Say hello to…
…the Ford Ranger PHEV, is the plug-in hybrid version of the UK’s best selling pick-up. With the BIK rules on double-cab LCVs now qualifying them as cars, the most tax-efficient way to run one as a company vehicle is to go for a PHEV. The Ranger has a 70 litre petrol tank, a 2.3-litre petrol engine and an electric motor coupled to a 11.8kWh battery that’s good for a 26-mile official EV-only range. With a 72g/km CO figure, this puts it in the 15% bracket.
Wildtrak trim standard equipment includes 18-inch alloys, LED headlights, front fog lights, power-fold mirrors, 12-inch infotainment screen, satnav, powered driver’s seat, heated front seats, heated leather steering wheel, dual zone aircon, privacy glass, roof rails, power outlet in the truck bed and cruise control.
Is The Ford Ranger PHEV Suitable For My Fleet
The Ranger has always been FleetandLeasing.com’s favourite pick-up and the plug-in hybrid version is no exception.
While the real-world 32mpg we saw, with heavy motorway use and minimal plugging in, may not sound great, it’s 4mpg better than we saw from the 3.0-litre diesel Ranger we tested a couple of years ago.
Leasing A Ford Ranger PHEV
Gateway2lease is offering the Ranger Wildtrak PHEV double-cab for £607 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year.
Driving A Ford Ranger PHEV
Double-cab pick-ups have to do it all. Not only have they got to be tough, work-proof commercial vehicles that can go anywhere or carry anything, but they also have to act as family transport too for small business owners, this is especially the case as HMRC now views them as company cars for tax purposes.
The Ford Ranger has that all-round ability that other pick-ups don’t quite attain.
Aside from the Ranger’s size, it can easily double as a family daily driver. What’s more it will sit very happily on the motorway for hours on end providing a superb view and a comfortable seat. Only parking in tight spaces is tricky. However, with all-round cameras even this isn’t as scary as it could be.
The interior with a large infotainment screen, which hooks up to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, plus the leather seats give a car-like feeling. And unfortunately like lots of other cars, the speed warning deactivation control is a little too buried in the operating system for our liking. But at least the lane keeping deactivation is a physical button on the steering wheel.
For those worried about how a PHEV will cope with towing against the 3.0-litre diesel, Ford has gone to extra lengths to make the Ranger even better. Not only are there new towing modes controllable from the cabin, but the power and torque on the PHEV are better than in the diesel. That means the Ranger will still tow a braked 3,500kg trailer.
The other system that’s been upgraded from the diesel Ranger we tested, is the adaptive cruise control. Previously we criticised it for not spotting traffic on a worrying number of occasions. In the PHEV it was not only faultless, but it would bring the pick-up to a complete stop, wait for as long as you like, and then reactivate without any additional commands. Every other car with similar ‘full stop’ cruise controls we’ve tested have always ‘timed out’ after a few seconds spent stationary in traffic.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Ford Ranger PHEV
We’ve always loved the Ford Ranger and the PHEV version just makes it better.
Ford Ranger PHEV
- Model: Ranger PHEV Wildtrak
- Power: 281hp
- Torque: 697Nm
- Max speed: 105mph
- 0-62mph: n/a
- Official fuel figure: 88mpg
- Official EV-only range: 26 miles
- Test fuel figure: 32.0mpg
- CO2 emissions: 72g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 15%
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