Compare the2026 Honda RidgelineVS 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Ridgeline deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Ridgeline’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Ranger Raptor’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Honda Ridgeline achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Ford Ranger Raptor has not been tested.

Full-time four-wheel drive is standard on the Ridgeline. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Ranger Raptor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Ridgeline uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Ranger Raptor uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Ridgeline and the Ranger Raptor have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Ridgeline is safer than the Ford Ranger Raptor:

	Ridgeline	Ranger Raptor
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	110
Neck Injury Risk	27%	29%
Neck Stress	166 lbs.	281 lbs.
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	34 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	41/39 lbs.	144/203 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	32%	34.9%
Neck Stress	121 lbs.	152 lbs.
Neck Compression	56 lbs.	75 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Ridgeline is safer than the Ford Ranger Raptor:

	Ridgeline	Ranger Raptor
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1.2 inches
Abdominal Force	129 lbs.	195 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Ridgeline is safer than the Ranger Raptor:

	Ridgeline	Ranger Raptor
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	.98 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	121	184
Neck Tension	22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	1.18 in	1.57 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	379 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The engine in the Ridgeline has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Ranger Raptor has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Ridgeline’s reliability 14 points higher than the Ranger Raptor.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in long-term dependability. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ford is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 11th.

On the EPA test cycle the Ridgeline gets better mileage than the Ranger Raptor:

			MPG
Ridgeline
		3.5 SOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy
		TrailSport 3.5 SOHC V6	18 city/23 hwy
Ranger Raptor
		3.0 turbo V6	16 city/18 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Ridgeline’s fuel efficiency. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Ridgeline uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Ranger Raptor requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Ridgeline has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Ranger Raptor. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Ridgeline stops much shorter than the Ranger Raptor:

	Ridgeline	Ranger Raptor
70 to 0 MPH	180 feet	223 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	151 feet	Motor Trend

The Ridgeline’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Ranger Raptor’s standard 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ridgeline has standard 18-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Ranger Raptor.

The Ridgeline has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Ridgeline has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Ford Ranger Raptor has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Ridgeline has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Ridgeline flat and controlled during cornering. The Ranger Raptor’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Ridgeline Black Edition handles at .80 G’s, while the Ranger Raptor pulls only .68 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ridgeline Black Edition executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Ranger Raptor (27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

The Honda Ridgeline may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 950 pounds less than the Ford Ranger Raptor.

Unibody construction lowers the Ridgeline’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Ridgeline uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ridgeline has 11.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Ranger Raptor (109.7 vs. 98.3).

The Ridgeline has 3.2 inches more front hip room, 4.9 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 2.5 inches more rear hip room and 4.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ranger Raptor.

A low lift-over bed design makes loading and unloading the Ridgeline easier. The Ridgeline’s bed lift-over height is 35.3 inches, while the Ranger Raptor’s liftover is 36.5 inches.

The Ridgeline has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Ranger Raptor (1583 vs. 1373 lbs.).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 20% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

When the Ridgeline RTL/Black Edition is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Ranger Raptor’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Ridgeline and the Ranger Raptor offer available heated front seats. The Ridgeline Black Edition also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Ranger Raptor.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Ridgeline Black Edition keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Both the Ridgeline and the Ranger Raptor offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Ridgeline has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Ranger Raptor doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Ridgeline, based on reliability, safety and performance.