2025 Ford Ranger PHEV: Lots of hype, but what's the reality of the new hybrid?

Don’t worry. The new Ford Ranger PHEV still does Ranger things. Proper off-roading and towing up to 3500kg? You’re sorted. Don’t sweat it. So what else does it do?

While that might appear a flippant dismissal of the technical challenges involved in engineering the new plug-in hybrid Ranger to offer a reflection of the its internal-combustion sibling’s abilities to roll it’s sleeves up, it’s a measure of the thoroughness we’ve come to expect from Ford. After all, Ranger is now the third biggest selling nameplate globally after the F Series and Transit, so it can’t really afford to go at this half-heartedly.

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All of which makes you wonder why, after fully charging its battery, the dashboard is telling me that I have an electric range of an almost laughable 36km. Or why after less than an hour’s highway driving in hybrid mode, said charge level reads zero. If I’d taken the effort to put the Ranger in my garage overnight, charge it up and that was the payback, I’m not sure I’d be particularly impressed. Especially if I was paying between $3150 and $4650 over the price of a diesel V6 alternative.

So let’s dig a little deeper. Ford has equipped the Ranger PHEV with an 11.8kWh (useable) battery to complement its 138kW/411Nm 2.3-litre Ecoboost petrol engine. Together they develop a healthy-looking system output of 207kW/697Nm. But make no mistake, that battery is tiny. It’s just over half the size of the 20kWh cell pack you’d get in a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and a long way shy of the 29.58kWh blade battery you get in a BYD Shark 6.

Some compensation comes in the range of smart control settings you get, the Ranger PHEV offering four PHEV drive modes. Auto EV takes care of when and where the battery cuts in and out. EV Now forces electric running and locks out the engine. EV Later sparks up the engine and attempts to hold battery state of charge while EV Charge uses the engine as a generator to replenish the battery. It’s easy to understand and ought to act as a simple template for all plug-in EV manufacturers.

There have been a number of detail changes to the Ranger to accommodate the plug-in hybrid tech. The motor is located between the engine and torque converter in what Ford calls its Modular Hybrid Transmission so, in effect, you retain control of the 10-speed automatic transmission regardless of power source. The leaf springs have been modified and damper rates have been tuned accordingly, with the weight distribution nudging a little more rearwards than in the V6 diesel. Some of that is due to the battery location, with less weight in the nose also playing a part. As a result, the Ranger PHEV’s steering feels a little different to other Rangers, but the trademark ride quality hasn’t been sacrificed. It helps here if you opt for all-terrain tyres. The test vehicles rode notably better on the 255/65 R18 General Grabber A/T rubber than they did on the more road-biased Continental ContiCrossContact in the same size, largely due to more give in the sidewall of the former.

There’s not a great deal of perceptible torque fill when motoring along in hybrid mode. Maybe that’s a good thing because the system output of the powertrain is certainly nothing to sniff at. Ford claims the engine can recharge the battery in about two hours, so we tested the claim. On a depleted battery, the Ranger will return around 9L/100km while highway driving and in that scenario will return 13kW per hour to the high voltage battery. In conditions where there’s more braking or heavy deceleration, the (non-adjustable) re-gen rate would be higher and may well match or beat the two-hour claim.

Being a plug-in hybrid, there’s scope for powering equipment using what Ford dubs Pro Power Onboard (PPOB). This uses the high voltage battery to power two 3.45kW power outlets in the tray, with an additional 2.3kW outlet in the cabin. It’s a boon for running fridges, lighting or air pumps when camping and can be used on remote building sites to run anything from area floodlights (an 800W draw) right up to machinery like an angle grinder (3000W).

Four variants are offered. The range opens with the fleet-targeted XLT at $71,990, but inspect the spec sheets and it’s clear things aren’t 100% lineball with the equivalent non-PHEV Ranger. Where that gets LED headlamps, the PHEV XLT gets lower specification halogen lights, which perhaps highlights some of the budget-trimming Ford has had to do to bring this product to market at this price. The end of the fringe benefits tax exemption on plug-in hybrids, which expired on March 31, 2025, has thrown the pricing of PHEVs under additional scrutiny, and in order to get bums on seats and trim its group emissions, Ford has had to take cost out of the Ranger PHEV where possible.

Above the XLT are the three consumer-focused models. They’re all mechanically identical, so you don’t miss out on crucial bits like the auto 4WD system or the locking rear differential. In ascending order, you get the Sport at $75,990, the Wildtrak at $79,990 and the flagship Stormtrak at $86,990. Leaving aside the purely cosmetic trim parts, key highlights of the Sport (over XLT) include LED lights, 18-inch alloys, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, traffic sign recognition heated front seats and leather-accented seating trim.

Go for the Wildtrak and there’s a power-operated tub roller shutter, 10-speaker B&O stereo, a 360-degree camera and the clever Pro Trailer Backup Assist. The Stormtrak is chiefly a dress-up kit for the Wildtrak, but also adds a full-sized spare, a cargo management system, and an auxiliary switch bank. In other words, you could probably mosey around the Ford options list and add many of the Stormtrak bits for far less than the $7000 model premium. The spare wheel is an odd one, Ford claiming that the tyre repair kit fitted to the XLT, Sport and Wildtrak is there to maximise payload on paper as it reduces weight.

It’s also worth noting that Frozen White is the only no-cost colour. Iconic Silver, Carbonised Grey, Lucid Red (a ringer for Ferrari Rosso Mugello), Blue Lightning, Agate Black, and Cyber Orange are all listed as ‘prestige’ finishes which carry a $700 charge.The Stormtrak’s Chill Grey paint finish is unique to that model.

Towing is rated at 3500kg, naturally, and payloads vary between 973kg for the 2527kg XLT to 808kg for the chubbier 2692kg Stormtrak. Gross Combination Mass is rated at 6580kg for those looking to tow big loads. It’s also worth noting that due to the configuration of the hybrid drive, the load box design is marginally different on the Ranger PHEV, with an undershot front wall which now allows lengths of up to 1600mm to be carried. Bonus. The battery is protected by extensive underbody armouring, and the wading depth remains at 800mm.

Would the Ford Ranger PHEV have been a better vehicle with a bigger battery? Yes. Did the entire launch event feel like an exercise in demonstrating what a BYD Shark 6 couldn’t do? Also yes. But what initially seemed like an underwhelming and underbaked product that had arrived late to the party served to endear itself with its capability the more we drove it.

Taking the Sport model as an example, you’ll pay a premium of $4650 over the equivalent V6 diesel. That buys you a vehicle that’ll go everywhere the V6 diesel will in the rough, tow the same weight but it’ll be more refined, more economical, cleaner, with more power and torque, while featuring the not inconsiderable benefit of Pro Power Onboard. Couch it in those terms and the Ranger PHEV doesn’t sound such an unreasonable ask at all. Have the discipline and facility to charge it nightly and it earns a guarded thumbs up. If that’s not you, stick with the diesels.

Specifications