2025 Ford F150 Lightning

In many ways, the expectations of an electric truck’s performance are tougher than any other electric vehicle (EV) out there. It has to tow, go off-road, and still serve as a family ride on the weekends – everything people expect a gas-powered full-size truck to do. The Ford F-150 Lightning continues to be our top pick in the electric truck segment because it is a well-rounded truck that exceeds expectations. It has much of the baked-in goodness of the F-150. It even shares the F-150’s styling. The F-150 Lightning has an impressive range, the lowest starting price in its class, and a terrific roster of features focused on work, safety, and convenience.

The Ford F-150 Lightning competes in a small class of electric pickup trucks that includes the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, as well as the Rivian R1T and the Tesla Cybertruck. We also expect to see the all-electric Ram REV arrive at dealerships soon.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of electric pickups, including the Ford F-150 Lightning.

While the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning is mostly a carryover, there are some notable minor changes. The NACS adapter and cord now come standard, rather than as an added cost. Instead of a standard spare tire, a tire inflator and sealant kit are standard, and the spare is an available option. In the color palette, Space White replaces Avalanche. The biggest loss is that the smart hitch and onboard scales were discontinued for the entire F-150 lineup for 2025.

While the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning has the lowest starting price in its segment, remember that it is for the base Pro trim, which you can only build and price at Ford’s Ford Pro website. Realistically, the base model for consumers is the XLT trim. The good news is that it’s still the lowest price in the segment. In addition, the popular Lariat is a very well-equipped trim level that’s easy to recommend.

The F-150 Lightning’s closest rivals, the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV and Rivian R1T, start above $70,000. The Tesla Cybertruck starts at over $80,000. And the GMC Sierra EV, which is only available as the Denali for 2025, starts at over $90,000.

Before buying an F-150 Lightning, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

The Lightning is surprisingly quick off the line, with a manufacturer-estimated zero-to-60 time as low as 3.8 seconds. That makes it one of the fastest models in the F-150 lineup, and is especially impressive considering this is not a lightweight pickup. That thrust comes courtesy of the 580-horsepower dual-motor extended-range powertrain, which powers all but the XLT trim, which comes standard with a 452-horsepower dual-motor setup. All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard, with an electronic locking differential. Both powertrains deliver 775 lb-ft of torque.

Not only is the F-150 Lightning quick, but acceleration is smooth, predictable, and linear. And there is no shortage of power on reserve for passing on the highway. The one-pedal driving mode makes dealing with stop-and-go city traffic easier to deal with. On the highway, the optional BlueCruise hands- (and foot-) free system is very user-friendly and makes highway driving more pleasant.

No, there is no V8 rumble. That leaves the cabin especially quiet, with only minor road and wind noise sneaking in. The result of gobs of power on hand, a smooth ride, comfortable seats, and a quiet interior is a luxurious, serene drive. The only thing that could make it better is the Active Motion massaging seats in the Platinum trim.

Range and Charging

The Ford F-150 Lightning gets an EPA-reported range of up to 320 miles with the extended-range battery and up to 240 miles with the standard battery. The Platinum trim, which comes standard with an extended battery, gets 300 miles of range. For comparison, the range of the Rivian R1T is between 258 and 420 miles, depending on the configuration, and the Chevrolet Silverado EV with extended-range battery is rated for up to 408 miles (492 in the Work Truck and LT).

What does the Lightning look like inside? There is no question this truck is a part of the F-150 family, which is evident the second you get behind the wheel. The cabin is spacious, with blocky accents on the dash and contrasting gray and black throughout. Seats are either cloth in the XLT, ActiveX leather alternative in the Flash Lariat, or premium Nirvana leather in the Platinum.

It has enough unique high-tech and convenience details to make the Lightning distinctive. For example, a 12-inch touchscreen comes standard, and a 15.5-inch screen is optional. The digital gauge cluster is reconfigurable to show range, steering angle, and more. Higher trim levels come standard with Ford’s clever interior work surface; fold down the transmission shifter and unfold the top of the center storage lid to create a handy work space.

Every F-150 Lightning has a crew cab body with 43.6 inches of rear legroom. Good news: That’s the same amount of space as the crew cab of the gas-powered F-150. It’s also quite a bit more space than the smaller Rivian R1T, which only has 36.6 inches of backseat legroom.

That F-150 family resemblance is strong here, too. If it weren’t for the telltale LED strip that flanks the headlights and runs along the edge of the frunk, you’d think it was a gas F-150. While there aren’t multiple bed and cab choices for the F-150 Lightning — every Lightning has a crew cab and a 5.5-foot bed — there are three wheel designs (18-, 20-, and 22-inch), an available twin-panel moonroof, and a choice of optional running boards. You can also get a power tailgate and a tailgate step. Exterior badging and chrome work vary depending on trim level.

Open the hood of the F-150 Lightning, and you’ll find a sizable “frunk” instead of an engine, with 14.1 cubic feet of room. For reference, that’s roughly the trunk size in the Honda Civic. Some clever features inside include power outlets, a cargo net, and a floor panel that can flip up vertically and act as a divider.

Pro Trailer Hitch Assist
This feature controls the steering, throttle, and brakes to make light work of hitching up a trailer. It’s part of the Tow Technology package, optional in the lower trims, and standard in the upper versions.

Mega Power Frunk
Yes, a frunk is to be expected on an electric truck. But the Mega Power Frunk, which is standard, has four 120-volt outlets. It also has a USB-C outlet and a USB-A outlet to keep your devices topped off. Oh, and did we mention it can carry pounds of payload?

Pro Power Onboard
Whether you’re planning your next tailgate party or need to power tools at the job site, Pro Power Onboard adds even more plug-in power options — beyond those in the frunk — that can be found in the truck bed. Up to 11 outlets have up to 9.6 kW of available power.

SYNC 4A
The SYNC 4A infotainment system in the F-150 Lightning comes standard with a 12-inch screen, and it’s available with a bigger 15.5-inch screen. Standard infotainment features include Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Ford Co-Pilot360
Standard safety features like automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring add safety and confidence to every drive.

BlueCruise
The available BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving system allows for hands-free driving on highways mapped by Ford. It covers over 130,000 miles of highway in North America.

A 98-kWh battery comes standard in the XLT trim, with 452 hp and 240 miles of range. An extended-range 131-kWh battery is standard in the Flash, Lariat, and Platinum models, with 580 hp and 320 miles of range. Both are backed by a single-speed transmission, and all-wheel drive is standard. The standard battery gets an EPA efficiency rating of 68 combined MPGe, and the extended-range battery gets up to 70 MPGe (66 MPGe in the Platinum trim).

According to EPA estimates, the monthly fuel costs of the F-150 Lightning are lower than the F-150 with the standard V6 engine and 4-wheel drive (4WD) by a factor of about $150/month. The Rivian R1T is slightly more efficient, but its estimated fuel costs are similar to the Lightning’s.

Towing and Payload

The F-150 Lightning boasts an impressive maximum tow rating of up to 10,000 pounds and a max payload capacity of 2,000 pounds, but a word of caution is in order. Third-party tests have shown that towing makes a drastic impact on range. According to real-world testing, the F-150 Lightning Platinum with a full charge only gets about 100 miles of range when pulling a camper weighing around 5,000 pounds.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Like its gas-powered counterpart, the Ford F-150 Lightning is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Additionally, the battery is covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty. This coverage is about typical for a mainstream-brand EV.

Safety

The Ford F-150 Lightning comes standard with the Ford Co-Pilot360 2.0 safety tech suite, which bundles features like automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, rear parking sensors, and more. Hands-free highway driving is available with the optional BlueCruise feature. The Lightning earned a 5-Star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).