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Ford Ranger PHEV

by Andrew Walker

Ford launched the Ranger PHEV in 2025 the aim being to lower the pick-up’s emissions & make it more tax friendly. CC&V spent a week driving around the north west to find out what it’s like.
Model choice
The Stormtrak trim is exclusive to the plug-in model with XLT & Wildtrak versions also offered.
Outside
Unmistakably a Ranger the plug-in we drove came in a fetching Chill Grey colour, with cladded Stormtrak wheels, a honeycomb radiator grille, rear bumper extensions, matte black side steps & an adjustable sports bar. And of course two filler caps on the nearside rear wing, one petrol one for the charging cable.
Inside
The highlight inside is the 12″ portrait touchscreen display. Centrally located it runs Ford’s SYNC 4 connected infotainment & dominates the dashboard. In front of the driver sits a configurable 8″ digital instrument cluster.
Underneath the touchscreen you get stand alone climate controls, with steering wheel controls for the media & cruise control. Apple CarPlay & Android Auto plus a wireless charging pad featured on our test model, with the PHEV also integrating energy monitoring to check your electric driving efficiency.
Between the front seats you’ll find the gear lever, electric handbrake, off-road settings & twin cup holders. P{rivacat glass, an ebony headliner & ambient interior lighting lift things in the cabin. The leather upholstery is very nice as are the finishes to the dash front & top, door panels, centre binnacle & switchgear. Heated driver & passenger front seats & steering wheel are more good news.
Drivetrain & performance
This combiners an 11.8kWh battery with a 25.5 mile range & a 2.3 Ecoboost 281PS 10-speed petrol engine, producing a whopping 207kW & 697Nm of torque. 0-62mph takes 9.2 seconds & only the Raptor is more powerful.
Range & emissions

The 70 litre capacity meant that when full our model indicated a 608 mile range plus the electric so our round trip to Windsor & back, plus local driving, in total around a 500 miles total, left us with a 100 miles remaining. Claimed is a combined of 28mpg, with C02’s of 71g/km.

Practicality

Ford’s full-time 4WD system with low-range & a rear diff lock is still fitted with a 3.5-tonne towing rating & a payload of over a tonne. Ford’s Pro Power system allows users to connect any device with a three-pin plug to the truck’s drive battery, useful if you’re out & about. The load bed is 31mm shallower than in the diesel variants to accommodate the battery. The Ranger’s high range 4WD & rear diff lock can function while in EV mode, but selecting low-range sees the petrol engine cut in to assist at all times.
Safety
 

It’s a case of what’s not included with the latest Wildtrak.  ABS with Stability Control, ABS, ETC, ESC, Electronic Brake Booster, Integrated Electric Trailer Brake Controller, Roll Stability Control (RSC) & Traction Control System (TCS) are all included. Plus you get front driver & passenger air bags, seat mounted air bags & one interaction airbag between the front passengers. Then there’s a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Selectable Drive Modes 2 that includes Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts & Sand options.S

Taxation

Now emission based a standard diesel Ranger double-cab land in the 37% BIK bracket. The PHEV lowers this significantly to 19%, so a 40% tax payer will pay £3988 rather than £7000 per annum, so a decent saving.

Driving
The diesel Ranger drives really well, but the plug-in take this to a new high. The combination of the electric motor & petrol engine work extremely well together. There’s a smooth transition between the two, as you can drive in EV mode only or allow the truck to choose EV in standard Hybrid mode, when it thinks it’s the best option. You can also save the EV range for later or charge the battery on the go.
In town or at low speeds in EV mode it’s eerily quiet & even when the petrol engine kicks in it’s far quieter & smoother than a diesel pick-up. The plug-in’s a touch heavier than the diesel, at 2511kg, but the extra weight makes the road holding superior. And the battery weight isn’t really noticeable either as the ride is supple with slow & surprisingly light steering making urban driving easy.
On the motorway, cruise control makes long distances far more pleasant & once up to motorway speed you’re piloting a very quiet vehicle with little or no wind noise entering the cab. The large tyres do account for a bit of vibration through the pick-up floor & some road noise especially in the wet. Luckily, the Sync 4 connected to my iPhone quickly & with my podcast turned up this was barely noticeable. This Ranger is as comfortable to pilot as many large SUV’s.
The infotainment set-up’s relatively easy to work with & the portrait touchscreen is brought & clear. Front & forward views are excellent but the small rear window means the reversing camera is a great add-on. Our only criticism is the auto gear leaver features some ergonomic buttons which have to be pressed by your left hand fingers in order to engage the vehicle & change gear. We still find it a bit fiddly to use.
Pros

Top quality cabin, loads of equipment & the Stormtrak finishes lift the exterior. It’s the only plug-in hybrid pick-up so lower tax is more good news. And the thinking outside the box, for example the inclusion of a rear wheel side step, shows how thorough Ford have been with the design.

Cons
Expensive at £48,800, fiddly gear lever, EV range is more likely to be under 20 miles.
 
Verdict
 
Ford have certainly tried to make a more revenue-friendly pick-up & in most cases they’ve succeeded. Perhaps the electric range isn’t big enough & perhaps the extra cost over a diesel Wildtrak, about £5000 could put some off. But ultimately, if you lease one for 3 years, 19% BIK means you’ll save £3000 a year which is not to be sniffed at. And as it does almost exactly what a diesel Ranger does, that is the whole point.
A tax efficient 4/5

About Andrew Walker

Andrew 'Max' Walker is a member of the Northern Group of Motoring Writers & has been reviewing cars & vans since 1991. He has supplied stories for Fleet North, MSA Newslink, Health Fleet Management, Local Authority Fleet Manager & various Chamber of Commerce & lifestyle publications. He launched Company Car & Van in April 2010 specifically for SME fleets, who are the backbone of the UK economy. His favourite car of all time is the original Citroen DS & like most motoring writers, he loves to drive a van.