Compare the2026 Ford Bronco SportVS 2026 Lexus UX

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ford Bronco Sport 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 Lexus UX has not been tested.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco Sport. But it costs extra on the UX.

The Bronco Sport (except Big Bend/Heritage) offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The UX only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Bronco Sport has standard Cross Traffic Alert with rear Cross Traffic Braking, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Parking Support Brake costs extra on the UX.

Both the Bronco Sport and the UX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Lexus UX:

	Bronco Sport	UX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	33%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	371 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	123/237 lbs.	376/433 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	290
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	94 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	385/291 lbs.	345/566 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 Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Lexus UX:

	Bronco Sport	UX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	205 lbs.	323 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	46 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	255	292
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	512 lbs.	919 lbs.

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

There are almost 12 times as many Ford dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The UX doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

The Bronco Sport’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (200 vs. 152) than the UX’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 54 more horsepower (250 vs. 196) and 128 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 152) than the UX’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Lexus UX:

	Bronco Sport	UX
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17.3 sec	20.6 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.5 sec	7.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.3 sec	4.3 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.3 sec	5.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.5 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	90 MPH
Top Speed	125 MPH	111 MPH

Both the Bronco Sport and UX have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Bronco Sport has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Bronco Sport has 5.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the UX (16 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Bronco Sport has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The UX doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Bronco Sport stops much shorter than the UX:

	Bronco Sport	UX
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the Bronco Sport Sasquatch’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the UX (235/65R17 vs. 225/50R18).

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the UX; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco Sport’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the UX (105 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco Sport is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the UX.

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport Base/Big Bend has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the UX (7.8 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Bronco Sport’s minimum ground clearance is 2.5 inches higher than on the UX (8.8 vs. 6.3 inches).

The Bronco Sport is 3.9 inches shorter than the UX, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Bronco Sport uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The UX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The UX doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Bronco Sport has 15.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the UX (105.6 vs. 90.4).

The Bronco Sport has 4.3 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, 5.4 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear legroom, 1.1 inches more rear hip room and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the UX.

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the UX (32.5 vs. 17.1 cubic feet).

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The UX’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco Sport has a 2200 lbs. towing capacity. The UX has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco Sport uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The UX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Bronco Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The UX uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The power windows standard on both the Bronco Sport and the UX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Bronco Sport is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The UX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The UX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Bronco Sport’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The UX’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Bronco Sport offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The UX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Bronco Sport and the Lexus UX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Lexus UX by almost 16 to one during 2025.