Best Year for a Used Ford Explorer to Buy
The 2021 to 2023 model years. They sit in the middle of the sixth generation, so the rear-drive-based platform had a couple of years to settle, Ford Co-Pilot360 is standard, the hybrid is still available, and they price well under the refreshed 2025 and newer cars.
Start here
The Ford Explorer Generations, Quickly
One dividing line matters more than any other on this vehicle, and it falls in 2020.
| Years | Generation | What defines it |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 to 2019 | Fifth | Front-drive-based unibody. The generation that turned the Explorer from a truck into a family crossover. EcoBoost engines and the Sport and Platinum trims arrive during its run. This is the value end of the used market today. |
| 2020 to 2024 The pick lives here | Sixth | All-new CD6 platform, rear-drive biased and shared with the Lincoln Aviator. Ford Co-Pilot360 driver assistance standard. Timberline arrives for 2021. The only years in which you can buy an Explorer Hybrid. |
| 2025 to now | Sixth, refreshed | Midlife update to the same generation, not a new one. New LED headlights, grille and front skid plate, a full-digital cluster and a 13.2-inch screen. Trim lineup consolidated and the hybrid dropped. Tremor replaces Timberline for 2026. |
Why the 2020 line matters so much: the fifth generation was built on a front-drive architecture and the sixth was not. The Explorer moved to CD6, which is rear-drive biased, and it is the same platform underneath a Lincoln Aviator. You feel it in how the SUV puts power down and you see it in what it will tow. If your shortlist spans 2019 and 2021, you are comparing two genuinely different vehicles that share a badge.
The pick
Why 2021 to 2023 Is the Sweet Spot
Every new platform gets better in its second and third years, and the Explorer is no exception. The sixth generation launched for 2020, and the cars built from 2021 onward are the ones that benefited from Ford having lived with it for a while. Published buying guides consistently put 2022 among the strongest years in the whole range, and rate the 2021 to 2023 window as the best balance of modern equipment and sensible money.
Standard equipment is the second reason. Ford Co-Pilot360 comes on these as standard rather than as an option box somebody may or may not have ticked, which means automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping without having to hunt for a specific build. On a used family SUV, standard safety equipment is worth more than almost any other feature, because it takes the guesswork out of shopping.
Third, and this is the one people miss: the hybrid. The Explorer Hybrid was only sold from 2020 through 2024 before Ford dropped it from the retail lineup for 2025. If a hybrid three-row is what you are after, this window is the only place to find one, and there were never many built.
2024 Explorer XLT, 20,290 miles, stock P3259, photographed on our lot in September 2026. It is the same pre-refresh sixth-generation Explorer as the 2021 to 2023 years above. Vehicles pictured may no longer be available.
The one-line version: a 2022 Explorer gives you the modern platform, standard driver assistance, and a price that has already taken its biggest depreciation hit. That is the whole argument.
Alternatives
Three Other Years Worth a Look
The best year on paper is not always the best year for your budget. Here are the three that most often win instead.
2024
The last of the pre-refresh sixth generation, and the most developed version of it. Still available with the hybrid, still rated well in published guides, and it sits just under the 2025 cars on price purely because the styling changed the following year.
2019
The final year of the fifth generation. A completely known quantity by now, cheaper than anything on the newer platform, and perfectly good if you mostly need three rows and a school run rather than a tow rating. Buy on service history rather than on mileage.
2025 and up
If the 13.2-inch screen, the digital cluster and the updated cabin are what you want, this is where they start. You pay closer to new for it, and you give up the hybrid option entirely, since it left the retail lineup at the same time.
A note on how to actually decide: pick two model years rather than one before you come in. Used inventory is not a catalogue, and a shortlist of one turns into a wasted afternoon the moment that vehicle sells. Check what is here now and call before you drive up.
Inspection
What to Check on Any Used Explorer
None of this is Explorer-specific. It is what you should do before buying any three-row SUV from anyone, and it matters more than which year is printed on the title.
Current-model-year Ford Explorer shown for illustration. Fold every seat on the actual vehicle you are considering.
- Recall status. Run the VIN and confirm every open recall shows completed. It is free, it takes a minute, and it is the single highest-value check on any used vehicle.
- Service records on a turbocharged engine. Both EcoBoost engines want their oil changes on schedule. Documented maintenance beats low mileage every time.
- Hybrid history, if it is a hybrid. Ask how it was driven and what has been done to it. Short trips forever is a different life than highway miles.
- Underbody, if it came from a snow state. Explorers move around the country. Get underneath it or have someone who will.
- Every seat, folded and unfolded. Third row up, third row down, second row moved. Power-folding hardware is worth testing rather than trusting.
- Tires and brakes. A three-row SUV is heavy and consumes both. Four matching tires with real tread left is worth money at the negotiation.
- Fleet history. The Explorer is widely used in fleet and police service, and those vehicles live very different lives. The history report tells you.
The shortcut, if you would rather not do all of that: look at certified pre-owned and at CarFax one-owner vehicles. You pay more up front and a lot of this work has already been done and documented.
Trims and engines
Which Used Explorer Trim to Shop For
Across the sixth generation the volume trims were XLT and Limited, with ST at the performance end, Platinum at the luxury end, and Timberline as the off-road-leaning option from 2021. The 2025 refresh consolidated all of that, so a used car from 2020 to 2024 gives you more trim choice than a new one does.
The 2.3L EcoBoost four-cylinder is the standard engine across most of the range and is the one most used Explorers have. The 3.0L EcoBoost V6 lives on ST and Platinum. The 3.3L hybrid V6 is its own thing and only appears in the 2020 to 2024 window.
Seating is an options question, not a model-year question. A second-row bench seats seven, second-row captain's chairs seat six. Check the actual vehicle, because both were built in volume every year.
Current-model-year Ford Explorer shown for illustration. Seating configuration varies by vehicle.
If towing is part of the plan, read the door jamb and the window sticker on the specific vehicle rather than a number you found online. Rating depends on engine, drive configuration and whether the tow package was fitted, and it changed across the generation. The current Explorer is rated at 5,000 lbs on every trim, but that tells you nothing about a 2019.
Cross-shopping something newer? The current Explorer research page covers today's trims and specs, and the new Explorer inventory is worth a look before you commit to used. Sometimes the payment gap is smaller than people expect.
Back to topQuestions
Used Ford Explorer Questions
What is the best year for a used Ford Explorer?
The 2021 to 2023 model years. Those sit in the middle of the sixth generation, so the rear-drive-based CD6 architecture had a couple of years to settle after its 2020 launch, Ford Co-Pilot360 driver assistance is standard, the hybrid is still on the options list, and prices sit well below the refreshed 2025 and newer cars. Published buying guides consistently rate 2022 among the strongest years in the range.
What changed with the 2020 Ford Explorer?
Everything underneath. The 2020 model year started the sixth generation and moved the Explorer onto the CD6 platform, which is rear-drive biased and shared with the Lincoln Aviator. The fifth generation, 2011 through 2019, was front-drive based. The change shows up in how the SUV drives and in what it will tow, so it is the single most important dividing line when you are shopping used.
Is a used Ford Explorer Hybrid worth looking for?
If fuel cost matters, yes, and the window is narrow. The Explorer Hybrid was sold from 2020 through 2024 and was dropped from the retail lineup for 2025 after a low retail take rate. That means used is the only way to get one, and there are not many out there. Ask how it was driven and confirm the service history, the same as you would with any used hybrid.
What is the difference between a 2024 and a 2025 Ford Explorer?
The 2025 was a midlife refresh of the same generation, not an all-new vehicle. It brought new LED headlights, a new grille and front skid plate, a full-digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch screen, and it consolidated the trim lineup. The 2024 is the last of the pre-refresh cars, which is exactly why it is the value end of the sixth generation right now.
How many miles will a Ford Explorer last?
Maintenance decides this more than the model year does. A turbocharged engine that got its oil changes on schedule will outlast one that did not by a wide margin, regardless of which year it left the factory. Ask for service records, confirm every open recall shows completed, and weight a well-documented higher-mileage vehicle over an undocumented low-mileage one.
Should I buy a used Explorer or a certified pre-owned one?
Certified pre-owned costs more up front and comes with an inspection and additional warranty coverage behind it. On a three-row SUV that a family will keep for years, that is usually money well spent. Look at both on the same visit, compare the total cost rather than the sticker, and decide with the two vehicles side by side.
How many people does a used Ford Explorer seat?
Seven with a second-row bench, six with second-row captain's chairs. Which one a specific vehicle has is an options-sheet question, not a model-year question, so check the actual SUV rather than assuming. If three across in the second row is the whole reason you are buying, the bench is what you want.
Sources: generation and platform history from the published Ford CD6 platform record and Ford Explorer generation guides; strong-year assessments from independent used-car buying guides rather than from us; recall status is free to check by VIN at NHTSA, and per-configuration fuel economy is at fueleconomy.gov. Always verify specifications against the window sticker on the specific vehicle.
Also worth reading: the same guide for the used Ford Escape if a two-row crossover would do the job for less money.
Back to topWhat These Years Actually Look Like on the Lot
Every photo below is a used Explorer that was sitting on Fort Campbell Boulevard when this guide was written, not a studio car. It is the same body, interior and screen layout you are shopping for in the 2021 to 2023 window.
2024 Ford Explorer XLT, 20,290 miles, stock P3259, photographed at Pennyrile Ford in September 2026 and shown to illustrate the pre-refresh sixth-generation Explorer. Vehicles pictured may no longer be available; check current inventory for what is on the lot today.
Come Look at a Few Side by Side
Reading about model years only gets you so far. Sitting in a 2022 and a 2024 in the same afternoon settles it in about ten minutes. We are on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Hopkinsville.
Pennyrile Ford, 5505 Fort Campbell Boulevard, Hopkinsville, KY 42240