2025 Ford Escape Consumer Reviews
Pricing
Active - $31,010 MSRP
Edmunds suggests you pay
$29,64021 for sale near you
Prices based on sales in AZ thru 8/11/25
Final assembly in USA
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2025 Escape, so we've included reviews for other years of the Escape since its last redesign.
Awful Transmission Ruins Entire Vehicle
Noaccount71, 02/21/2024
2024 Ford Escape ST-Line Elite 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
20 of 24 people found this review helpful
Purchased new 2024 ST-Line Elite in Western Chicago subs a few weeks ago. Dealer was good to deal with so I won't throw them under the bus here. Outside looks sharp, interior is average. Front seats lack decent side bolstering, which means on corners you must lean into the turn or its awkward and unsettling. Seat heating on low is too hot, I'd hate to use high setting. While the steering wheel does have volume control, it doesn't have on/off for audio. You must lean awkwardly down, forward and to the right to push the on/off button which is almost in the passenger leg area or search the touchscreen, which is at least 3 levels deep to find. The 2.0 engine is very peppy, assuming the transmission cooperates. When the transmission is cold or in a mood, it has great difficulty shifting around 2nd/3rd/4th gears. Read somewhere that it doesn't actually use 3rd gear given this transmission is a bastardized GM 9-speed, but don't know this for sure. The issue is what experts and the Internet call 'low-speed surging'. It can be very severe. Leaving for work this morning on the second turn the engine hit 6k rpm with no engagement with the transmission. I had to let off, then on, then off, and back on the accelerator before it actually found a gear and sent power to the wheels. Meanwhile the person behind me was probably wondering what was wrong with me and the 3-cylinder Honda in front of me left me in the dust. I've read that this is a known issue with the Ford 8F35 transmission, which in the Escape. I had a 2013 Ford Escape and it had some transmission oddities as well, but not as bad as the 2024 Escape. I contacted my Ford dealer, but expect given what I've read for them to state its normal and Ford to ignore. This will be my last Ford ever and I will be trading in before the 3 year bumper-to-bumper warranty expires. If Ford can't design a decent transmission after a decade of constant issues and service bulletins that don't resolve peoples issues, I know the rest of the car will likely have issues as well. I should have bought the Honda CRV...
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Not quite there yet!
CSmith, 03/25/2024
2024 Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid EVT)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Overall I like the vehicle but it does has some issues that they need to work on. Automatic speed sign recognition is terrible as it reads every speed limit sign including ones not meant for you like it sees a 70mph and speeds you up to that then 20’ feet later it sees the truck limit then immediately slows you down to that when that is not the limit for cars and suvs. The side mirrors reflect the door handles and you constantly think there is something on the mirrors. Quality issues abound with Ford still like rear bumper was missing screws. Interior has a lot of cheap materials.
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2025 Ford Escape for sale near you
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One of the most balanced vehicles on the market
MA-gamb2025, 07/13/2025
2024 Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid EVT)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
It’s been about a year since I purchased a new, fully loaded Ford Escape PHEV. I’m very pleased with the vehicle so far. I think Ford has done a phenomenal job designing the Escape PHEV, and I’m astounded it gets so little mention. This is hands-down one of the most efficient and well-balanced vehicles available today. The car has an 11.1-gallon tank and a 14.4 kWh battery that allows approximately 37 miles of electric only driving. While that may not seem like much, if you are a typical commuter/suburbanite, you can easily achieve 90% of your daily driving using only battery power. Furthermore, Ford has achieved something that few PHEVs manage. It is the only PHEV that has better ICE mileage than its hybrid version. With 40 mpg overall, this means that an Escape should travel about (11.1 x 40 ) + 37 electric miles, for a grand total of 481 miles on a full tank and charge. In my experience, this is absolutely accurate and about what I achieve, even with road trips that involve freeway driving (in which hybrid drivetrains typically provide less benefit). Only a handful of vehicles with an ICE engine that are available in the US have better gas mileage than the Escape PHEV. Consider its competition in the admittedly odd PHEV market. The Toyota Rav4 PHEV without a doubt provides vastly superior straight-line performance, but expect to pay a premium: the out-the-door price of Rav4 PHEV and comparably equipped Escape PHEV will be about $10,000 USD higher. Because of the wide availability of both factory and dealer discounts, the Escape PHEV will generally also be cheaper than the Hyundai Tucson (its most direct competition), even in spite of the fact the Escape is no longer eligible for federal subsidies. Meanwhile, its interior space is comparable or better than its competitors, and its cargo space is best in class. The car transitions very smoothly back and forth between the ICE and electric motor. Its eCVT is very similar to the transmission used by Toyota. Handling is fairly good, not quite as nimble but also nowhere as firm as my previous Ford Focus. With respect to on-the-fly battery management, the car can be set in auto mode, “EV now” (focus on gas savings), or “EV later” (focus on saving battery). In my experience, auto mode is extremely efficient already, with a strong bias towards using the battery. I almost never use “EV now” mode. Along an entirely different settings scale, the car also has eco mode (which I rarely use as normal mode is plenty efficient), slippery mode (for poor weather conditions), and a sport mode. The sport mode substantially alters the feel of the car. The programmatic gearing of the CVT becomes far more aggressive; the car will actually feel like a 200 hp vehicle. I opted for the premium package. I’m not bothered by the fact that the heads-up display is a pop-up rather than projection system, though admittedly this is one feature that I don’t rely on much. I absolutely love the 360-overhead view. This is modern tech that feels like voodoo magic compared to the 12-year-old car I replaced. I also think the premium B&O sound system sounds fantastic. While I would generally agree that the interior has some cheap elements, it’s a very comfortable and functional cabin. Ford’s heated seats and heated steering wheel (both standard for the PHEV) work extremely well. They heat up very quickly and strongly. I often find the lowest heat setting to be adequate. The large 13.2 touchscreen is also standard. While I would prefer physical buttons (particularly for climate controls), the touchscreen in the Escape is well done. It’s very responsive and the various animations are smooth and surprisingly good looking. I haven’t had the car long enough to comment on long-term reliability. I have had a few minor glitches with the windows. As noted, I wish there were more physical buttons. And I wish it were a wagon instead of an SUV/CUV. Why would you not get a Ford Escape PHEV? For one, if you absolutely need AWD. I personally believe that AWD is a bit oversold in the US. I have lived a good portion of my life in very snowy parts of the country and never had an AWD vehicle (until recently). But the Escape’s battery, like all EVs, also suffers when temperatures dip. Expect EV range to drop anywhere from 20% to 40% as the temperature plunge—it’s difficult to say as the battery mileage estimator in the Escape is notoriously conservative. This is an issue, obviously, that all PHEVs and EVs must contend with. Given the lack of AWD and cold-weather battery issues, I can understand if you opt for something else if you live, ie, in Canada. If you are positive you need a third row, then you may have to move up a half-segment to look at the Outlander PHEV or Sorento PHEV. If the Escape PHEV is simply not efficient for you, then you can look at the Kia Niro PHEV. Again because of availability and effective pricing, I suspect the purchase price of the Niro will at best be about the same as the Escape even though it is a half-segment below the Escape. I’d highly recommend a level 2 charger if you can manage and afford it. Owning and driving a PHEV is an interesting experience. There are many ways and choices for how you manage your energy while you drive. The only wrong way to drive a PHEV is to not charge it at all. A level 2 charger will make life more convenient and easier to maximize the utility of the car. Overall, this car is a fabulous package that balances utility, efficiency, price, and performance. I would highly recommend it, especially as rumors abound each year that Ford will cancel it. When shopping for the car, make sure you check prices at all the dealers in a wide range around you. You are almost certain to find very good deals that will at a minimum help negotiate down your final price. On another note while the Escape PHEV user score is somewhat middling (3.5) here on Edmunds, note that this is in part due to the confusing way Edmunds has reviewers categorize their ratings. There are quite a few favorable PHEV ratings lumped in with the non-PHEV trim ratings.
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Great gas and electric mileage.
David , 09/11/2024
2024 Ford Escape Platinum 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid EVT)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I bought this Ford Escape PHEV SUV for my woman to drive as she hates going to get gas. She can go to work and run around Los Angeles, on electric. Average around 65 mpg. I live in San Diego and she only burns gas on long trips to visit me or more than 35 miles. I Iike the cargo area that fits a large dog crate, for my German Shepherd and we still have room for two more Large people or three if normal size. On negative side it is more noisy than the Fusion PHEV it replaced, that was the quietest car I have ever been in. I have a mach-e X and compared to it I prefer the ride in the Escape for comfort. She drives a bit on the fast side in the 80s range with heavy gas and braking. So mpg could be a lot better if she drove more conservative. Over all for the money and being a Platinum Titanium, with every option, except for the tow package it's great little car.
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Zippy!
Angie, 07/08/2024
2024 Ford Escape Active 4dr SUV (1.5L 3cyl Turbo 8A)
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
For a 3 cylinder turbo, it does pretty well. Using premium v regular gas makes a huge difference. However, the rear doors don’t open wide enough to put my wheelchair in the back seat without highly risking scratching the paint (I’ve already done this once). The brake and accelerator are a bit too far apart; if I’m sitting comfortably close to the accelerator, I’m practically sitting on top of the brake pedal. If I’m sitting comfortably enough close to the brake, I strain to reach the accelerator. According to the service manager, neither one can be adjusted.
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