The $22,000 Side-By-Side Sticker Is Just the Start

The Can-Am Maverick X3 looks like a $19,999 ticket to the dunes. Off-road racer Emme Hall spent a day in the X3 RS Turbo at Johnson Valley, California, and walked out with a different total. The next round of spending, she laid out in a recent breakdown for SlashGear, goes to harnesses, spares, lights, and comms.

Hall has the resume to back the advice. She has competed in the Mint 400, the Baja 1000, and the Rebelle Rally. Her conclusion, drawn from a long list of must-have gear, is that the sticker is the cheap part, and the real cost of being trail-ready is what comes after.

The Sticker Is the Cheap Part

The Maverick X3 DS Turbo starts at $19,999, the X3 RS Turbo under $23,000, both before destination fees. The 135-horsepower motor comes standard, and speed demons can upgrade to 200 ponies. Can-Am lists 20-plus inches of travel in the suspension. The rig is built to be punished.

Hall tested the RS Turbo in Johnson Valley, California, scurrying up dunes, blasting across a dry lake bed, and tackling rocks and ruts with ease. Can-Am has had a run of dominance at the Dakar Rally and the King of the Hammers race lately, the kind of off-road résumé that gets towed behind RVs and parked at trailheads across the West. The X3 is the consumer version of that record, and the same sticker-versus-gear gap shows up across the off-road market, as one 2026 GMC Canyon AT4X off-road review made plain.

• Starting price (X3 DS Turbo): $19,999
• Starting price (X3 RS Turbo): under $23,000
• Engine (X3 DS Turbo): 135 hp Rotax ACE 900cc turbo
• Engine upgrade: up to 200 hp (Turbo RR)
• Suspension travel: 20 in. front and rear
• Ground clearance: 14 in.

The Safety Stack You Can’t Skip

Hall’s tester came with traditional three-point harnesses. Her verdict on those is a flat no. Side-by-sides are capable enough to drive beyond the driver’s limits, and once the rig is in that space, the standard belt does not hold. Her floor: a four-point harness. Can-Am sells a retractable set that lets the driver move in the seat. A static harness from a maker like the UTV harness and racing seat line at MasterCraft Safety lets the rider be snugged in tighter, and Hall prefers the static version for the way it holds the body in place.

Helmets are the next line item, and the standards split in a way buyers do not always realize. Can-Am recommends a DOT helmet. Hall prefers one with an SFI or Snell rating, which means it has been tested for motorsport use. DOT helmets pass minimum safety requirements for the pavement. A Snell or SFI helmet is rated for the abuse a side-by-side will deliver.

Neck restraints come from Nexgen or Hans, and the point is simple: they keep the head from snapping forward in a hard hit. Gloves are a small spend that pays off in grip and protection. A fire suit is optional for most recreational drivers, though the risk is real. During this year’s San Felipe 250, a side-by-side caught fire during pre-running, and both the driver and the co-driver suffered major burns. Fire is rare. It still happens.

Side-by-sides are so capable that it’s very easy to drive beyond your limits. Trust me, nothing good ever happens when you’re in that space.

Emme Hall, off-road racer and journalist.

The Flat-Tire Tax and the Tools to Beat It

The Maverick ships without a spare tire, and that is the single most common failure on the trail. Can-Am will sell the tire. Strangely, it will not sell the wheel, so the buyer is on their own to match a rim. Hall’s rule: buy at least two spares. A flat on Saturday should not leave the rig on jack stands for Sunday. The spares need to be strapped to the vehicle in a way that does not throw them off the chassis on a dune.

The other trail kit is more about the jack than the tire. A breaker bar and the correct size socket for the lug nuts are non-negotiable. Hall recommends an off-road jack, and points to the Pro Eagle line of off-road jacks and accessories as the kind built for the work. A roll bar mount keeps the heavy jack from bouncing around the cabin. A test run in the driveway reveals the small quirks: a special tool, a missing adapter, a strap that does not fit. The CVT belt swap is a separate skill to learn, and the belt is the second-most-common failure point on these rigs after flats. Can-Am sells a pre-selected tool kit, but most owners already have most of those tools.

1. Buy at least two spare tires, each matched to a wheel sourced on your own.
2. Mount the spares securely to the chassis (roll bar or rear rack mount).
3. Pack a breaker bar and the correct size socket for the lug nuts.
4. Bring a Pro Eagle (or comparable) off-road jack with a roll bar mount.
5. Strap the tool kit down in the passenger footwell so it does not move.
6. Practice a CVT belt swap at home before the first trail day.

Light, Whips, and the Dust Problem

A side-by-side can disappear in its own dust cloud, and the lighting that comes from the factory is not always enough. Hall’s starting point is a rear-facing amber light so other drivers can see the rig when visibility drops. The brand-name options live at Rigid Industries and Baja Designs, where the LED bars and pod lights are built for the dust and vibration. Can-Am’s own lighting catalog is fine, but the aftermarket has the deeper bench.

Lighted buggy whips solve a different problem. The tall poles stick up above the dust and rolling terrain, and they are mandatory in many riding areas. Buggy Whips carries the kind Hall points buyers to. The rule she repeats is plain: lights are to see and be seen.

The tool kit, if it is not already strapped down, will become a projectile somewhere in the first hour. The passenger footwell is a good home. Anything loose in the cabin ends up in the lap of the co-driver on the first hard landing. A test run in the driveway, with the jack, the breaker bar, the spare, and the kit, is the cheapest insurance a new owner can buy.

• Rear-facing amber light (Rigid Industries, Baja Designs, or Can-Am factory)
• Forward LED light bar or pod lights for night runs
• Lighted buggy whips (Buggy Whips or similar) for visibility above the dust
• A tool kit strapped to the passenger footwell, never loose

Talk to Your Co-Driver, and Everyone Else

Inside the cabin, the first must-have is a comms system. An intercom that plugs into each helmet is the floor, and it lets the driver and co-driver talk over engine and wind noise. A race radio adds the ability to call out to other rigs in the group, which matters the moment a vehicle is rolled over or stuck. Hall points to Rugged Radios or PCI Race Radios for the radio kit. Starlink Mini is showing up on more recreational vehicles for satellite internet, but a radio is the backup that does not depend on a satellite at all.

Navigation splits the trim levels. Some Maverick rigs come with a 10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay. Many trims ship without it, and the owner is on their own. The fix is a phone or tablet mount, plus a subscription to an off-road mapping app like OnX or LeadNav. The maps need to be downloaded before the trip. A paper map and a compass round out the kit, and they still work when the screen does not.

The Quiet Aftermarket Economy

The names that show up in Hall’s kit list read like a parallel industry, and that is the point. Mastercraft Safety, Pro Eagle, Rugged Radios, Rigid Industries, Baja Designs, Buggy Whips, OnX, LeadNav, Nexgen, and Hans each take a slice of the real cost of being trail-ready. The buyer pays each one separately, often without realizing how many specialists are between the showroom and the trailhead.

Can-Am offers two factory bundles that package some of this. The All-In-One runs upwards of $10,000 and includes necessary items like side mirrors, a tool kit, and a fire extinguisher. It also rolls in a $3,500 stereo system with a $640 amplifier, which Hall declines. The Essentials package is a more-reasonable $4,400 or so, though it still ships with door panels and fender flares that buyers may not want. The pricing pushes owners toward paying for items they did not ask for, and the aftermarket specialists pick up the rest.

The basic counts the All-In-One does cover are the ones that get skipped the most by first-time buyers. Side mirrors are missing from the base Maverick, and the rear-view mirror is the only one that comes from the factory. There is no back-up camera. A storage bag set and a roof are useful adds, and a windshield is a comfort choice that depends on whether the helmet is full-face. None of this is in the headline price.

What a buyer needs to add can run into the low five figures, depending on how deep the kit goes. Recovery gear, a water cooler, molle panels to mount a Rotopax of fuel, upgraded front and rear bumpers: each one is another small invoice, and the catalog keeps going.

What the Catalog Doesn’t Tell You

Hall’s list is not the end of the spend. Recovery gear, a cooler for water, molle panels to attach a Rotopax of fuel, upgraded front and rear bumpers all sit in the long tail. A buyer could drop the next three paychecks on the off-road toy and still not have gone through the whole catalog. The Maverick is a relatively affordable way to get into the wilds, but the true cost is the one the brochure does not print.

Two operating rules, however, are free. Ride with another rig, because two side-by-sides are always better than one. Take some off-road driving instruction, and read the principles on the Tread Lightly off-road ethics site before heading out. The instruction costs less than the gear. The ethic that keeps trails open for everyone costs nothing at all.

The Maverick is a blast to drive, and the price of entry is real but reachable. The next line on the bill is the one that catches most first-time owners, and it is paid to a stack of specialists the showroom never named.

Two side-by-sides are always better than one.

Emme Hall, off-road racer and journalist.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Can-Am Maverick X3 cost?

The 2026 Maverick X3 DS Turbo starts at $19,999 and the RS Turbo under $23,000, both before destination fees, per the official Can-Am Maverick X3 model page. Higher trims like the DS Turbo RR begin at $24,599, and the line runs up through the R-series.

What accessories do you need for a Can-Am Maverick?

Off-road racer Emme Hall’s short list, drawn from decades of competition and a fresh test in the RS Turbo: a four-point harness, a Snell or SFI-rated helmet, neck restraints, two spare tires with a matched wheel, an off-road jack, a tool kit, CVT belt-swap knowledge, an intercom, a race radio, amber rear lights, and lighted buggy whips.

Does the Maverick X3 come with a spare tire?

No. The Maverick ships without a spare, and Can-Am sells the tire but not the wheel. Buyers have to source a matched wheel on their own and strap a spare (Hall recommends at least two) to the chassis.

What helmet is best for a side-by-side?

Hall prefers a Snell or SFI-rated helmet over the DOT-rated one Can-Am recommends, on the grounds that SFI and Snell helmets are tested for motorsport use, while DOT helmets meet the minimum bar for the pavement. The same logic applies to the harness: a four-point, motorsport-rated setup is the floor, not the standard three-point.

How much does a side-by-side cost to be trail-ready?

The full bill depends on the bundle and the kit, but Can-Am’s own All-In-One accessory package runs upwards of $10,000, and the Essentials package around $4,400. Add the aftermarket specialists Hall points to (Mastercraft Safety, Pro Eagle, Rugged Radios, Rigid Industries, Baja Designs, Buggy Whips, OnX, LeadNav, Nexgen, Hans), and the real trail-ready cost lands well above the sticker.

Do you need a radio in a side-by-side?

For a solo run on a familiar trail, an intercom for driver and co-driver is enough. For group rides, Hall recommends a race radio in addition, both to talk to other rigs and to call out a stuck or rolled vehicle. Rugged Radios and PCI Race Radios are the brands she names.