The 2024 F-150 Lightning is one of the most practical and job site-friendly trucks on sale today. It's also comfortable and impressively quick. But the Lightning's full-size truck credentials come into question when you want to tow due to modest limits and reduced range.Read full review
Impressive range with the extended-range battery option
Battery can be used to power tools, appliances and more
Cons
Range drops off considerably under towing
Can feel overly soft and wallowy when driving over big bumps
Cost becomes prohibitive in upper trim levels
What's new
New Flash trim level and Platinum Black styling package
Revisions to standard and optional feature availability
Part of the first Ford F-150 Lightning generation introduced for 2022
Overview
The biggest compliment we can give to the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is that it's an F-150 crew cab that simply happens to be electric. Indeed, the Lightning looks and drives a lot like a regular F-150 and does most of the stuff you expect a truck to be able to do. But instead of a gas engine for power, it has two electric motors and a large battery pack mounted under the floor. Opting for the optional large battery pack upgrades the Lightning with a robust 580 horsepower as well as plenty of range. We've gone an impressive 345 miles on a full charge with the larger battery on our real-world Edmunds EV Range Test.
Edmunds Tested RangeEdmunds begins with a full battery charge and drives the vehicle on a mix of city and highway roads (approximately 60% city, 40% highway) until the battery is almost entirely empty. (We target 10 miles of remaining range for safety.) The miles traveled and the indicated remaining range are added together for the Edmunds Tested Range figure.
EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 225 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.
Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of West Chicago, Illinois. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.
SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.
Plug Type
11.9 hrs
240V Home ChargingEstimated total charging time when using a 240V outlet. This is either a 3-prong or 4-prong outlet used for appliances, for example a clothes dryer.
EV batteries should be kept at 30-80% charged to extend battery life.
8 yrs or 100,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.
According to GeoTab’s data, if the observed degradation rates are maintained, the vast majority of batteries will outlast the usable life of the vehicle.
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Cost to Drive
$107/mo
F-150 Lightning
vs
$243/mo
Truck Avg.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Illinois
Am I Ready for an EV?
EV ownership works best if you can charge at home (240V outlet) This typically means a 240V home installation, or other places your car is parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice.
Adding a home charging system is estimated to cost $1,616 in This is an estimate for your area. Using your address and the answers you provide, Treehouse can provide a more accurate price.
Edmunds is partnering with Treehouse, an independent provider of home EV installation services. Learn more about the installation services partnershipEdmunds customers receive a 10% installation discount and 4% smart charger discount. Discount excludes permit, hosted inspection, and load management devices. Valid for 30 days.
Properly equipped, the Lightning can tow up to 10,000 pounds. That's less than what a gas-powered F-150 can tow but still substantial enough for most of the trailers people typically hook up. Buyers should be aware, however, that towing long distances with an EV can be a challenge. A heavy load will substantially reduce range, and most charging stations are difficult to access with a trailer connected. The Lightning does compensate on the utility front with some pretty cool features, including a giant front trunk under the hood and a Pro Power Onboard feature that consists of household-style electrical plugs that you can use to power tools and other electronic devices.
Competitors to consider
This year will be the year of the electric pickup. The Chevrolet Silverado EV and related GMC Sierra EV will go on sale in 2024 and should be interesting alternatives to the Lightning. Or if you want a completely gonzo take on a pickup, the Tesla Cybertruck has (finally) become reality after many delays. We also recommend the midsize Rivian R1T, especially if you plan to do some off-roading. But if you simply like the idea of driving a regular pickup that happens to be electric, the F-150 Lightning is your best choice. Check out our test team's Expert Rating below for our full report.
What’s it like to live with?
We bought a 2022 F-150 Lightning Lariat with the optional extended-range battery as part of the Edmunds long-term test program. We are enjoying the usual benefits of a crew-cab pickup — mainly that there's plenty of space for people and stuff. Check out Edmunds' Lightning long-term report for all the details.
Edmunds Expert Rating
Our Verdict
The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.
Great
8.4
out of 10
edmunds TESTED
The 2024 F-150 Lightning is one of the most practical and job site-friendly trucks on sale today. It's also comfortable and impressively quick. But the Lightning's full-size truck credentials come into question when you want to tow due to modest limits and reduced range.
How does the F-150 Lightning drive? Of course not every EV, especially a truck, needs to accelerate quicker than many sports cars, but the Lightning does exactly that. We took a Lightning Platinum — this trim comes with the big battery — to our test track and it ripped from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds flat. A quad-motor Rivian R1T we tested was a bit quicker than that, but suffice to say the Lightning lives up to its name. We found braking similarly impressive for something so heavy.
Handling isn't the strong suit of any pickup truck, but the Lightning proved friendly and stress-free on both twisty roads and the open highway. We also enjoyed the Lightning's one-pedal driving (a common feature on EVs that allows the driver to both accelerate and brake using only the accelerator pedal). It was both predictable and plenty strong enough that we almost never used the mechanical brakes. As you'd expect, a giant swell of power is just a twitch of your right foot away, but the Lightning never felt jumpy or overpowered and proved just as easy and intuitive to drive as any other EV or any gas-powered F-150.
Comfort
8/10
How comfortable is the F-150 Lightning? The Lightning features a fully independent rear suspension, which delivers a smoother ride than the regular F-150. But on the downside the Lightning can feel a bit too soft and wallowy when driving over undulating pavement. This is especially true of trucks equipped with the bigger battery. Road, tire and wind noise is kept to low volumes. Most of the Lightning's electric propulsion sounds are not the least bit obnoxious or overly weird. The climate control system is effective and powerful, requiring little adjustment to maintain your desired temperature.
Interior
9/10
How’s the interior? Much like the standard F-150, the Lightning offers a huge number of available features. Fortunately, the interior layout is intuitive, so you never have to second-guess what you're reaching for. You can adjust most of the truck's big knobs and controls even when you're wearing gloves. We especially like the newest generation of Ford's touchscreen, particularly the 15.5-inch model due to its crisp and uncluttered graphics and quick response times. It also looks great in the Lightning's cavernous interior.
A wide range of seat, steering wheel and pedal adjustments ensure a fit for drivers of all shapes and sizes. The crew cab's spaciousness means you won't be short on room either. Ample exterior visibility is afforded in part by large windows and a scalloped section in the front door that clears a view around the side mirrors. The optional surround-view camera system provides visibility all the way around too.
Save as much as $10,549 with Edmunds Click on the trim you’re interested in to see what Edmunds suggests you should pay to get a good deal. Savings vary by trim; $10,549 refers to estimated savings off of MSRP for the Platinum trim.
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning pricing in West Chicago, IL
Current Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for base vehicle. Excludes destination/delivery fee plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer processing charge, any electronic filing charge, and any emission testing charge. Optional equipment not included. Starting A, Z and X Plan price is for qualified, eligible customers and excludes document fee, destination/delivery charge, taxes, title and registration. Not all vehicles qualify for A, Z or X Plan. All Mustang Shelby GT350® and Shelby® GT350R prices exclude gas guzzler tax.
How’s the tech? The Lightning uses Ford's newest in-car tech to great success. We like the big 15.5-inch center touchscreen that's supported by physical controls, such as a volume knob. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration is present and also wireless (though you can still connect through USB cord). Ford's onboard navigation system is responsive and cleanly designed, but it's not so overly minimalistic like some competitor systems.
The Platinum trim, which is what we tested, includes an excellent 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system that creates a rich sound environment. Our test truck also had a comprehensive suite of advanced driver aids including Ford's BlueCruise. This system allows for hands-free driving on most divided U.S. highways. It generally works well but sometimes it can be hard to discern whether the truck is fully in its hands-free mode.
As with the regular F-150, you can get the Lightning with many features to help with towing, including a built-in scale to help with balancing trailer weight, trailer reversing guidance, and an integrated trailer brake controller.
Towing and Storage
8.5/10
How are the towing and storage? Electrifying the venerable F-150 didn't really change how useful it is on a daily basis. Interior storage borders on cavernous, and there's room in both rows for all manner of gear and equipment. The rear seats flip up and feature lockable storage and are bolstered by the Lightning's power-operated front trunk. Boasting 14 cubic feet of storage capacity (that's larger than the trunks of many sedans), including a drain for wet storage, the Lightning might just be the most ideal vehicle for tailgating on sale today. The Rivian R1T might offer more clever storage options but the F-150's are more convenient.
Maximum towing capacity ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds, depending on the truck's configuration. The Lightning's robust power makes it easy to tow a trailer, even up steep grades, but the range of the Lightning drops precipitously when towing and could be as little as 100 miles depending on conditions.
How are the range and efficiency? The Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum (which is what we tested) has an EPA-estimated range of 300 miles. The EPA also estimates the truck will use 51 kWh of electricity per 100 miles driven. On paper, these estimates make the Lightning slightly less efficient than the Rivian R1T.
In the Edmunds EV Range Test, we managed to drive 332 miles on a full charge, easily exceeding the EPA's estimates. During that time our test truck used slightly less electricity than estimated: 45.4 kWh per 100 miles. That bests the results we achieved with a quad-motor Rivian R1T on the same route, which traveled 317 miles and used 46.9 kWh of electricity per 100 miles.
We've also tested the F-150 Lightning to find out how quickly it can charge at public DC fast-charging stations. In our independent Edmunds EV Charging Test, a Lightning Platinum was able to gain 319 miles of range for every hour of charging. That's slow in the context of all EVs but the rival Rivian R1T isn't really any better.
Value
8/10
Is the F-150 Lightning a good value? The Lightning can get pretty expensive in its top trim levels, but you you are getting a lot of features and capability for your money. Build quality and materials are just as good as they are on the standard F-150. There's potential value in picking the base Pro trim but the standard battery pack isn't really suited for long-range driving or towing.
Ford's bumper-to-bumper warranty of three years/36,000 miles and powertrain coverage of five years/60,000 miles are fairly standard. The Rivian R1T offers better coverage, but both the F-150 and R1T offer the same five years/60,000 miles for roadside assistance and eight years/100,000 miles on the battery.
Wildcard
8/10
Free of gimmicks, the Lightning is more or less a fully electrified F-150 and should appeal directly to current F-150 owners looking for a modern interpretation of their favorite truck. The interior is a smidge more modern, but other than the lack of a rumbling truck engine, the F-150 feels, drives and can be used just like any other F-150. That is perhaps the greatest achievement of the Lightning — it's an electric truck for people who like to drive trucks.
Which F-150 Lightning does Edmunds recommend?
How can you go wrong with a trim level named after a superhero? Kidding aside, the new F-150 Lightning Flash comes with most of the features you'll likely want on your truck. It's the least expensive trim to get the extended-range battery pack, and it also comes standard with helpful driver assist features such as adaptive cruise control.
The overall sentiment from owners about the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is mixed. Many owners love its smooth ride, spaciousness, and powerful performance. People also find the electric range disappointing, especially in cold weather or when driving fast, and issues with finding a reliable charger can be frustrating. Some owners also mentioned problems with the technology inside, like navigation and Bluetooth issues, and faced challenges with Ford's customer service.
This summary is AI-generated from the text of owner reviews
I have had the 2023 Ford F150 Lightning platinum about 2 months- Great fit and finish
Super smooth ride and Glides on the highway with ease- Super fast- Looks great- Plenty of space- Lots of storage space
Leather seats are comfortable but they need more thigh support-
Infotainment is not easy to operate-
Most disappointing thing is the range of the extended battery pack- I bought it … with the understanding that I could get at least 80% of the estimated range- 240 miles
I commute 220 miles per day- Mostly Highway
Capacity drops from 306 miles to 90-128 miles after driving 110 miles to work- This is driving the truck on cruise control 65-70 miles an hour- I am typically the slowest person driving on slow lane on the highway worried that I won’t get to work on a single full charge- I try to turn off the heat and radio to conserve energy and still can’t get the range I thought I would get- Typically I have to switch cars at work to a gasoline car in order to get back home- I leave it charging on a charger at the parking lot in my hospital until the next day when it is fully charged in order to get back home- I have called Ford about this and they tell me range is based on many factors including speed weather electric usage of heat air conditioning etc- So basically I bought a 90k dollar truck that I can’t drive the way I want to because of the poor range of the battery pack. This truck is not for long commutes greater than 100 miles on the highway- City driving is not an issue with the range- The truck would be near perfect if the EV range was truly 300 miles. Unfortunately customers are not informed that if you intend to drive it on the Highway at speeds greater than 50 miles per hour you will only get 50-55% of the range advertised on paper- I believe this is a dishonest practice to sell a vehicle to a customer where specific needs are not met based on the information provided- This is a fantastic truck for short commutes and city driving otherwise consider getting a Hybrid-
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning, so we've included review for other years of the F-150 Lightning since its last redesign.
Tesla Cybertruck vs. Rivian R1T vs. Ford F-150 Lightning! | Electric Pickup Truck Comparison
THIS is the electric truck comparison test you’ve been waiting for: The polarizing Tesla Cybertruck takes on the ever-impressive Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning! In this video, Edmunds’ Alistair Weaver compares all the juicy details of these trucks, including their bed sizes, interiors, driving experiences, and everything else in between. Will the Cybertruck hold its… own against the Rivian and the Ford?
The Lightning is an F-150 that happens to be electric, while the Rivian R1T is more like a lifestyle/fashion statement that happens to have a bed. It fulfills the truck role with a higher towing capacity than the Lightning, but the Ford can take on nearly 1,000 pounds of payload. The R1T's tidier exterior dimensions translate to a smaller — but still comfortable — interior, while its four electric motors provide up to 835 hp and make it quicker than the Ford. But we have found that it suffers from some fit and finish issues. Read Edmunds' long-term road test of the Rivian R1T.
There's the ambitious F-150 Lightning. And then there's the extravagant Hummer EV. This electric truck is massive, topping 9,000 pounds at the scales. It's also packing 1,000 horsepower and more than 300 miles of range, plus extreme off-road abilities like a CrabWalk feature. Neat, but the Lightning is easily more sensible. It's also available in a wider range of configurations and is potentially much less expensive.
If the Lightning is too radical, the gas-powered Ford F-150 offers the same packaging with a more familiar powertrain and ownership experience. The regular F-150 is our Edmunds Top Rated Truck, and there are fuel-efficient versions if you're looking to save at the pump. The gasoline-electric hybrid F-150 (or PowerBoost), for example, is both economical and a capable towing machine. The Lightning, though, is still the champ for its total lack of tailpipe emissions. Read Edmunds' long-term road test of the Ford F-150 Hybrid.
Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking
Warns if a front impact is imminent and applies the brakes if you don't respond in time.
BLIS with Cross-Traffic Alert
Warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse.
Lane Keeping System
Makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
FAQ
Is the Ford F-150 Lightning a good car?
The Edmunds experts tested the 2024 F-150 Lightning both on the road and at the track, giving it a 8.4 out of 10. Edmunds’ consumer reviews show that the 2024 F-150 Lightning gets an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 (based on 33 reviews) What about cargo capacity? When you're thinking about carrying stuff in your new car, keep in mind that the F-150 Lightning has 14.1 cubic feet of trunk space. And then there's safety and reliability. Edmunds has all the latest NHTSA and IIHS crash-test scores, plus industry-leading expert and consumer reviews to help you understand what it's like to own and maintain a Ford F-150 Lightning. Learn more
What's new in the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning?
According to Edmunds’ car experts, here’s what’s new for the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning:
New Flash trim level and Platinum Black styling package
Revisions to standard and optional feature availability
Part of the first Ford F-150 Lightning generation introduced for 2022
To determine whether the Ford F-150 Lightning is reliable, read Edmunds' authentic consumer reviews, which come from real owners and reveal what it's like to live with the F-150 Lightning. Look for specific complaints that keep popping up in the reviews, and be sure to compare the F-150 Lightning's 4-star average consumer rating to that of competing vehicles. Learn more
Is the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning a good car?
There's a lot to consider if you're wondering whether the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is a good car. Edmunds' expert testing team reviewed the 2024 F-150 Lightning and gave it a 8.4 out of 10. Our consumer reviews show that the 2024 F-150 Lightning gets an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 (based on 33 reviews). Safety scores, fuel economy, cargo capacity and feature availability should all be factors in determining whether the 2024 F-150 Lightning is a good car for you. Learn more
How much should I pay for a 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning?
The least-expensive 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD). Including destination charge, it arrives with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of about $54,995.
Other versions include:
Pro 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) which starts at $54,995
XLT 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) which starts at $62,995
Flash 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) which starts at $67,995
Lariat 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) which starts at $76,995
Platinum 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) which starts at $84,995
What are the different models of Ford F-150 Lightning?
If you're interested in the Ford F-150 Lightning, the next question is, which F-150 Lightning model is right for you? F-150 Lightning variants include Pro 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD), XLT 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD), Flash 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD), and Lariat 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD). For a full list of F-150 Lightning models, check out Edmunds’ Features & Specs page. Learn more
Is there an EV tax credit or rebate for the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning