Say hello to…
…the all-electric Puma, which is officially carries the name Gen-E. To put it simply, it’s the electric version of the UK’s best-selling car and is also one of the first two cars to qualify for the Government’s full £3,750 Electric Car Grant.
There are two trim levels for the Gen-E
- Select
- Premium
Standard equipment on the Select includes 17-inch alloys, wireless phone charger, Quickclear heated front screen and cruise control.
Premium adds 18-inch alloys, LED matrix headlights, power fold door mirrors, 12-inch infotainment screen, Apple Carplay, Android Auto, keyless entry, powered boot lid and satnav.
Is The Ford Puma Gen-E Suitable For My Fleet
There’s lots going for the electric Puma for business drivers; it has a whopping boot at 574 litres (massive for a car in this class), it’s seriously efficient in the real-world and we saw 4.4 miles per kWh and it qualifies for the full Electric Car Grant. However, it only has a small battery (43.6kWh) battery, which means even though it’s efficient, you’re unlikely to see a range above 200 miles (and we tested the car in warm weather). It also only charges at a maximum of 100kW which is well below the class best.
Leasing A Ford Puma Gen-E
Gateway2Lease is offering the Ford Puma Gen-E in Premium spec on a 3+36 lease for £257 a month with 10,000 miles a year. Gensen Reports forecasts reasonable monthly maintenance costs of £28 a month, while Class 1A NIC payments are £13 a month.
Driving A Ford Puma Gen-E
Ford has opted to keep much of the internal combustion engined Puma, aside from (obviously) the oily bits. This works both to the Puma Gen-E’s advantage and disadvantage.
On the plus side, the car’s still a fun drive. Show it a twisty road or a series of roundabouts and you’ll have a hoot – assuming that’s your thing. The car feels lively and is the right level of nippy without being anything like a handful.
The car still looks broadly the same, although the front grille is now blanked off, which works well to distinguish itself from the other Pumas.
The boot is still massive, with the same under-floor box with drain plug so you can hose it out if you use it to store muddy boots.
And the negatives that have carried over are the low cost interior materials and less than simple infotainment system (particularly if you want to turn off the speed warning chime). The infotainment doesn’t only have too many steps built in to simple functions, but it’s also slow to respond. A bit more processer power would be welcome.
Unfortunately the Gen-E version also adds a few of its own foibles.
While the Puma’s great to drive on an open road, it’s less good at town and parking speeds. The brakes are grabby and while there are two levels of regen braking, neither are particularly high. One pedal driving is available, however, that goes the other way and is a little too severe to easily smoothly modulate.
Despite these points, the overall impression is a positive one, especially as the Puma Gen-E was priced well even before the electric car grant, which has now made it very attractive car if you don’t plan on doing any long distance work.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Ford Puma Gen-E
Retains Ford’s fun-to-drive ethic and it’s efficient and quick too, but a small battery means a sub-200 mile range.
Ford Puma Gen-E
- Model: Puma Gen-E Premium
- Power: 168hp
- Torque: 290Nm
- Max speed: 99mph
- 0-62mph: 8.0s
- Official range: 233 miles
- Test range: 192 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 3%
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