There are four distinct Ford vehicle lines which have used the Courier name:

• 1950s American utility van
• 1991–2002 European van
• 1998–present Brazilian pick-up
• 1972–83 American pick-up and 1972–present Australian and New Zealand pick-up

In the United States in the 1950s, the Ford Courier was a six- or eight-cylinder panel van based on a contemporary sedan. The line ran till 1957.

The European Courier is a small "high-cube" van based on the Ford Fiesta and produced from 1991 until 2002 by which time the sixth-generation Fiesta had been announced, the eventual replacement for this and the Ford Escort van being known as the Ford Transit Connect (commercial version) or Ford Tourneo Connect (passenger version).

The name was also applied to a small pickup truck of similar layout produced by Ford in Brazil. It is based on the 1998 model of the Ford Fiesta. This model is also assembled in South Africa, where it is known as the Ford Bantam.

Its load capacity is 700 kg. The Mk IV 1.4 16v Zetec-SE has a top speed of 170 km/h and can accelerate from 0-100 KM/h in 12s. The Mk V 1.6 8v Zetec-Rocam model has top speed of 180 km/h and can accelerate from 0-100 KM/h in 10s.

In North America, Australia and New Zealand, the Courier was a compact pick-up built by Mazda which dated from the 1970s. It was discontinued in North America with the introduction of the Ford Ranger, though it continues in Australia and New Zealand as a badge-engineered version of the Mazda B-Series. It is currently built in Thailand.

Confusingly, the same Ford Courier is called the Ford Ranger in every other market outside North America, Australia and New Zealand, but it is unrelated to the American Ranger.