2023 Ford F-150 Lightning SuperCrew

　　

2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Review

byRyan ZumMallenContributor

　　Ryan ZumMallen has worked in the automotive industry since 2012. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Ryan has also contributed to Road & Track, Autoweek, Trucks.com and more. In 2019, Ryan published his first book, Slow Car Fast, on the millennial generation and its unique take on modern car culture.

　　, rating written byRyan ZumMallenSenior Vehicle Test Editor

　　Kurt Niebuhr has worked in the automotive industry since 2005. A automotive photographer by trade, Kurt is now one of zzdcar' high-performance test drivers. He's driven and photographed hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles all over the world, so Kurt's library of automotive experiences would certainly make for a good book. When not dreaming about getting his racing license or trying to buy out-of-date film for his cameras, Kurt can usually be found cursing at his 1966 Mustang.

　　The Ford F-150 Lightning enters its second model year for 2023. Simply put, it's an electric pickup truck for people who like to drive trucks. The Lightning sticks with traditional F-150 styling, as opposed to the futuristic Rivian R1T and the far-out Tesla Cybertruck, which looks like it rolled off the set of a Blade Runner movie. But hidden underneath the Lightning's sheetmetal is some pretty impressive hardware.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Ford F-150 Lightning EV Insights

Trim:F-150 Lightning Pro

　　Pro 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) - $49,995 MSRPXLT 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) - $54,995 MSRPLariat 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $69,995 MSRPPlatinum 4dr SuperCrew 4WD SB (electric DD) - $91,995 MSRP

　　

Range

 zzdcar TESTED

　　265 miles

　　zzdcar Tested Rangezzdcar 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 zzdcar 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 Rutland, North Dakota. 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.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　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.

　　

Charging at Home

　　11.9 hours

　　Total Charging Time (240V outlet)

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$7,900

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Federal Credit

　　$7,500

　　Restrictions: Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers taxpayers a Clean Vehicle Tax Credit of $3,750 or $7,500 depending on model eligibility for the purchase of a new plug-in electric vehicle. Beginning January 1, 2024, Clean Vehicle Tax Credits may be initiated and approved at the point of sale at participating dealerships registered with the IRS. Dealers will be responsible for submitting Clean Vehicle Tax Credit information to the IRS. Buyers are advised to obtain a copy of an IRS "time of sale" report, confirming it was submitted successfully by the dealer. To be eligible: A vehicle must have undergone final assembly in North America (the United States and Puerto Rico, Canada, or Mexico). Critical mineral and battery component requirements determine credit amount. Maximum MSRP of $55,000 for cars and $80,000 for SUVs/trucks/vans. Income eligibility applies depending on modified adjusted gross income (AGI) and tax filing status.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　Utility EV Charger Offer

　　$400

　　Restrictions: Otter Tail Power offers EV owners a rebate of up to $400 towards the installation of a Level 2 charging station. To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements: Receive electricity from Otter Tail Power.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　Complimentary Charging Offer

　　Restrictions: This program is a charging agreement between Ford Motor Company and Electrify America. Customers who purchase a new F-150 Lightning will receive 250 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of complimentary DC fast charging on the Electrify America network through FordPass Rewards. Vehicle modem and Blue Oval Charge Network access must be activated within 60 days of purchase. Complimentary credit expires 2 years from warranty start date. See your participating dealer for details.

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$104/mo

　　F-150 Lightning

　　vs

　　$233/mo

　　Truck Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　The Lightning has two available battery options. The standard battery has an EPA-estimated range of 240 miles for 2023, which is a bit more than last year. The optional extended-range battery provides an estimated 320 miles of range on a full charge, and we've gone an impressive 345 miles with this battery in zzdcar' real-world range testing.

　　Of course, the Lightning is a truck and is expected to do truck things. Properly equipped, the F-150 Lightning has a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. This is less than the max payload figure for a regular F-150 but still plenty useful. Just know that towing long distances with an EV can be a challenge because of the reduced range and the lack of suitable charging station infrastructure. The Lightning does compensate on the utility front with some pretty cool features, including a giant front trunk and a Pro Power Onboard feature that consists of household-style electrical plugs that you can use to power tools and other electronic devices.

　　We think highly of the F-150 Lightning and recommend it to anyone in need of a utility-focused EV. Check out our test team's Expert Rating below for our full report on the Lightning's performance, real-world range, utility and more.

　　

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 zzdcar long-term test program. Over the course of a year, our editorial team will drive it and live with it in order to find out what Lightning ownership is like in the real world. Check out Recurrent for all the details.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar 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

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.5/10

　　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 and cleared the quarter mile in just 12.7 seconds at a tick over 106 mph. 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. The Lightning needed only 127 feet to stop from 60 mph, which is about the same as a standard F-150.

　　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

8.0/10

　　How comfortable is the F-150 Lightning? The front seats are supportive and can be equipped with heating, ventilation, three-level lumbar adjustment and even a massaging function. The available Max Recline front seats can recline to give you a nearly flat seat to rest or take a nap, but they lack the side bolstering we expect and some of our drivers did find them a bit uncomfortable after a few hours.

　　The Lightning features a fully independent rear suspension, which delivers a smoother ride and is a definite upgrade from the standard leaf springs on 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.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below