2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Price: How High Is Too High?
How much are you willing to pay for a vehicle? This seems to be the question Ford is trying to answer with the continued price increases of the F-150 Lightning. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lighting starting price recently went up another $4,000. This now places this truck nearly 40% higher than its original stated base price.
What happened to the 2023 Ford F-150 Lighting being an affordable electric truck?
The first deliveries of this electric Ford pickup truck only began nine months ago, and we’ve seen the price steadily increase during that time. We highlighted the price gouging that some Ford dealers were guilty of earlier in the year, but this time, the price increase impacts all Ford F-150 Lightning models.
The original base price for this electric pickup truck was $41,669, and now it’s $57,869. This new starting price isn’t for a higher trim level, it’s for the fleet-focused Pro trim, which pushes prices of higher trims up further than before.
When is the price going to be too high?
Does a new model year justify increased Ford Lightning pricing?
If we didn’t put a calendar on it, the 2022 and 2023 versions of the Ford F-150 Lighting would be identical. We might see a few added options for the new model year, but the base truck is the same. How can Ford justify charging so much more for a truck that didn’t experience significant changes?
Motor1 reported that Ford is leaning on the increased materials prices, ongoing supply chain constraints, and other market factors. While we’ve learned of the supply chain issues and materials cost increases, the third factor sounds like a generic bin to try and “put lipstick on a pig.” It might make things sound a little better, but it’s still a pig in the end.
Are we being unfair to the 2023 Ford F-150 Lighting price increase?
The 2022 model steadily rose in price all year, and now the online configurator shows the 2023 version of the Ford F-150 Lightning at $7,100 more than the outgoing model. The new 2023 Lighting includes a standard-range battery that offers 240 miles of driving range compared to 230 for the 2022 model.
Other changes include adding standard heated seats to reduce the load on the HVAC system. Two new colors are also offered for the 2023 model of this electric truck. Are these changes enough to justify increased Ford Lightning pricing? Probably not.
Electric vehicle price increases at the bottom, work their way up
The increased base price of the Ford F-150 Lighting means the XLT model is also more expensive than before. The new starting price for the XLT is $65,365 for the model with a standard-range battery. Adding the extended range battery with 320 miles of driving range hits $82,869 for the Lightning XLT.
To put this price into perspective, the 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone costs $73,530, the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate costs $78,700, and the 2022 Ford F-150 Limited costs $79,660.
This means you could drive a gas-powered luxury-laden truck for less than the new starting price of the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT with the extended range battery. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning price increases don’t make sense.
Next, check out this electric truck towing test, or learn more about the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning in the video below:
