S-Tier:
Mandalay: Overtaking the long-reigning champion, the Anaconda, in terms of jump range, this marvel of engineering has the longest jump range we have yet to see. It provides ample space for all your modules and seems almost perfectly designed for exploration. You will not bring any fighters on your trips though, the Anaconda keeps that one single edge. But at the price of half a Phantom (or just above 10% of the Anaconda), this ship will soon enough be the exploration ship charting new systems throughout the galaxy. And all that in an easy to land medium size!
Diamondback Explorer: The ship of choice for any explorer with a small wallet or a love for the rough design. No sleek panels or fancy designs, just a metal box with some yellow painted stripes that will jump you to Beagle Point before your nav computer is done calculating the route. Jump range just below the Anaconda and handling like you could spin it on a needle, the DBX is the ship that will make you fall in love with exploration.
Asp Explorer: Needs no introduction. For those commanders who loved their DBX but needed just a little more leg room and a little better view out the cockpit windows. Great jump range, lovely handling, enough room for all essentials, this ship is ideal for all long range trips undertaken without the funds to take a Mandalay out there. The top and only choice for many commanders who never came back out of the black because they fell in love with the solitude and their ship.
Krait Phantom: Before the Mandalay, this was the ideal exploration ship for people with a lot of stuff. Enough space, a great jump range, what else do you need? It may not jump as far as the Anaconda, but you'll have a much easier time circling the star to your next destination, so you'll make up that lost jump range by faster jumps through each system.
Anaconda: When you can boast such a jump range and even fit a fighter bay to do some racing on newly discovered planets, what other tier even is there for you? If only it didn't handle like a city block in supercruise.
A-Tier:
Orca: Great jump range with a hint of luxury for your trip. Or at least for your passangers, not like you are allowed into the luxury suites you bought.
Krait Mk II: A great allround ship for most tasks in the bubble and a direct rival to the Python in most areas. The Krait has the edge in jump range but lower optional internal space. But still enough for all your essentials, so who needs even more space?
Hauler: Not a great exploration ship, lacking enough internal space and the jump range needed for long trips. But at this price point, anything that will fling you out there and not tear itself apart in the first jet cone is a great deal! If you're just starting out, taking a hauler down the road of riches is a surefire way to afford a better exploration ship.
Dolphin: Slightly less great jump range than the Orca but still a good showing by Saud Kruger. Great price for what you get, though there are better deals out there.
B-Tier:
Asp Scout: Nobody wants to fly the Asp-S when the Asp-X has defined a whole generation of explorers. But it is far cheaper than its bigger broter and lets you feel like you almost have the real thing. Nobody knows if it would benefit or suffer from not constantly being compared to the Asp-X, but at least it does most things it has to fairly competently.
Python: Outclassing the Mk II by a long shot, the original Python boasts more internal space at the correct class sizes to bring all you need in a compact package. Better suited for other roles, the Python can still do well as a short-range explorer. Even more so when transporting passangers, all but the most needy ones in luxury cabins.
Alliance Chieftain: It's not a good exploration ship, but with an alright jump range and just enough slots to bring all the gear you need, it can be forced into the role. And with a beautiful ship like this, I can fully understand any commander doing exactly this.
Type-7 Transporter: Enough space for all your stuff and surprisingly manoeuvrable considering the elegant coffin-shaped design.
Type-6 Transporter: It doesn't give you the greatest leg room out of all in this tier, but at least it's pretty cheap to get running. Outclassed by others in the same price range, you still get a competent little explorer for at least our arm of the galaxy.
Type-8 Transporter: You get a decent jump range with a lot of space. Not super cheap but at least you won't contract space-madness trying to get this ship to the nearest nebula.
Python Mk II: You get a decent jump range but way too many hardpoints and utility mounts for the amount of optional internals you can bring. The class 6 internal slot is also too big for the Guardian FSD booster, forcing you to either waste space or reduce your jump range in favour of a faster fuel scoop. But then you can't bring shields. A split class 6 into two class 5s (or even a class 5 and a class 4) would have been far better.
C-Tier:
Adder: This little bumpercar of a ship brings an impressive jump range to the table for the price. But with such lackluster internals and nothing setting it apart that much, it just falls flat relative to the competition. Not a bad choice, but outside of a few die-hard fans nobody's first choice either.
Imperial Clipper: Okay-ish jump range with enough space for a huge fuel scoop.
Imperial Courier: Good handling and fairly okay jump range. At least you'll look stylish in your camera suite drone footage!
Imperial Cutter: Huge space for all your stuff, but you won't get far with that jump range. Still, mighty impressive to bring out of the bubble!
Keelback: Good maneouverability but fairly poor jump range. You'll have fun flying, even if you don't get anywhere. Much better suited to stay close to the bubble and land on planets.
Cobra Mk III: The Mk III is like a tiny Python. It's pretty good at a lot of things. But like a tiny Python, being good at exploration is not enough to make a huge impression. A Jack of most trades, everything but exploration.
Beluga Liner: Oh the luxury! Oh no the price for that jump range...
Alliance Challenger: There is nobody in the black to challenge. Go with the Chieftain, you'll be glad for the extra jump range over larger internals.
Diamondback Scout: How did this ship get it all so wrong? With a big brother like the DBX, you'd think the small ship will save on internal space, perhaps even some core internals to keep the FSD as big as possible. A scout needs to do one thing after all: Jump ahead. But for some reason, it sits right in the middle when it comes to jump range. Perhaps it is a scout because it runs so cool and is hard to detect, but even then the DBX is the far more competent scouting ship. It would benefit greatly from a different design and name, not calling upon the myth, the legend that is the DBX. A comparison like that is lost no matter what the DBS brings to the table.
Eagle: Couldn't afford a ship that lets you bring a fighter into the black? Why not just fly the fighter itself out there? The eagle will let you zip around mountains and through canyons that nobody else has ever seen! Shame that it will take you months in supercruise to get there...
Imperial Eagle: Like the eagle, but fancy. Which is nice for anyone you meet, which will likely not happen on your trip. And for that offchance, you get to pay a little extra. It's the imperial way after all.
Viper Mk. IV: In all aspects worse than the Cobra Mk. III if your aim is exploration.
Vulture: Why you would ever think the Vulture is good for exploration is beyond me. Hardpoints are the most useless slots for these types of adventures and that is what the Vulture has been geared towards. You can take it out there, by there are better, cheaper, and better and cheaper alternatives out there. Unless you need to be really prepared for a xenos attack at least, but even then the Chieftain has been designed for exactly that fight. I suppose piracy between the bubble and Colonia is unexpected for all your victims, perhaps there's some money in that idea...
Sidewinder: Second worst maximum jump range out there, but the only ship you can get to its peak range for less than a million credits. Between that and some fairly good handling, bringing this "little ship that could" out into the black is a great way for explorers to really consider what modules they need and which they can go without. Just don't leave your fuel scoop at home, the Sidewinder doesn't have a big enough tank for that.
D-Tier:
Mamba: It's expensive, it has the internal space of a shoe box, and it will let you jump about as far as a frog without legs. This is the quintessential non-exploration ship. Woefully unprepared for anything that is more than 10k ls from the nearest station, outpost, or Carrier. It only takes the top spot of D-Tier because it looks so good that I really want to see it in front of Sag A*, and I have spent many hours pouring over the outfitting options to see how to make this work. Probably enough hours to just fly the thing there, but where would be the fun in that?
Federal Assault Ship: How this one remains terrible while being much better than its brothers is a mystery. Somehow it has a better range, perhaps because it lacks the same space as the FDS and FGS. You may not fit all your required modules in there, but at least you'll make it out of your home system before giving up.
Alliance Crusader: Fighting ships just don't do well in this category. The Crusader is an awesome ship that has strengths in all the areas irellevant to exploration.
Viper Mk. III: In all aspects other than price worse than the Mk. IV. Please just don't...
Federal Corvette: With a jump range like that, I'll be surprised if you even make it out the bubble. At least you'll never need to make a return trip with all your possessions in the ship.
Federal Dropship and Gunship: Let's be honest: There is nearly no difference between the two for exploration. You will not get anywhere, your fuel tank will be empty with each jump and you are hauling around a hull tank thousands of lightyears from the nearest threat.
Type-10 Defender: Unwieldy in supercruise and small jump range. It looks and feels like a small city. Probably because it's the size of a small city. You could probably start a colony with one of these.
Type-9 Heavy: Similar to T10, even smaller jump range. Unless you need to bring home a lot of Jaques Quinentian Still, this one is probably not the right choice. And even if you need to bring that much home, I'm almost sure two trips in an Anaconda will be faster and more enjoyable.
Fer-de-Lance: I'm sorry, did I say the Mamba was the antithesis to exploration? Unless you want to shoot a planet apart, taking the FDL out of the bubble is like bringing a circular saw and impact drill to a child's arts and crafts project. Not just the wrong tool for the job, but also wildly dangerous. At least it is technically possible to explore in this, points for being technically correct.
