Ford electric pickup buyers are finding used F-150 Lightnings at roughly half of sticker price after Ford ended production last December. Used examples are moving in about 20 days, faster than the 44-day average for a used vehicle in the US.
Jimmy Douglas of Plug said the Lightning is selling at 50% to 60% of sticker price, a range he called “a sweet spot.” Edmunds.com said used prices were up 4% since the start of the year to about $50,000.
Jim Farley and Ford
Jim Farley said Ford ended production because “the very high-end EVs, the $50K, 70K, $80,000 vehicles, they just weren’t selling.” Ford had already seen how expensive the truck became: the base F-150 Lightning Pro debuted in 2021 at $39,974, then rose to around $60,000 a year or so later. Edmunds.com said the average transaction price in the first year of sales was $79,000, about $19,000 more than Ford's gas version.
Ford also lost more than $100,000 on every EV it built in Q1 2024. That helps explain why a truck that was once priced like a premium model is now finding buyers only after the market cuts it down sharply.
Chase Norris in Colorado
Chase Norris, who lives in Colorado, bought a used Lightning for around $40,000 and called it a major upgrade from his previous gas F-150. Alex Lawrence of EV Group said he cannot get his hands on any reasonably priced used F-150 Lightnings right now.
The price gap now defines the truck’s second life. Ford stopped building it after last December, but the used market is taking in the leftover supply quickly because the discount has finally brought the truck into a range buyers will move on.
Fathom next year
Ford says the next try will be the Fathom next year. The company says it will start at $28,350 for the standard-range version, or under $30,000 with the $1,595 delivery fee included, and will be the first vehicle on Ford’s UEV platform.
Ford also says the Fathom will offer more interior space than a Toyota RAV4 and will be the first vehicle with Apple Maps directly integrated into the navigation system. The question for buyers is whether Ford has reset the price enough this time to avoid repeating the Lightning’s path from high sticker to steep used-market discounts.
