Does the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Still Work at $60,000?
When Ford announced the F-150 Lightning, it marked the start of mainstream truck manufacturers exploring the world of EVs. To some, a fully-electric F-Series truck might seem a bit sacrilege, but it seems like plenty of folks are interested in the Ford Lightning. There’s just one problem; this electric truck is no longer the relative bargain it was on its release.
Is the Ford Lightning affordable?
Although I wouldn’t call this electric truck affordable, it certainly used to be cheaper than it is now. When the 2022 Ford F-150 Lighting first went on sale, it had a starting price of around $40k. And while that’s not cheap, it seems like a bargain for a fully-electric pickup truck.
But at this point, that same truck will cost you nearly sixty grand, which is much more than the initial entry-level price. But if you want an electric truck, there’s really nothing currently being sold that matches the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning.
The 2023 F-150 Lightning Pro is an expensive work truck
It’s pretty clear that the Ford F-150 Lightning Pro is aimed at fleet buyers and those who want a work truck. It has vinyl seats, a plastic steering wheel, and does not come standard with keyless entry. Outside of the large touchscreen and digital gauge cluster, the 2023 Lightning Pro does feel like your traditional work truck.
That is, except for that $60k price tag and the fact that there’s no internal combustion engine under the hood. Even in the Pro trim level, this truck makes 452 horsepower and 775 pound-foot of torque. Those aren’t numbers you will see in a Ford F-150 XL.
Why is the Ford Lightning so expensive?
Ford has stated that the price increases are due to material costs, market factors, and ongoing supply chain issues. But because the increase in price has happened so quickly, you have to wonder if that’s all that is going on. According to Autoblog, a lack of competition might be influencing the MSRP of this electric truck.
Sure, there’s the Rivian R1T and Hummer EV truck, but those are not doing what the F-150 Lightning is doing. The Rivian truck is smaller, and good luck finding a Hummer EV that you can actually get at this point.
The Chevy Silverado EV and Ram 1500 REV are not here yet. You might be able to reserve those battery-powered trucks, but they have not started arriving at dealerships or in people’s driveways.
This entry-level electric truck has some sacrifices
Unless you are a commercial customer, the F-150 Lightning Pro does have some sacrifices. The biggest of these is the battery pack. The Blue Oval limits the larger battery pack on the Pro to commercial buyers. And that means regular folks can only get the Lightning Pro with 240 miles of range.
That also impacts towing capacity and how much horsepower this electric pickup has. So, is the base 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning actually worth it? I’ll leave that up to you. You could get a well-equipped gas-power F-Series truck for the same amount of money.
