget at the pump.
The surprising part? It never felt cheap.
I hauled loads of crushed granite in the bed, packed it full of hardware store supplies on weekends, and took it on long highway trips. Coming out of a midsize diesel truck, the cabin felt remarkably roomier than it looked from the outside.
Ford didn’t just build a low-cost truck. They built a practical, comfortable daily driver that happened to start under $30k. That was its superpower.
Slate Is Playing a Completely Different Game
Where the Maverick tries to be everything to everyone, the Slate feels like a purposeful throwback to basic, utilitarian work trucks. It cuts away modern automotive bloat, focusing strictly on compact functionality. Crucially, the entry-level Slate starts life as a bare-bones, two-seat single-cab pickup.
That seating configuration forms the core of the pricing strategy. The base two-passenger Slate pickup carries a starting price of $24,950. Upgrading to the five-passenger Squareback SUV configuration brings the entry point to $29,950, which sits slightly above the $28,145 starting sticker for a four-door, five-passenger electric pickup alternative like the Maverick Hybrid Crew Cab. Evaluating the efficiency savings of a base EV against a traditional hybrid first requires running the math on Slate’s $24,950 entry model before adding back passenger space or maintenance upgrades.
Breaking Down the 120,000-Mile Fuel & Energy Costs
Running the actual numbers over six figures of mileage turns a speculative EV debate into a stark reality check. Current national benchmarks, gasoline averaging $4.36 per gallon per the official AAA Gas Price Index and residential power sitting at $0.183 per kWh per the official U.S. Energy Information Administration—reveal the true financial picture over 120,000 miles:
Slate Base Electric Truck ($24,950 MSRP)
Energy Consumed: ~39,600 kWh (at 0.33 kWh/mile)
Home Charging Cost: $7,247 (at $0.183/kWh EIA avg)
Total Base Investment: $32,197
Ford Maverick Hybrid ($28,145 MSRP)
Fuel Consumed: 3,000 gallons (at 40 MPG combined)
Gasoline Cost: $13,080 (at $4.36/gal AAA avg)
Total Base Investment: $41,225
Ford Maverick EcoBoost 2.0L ($27,145 MSRP)
Fuel Consumed: ~4,615 gallons (at 26 MPG combined)
Gasoline Cost: $20,123 (at $4.36/gal AAA avg)
Total Base Investment: $47,268
Strictly on paper, plugging in a basic 2-door electric truck at home leaves you with a ~$9,000 total cost advantage over a Maverick Hybrid, and puts you nearly $16,000 ahead of an EcoBoost gas model before accounting for routine engine maintenance.
The Hidden Costs Most Comparison Guides Miss
While those savings look massive on a spreadsheet, real-world ownership is rarely that simple. Before placing a deposit on a budget EV, you have to look at the fine print:
The Public Fast-Charging Penalty: If you live in an apartment or don’t have a driveway for home charging, relying on public DC fast chargers (averaging $0.41/kWh according to AAA) drives your 120,000-mile electric bill up past $16,200, completely eliminating your fuel savings.
The “Two-Door” Dilemma: The base Slate only seats two people. The moment you upgrade to the 5-passenger Slate trim at $29,950, its purchase price actually exceeds a base Maverick Hybrid, shrinking the overall TCO gap significantly.
Maintenance vs. Real-World Overhead: An EV skips routine engine maintenance like oil changes, spark plugs, and transmission flushes. However, insurance rates on new EV brands run noticeably higher, and many state registries hit EV owners with $150–$250 annual registration surcharges to make up for uncollected gas taxes.
The Real Question Facing Truck Buyers
The Ford Maverick proved that Americans desperately want small, affordable trucks.
What Slate is testing is something much tougher: Are buyers willing to accept real compromises to go electric?
The Maverick succeeded because it asked you to give up almost nothing. It gives you four real doors, five seats, a usable bed, and over 500 miles of range per fill-up.
The Slate can definitely save you thousands of dollars if you charge in your garage and only need a basic 2-seat work truck. But if you need to carry family or gear, those long-term cost advantages shrink fast.
Over to You
If you were shopping for a compact daily truck today, would you stick with the 4-door, do-it-all usability of the Maverick Hybrid, or would you take a gamble on the operating savings of the Slate EV?
About The Author
Blake Lowry is a tech forward automotive enthusiast with a background in software development and animation working with clients such as Car & Driver, Hot Wheels, Google, Microsoft and the History Channel where he contributed on various interactive experiences. Blake’s automotive passion is centered around electric cars and trucks, alternative/green energy and practical applications in the real world. At Torque News, Blake’s articles focus on Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Slate Truck and GMC Hummer EV Pickup coverage.
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Images by Blake Lowry/Torque News, Ford, and Slate Auto