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Ford is one of the most popular automakers in terms of trucks, and just like many other automakers, Ford is transitioning toward an electric future. One of the ways that the Detroit-based automaker is doing that is by releasing electric versions of its popular models, and an example of that is the F-150 Lightning. That said, the Ford F-150 Lightning isn’t a perfect electric truck by any means, and here’s a look at what owners like least about it.

A gray Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck is driving on the road.
The Ford F-150 Lightning | Ford

What the J.D. Power owner survey revealed about the Ford F-150 Lightning

Just like many other car critics, J.D. Power sends out surveys to verified owners that will give the site some insight into what actual owners think about their cars. This survey is large as it surveys thousands of verified owners, and they each must’ve owned their car for at least 90 days, thus ensuring that they’ve put some mileage in. The key part of the study asks owners to rank their car in 10 categories. The higher the ranking, the better.

The Ford F-150 Lightning did well in a few important areas. The electric truck’s highest-rated area is its exterior styling. This is an important area to do well in, as drivers typically want to drive a good-looking car.

Drivers also liked the Lightning’s performance, as the truck’s electric motors allow it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. Seeing style and performance at the top of the list is definitely encouraging for Ford.

These are the areas that owners disliked about the Ford F-150 Lightning

At the other end of the spectrum, there were some surprising findings in terms of what owners disliked about the Lightning. In third-to-last place was the getting in and out category, and this makes sense since the Lightning is still a full-sized pickup truck. Like many other full-sized pickup trucks, they’re large and it can be difficult to physically get into one.

The second-to-worst category was the Ford truck’s infotainment system. This is surprising since the Lightning has a capable infotainment system. The truck comes with a 12-inch touchscreen display as well as a 12-inch digital instrument cluster. Owners can even upgrade the touchscreen into a 15.5-inch one. Despite that, owners didn’t like the truck’s infotainment system, and that may have to do with its usability. 

The one part of the Lightning that scored the worst is even more surprising. Owners ranked the electric truck’s fuel economy in last place.

This is surprising since the Lightning is a true EV, and thus, it doesn’t consume gas at all. As a result, its economy is certainly better than regular trucks, but there may be a logical reason why owners disliked this area of the Lightning.

It’s surprising that owners disliked the Ford F-150 Lightning’s fuel economy

Although it’s true that the Lightning is an EV and thus, it won’t consume gas, it does technically still consume fuel. Rather than burning gas or diesel though, the Lightning’s fuel of choice is electricity, and there’s a limited amount of electricity that’s stored in the truck’s batteries. As a result, it’s possible that Lightning owners aren’t happy with how efficiently the truck is using its electricity. 

Just like with a normal truck, the Lightning’s efficiency is relatively low, and this is primarily due to its size and power. Despite the fact that the truck starts with a massive 98-kWh battery, it only has an efficiency rating of 49.4 kWh per 100 miles, which only gives the truck a range of 230 miles as standard.

Owners can upgrade their battery into a 131-kWh one, and this will improve the truck’s range to 320 miles. Ford may want to consider trying to improve the baseline range of the F-150 Lightning, since it’s clear this is an area consumers want to see improved.

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