The Last Ford F-150 Lightning For Under $50k Is Dead

| Labels: The Last Ford F-150 Lightning For Under $50k Is Dead

via The Last Ford F-150 Lightning For Under $50k Is Dead

Ford’s workhorse Lightning Pro is no longer priced like a workhorse

Following the scrapping of the EV tax credit at the end of September, there was some good news for the 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning. Its price will drop by up to $4,000 on certain trims when it becomes available. What was missing from that report was pricing for the Pro, the most affordable trim by far, and the news for this variant is a lot less rosy, as it’s expected to become $5,000 pricier. Cars Direct obtained an order guide for the 2026 F-150 Lightning, confirming the increase, which makes the base model close to 40% more expensive than it was when first launched. Thankfully, there’s a justifiable reason for the price hike for 2026.

Ford Discontinues Lightning's Smaller Battery

View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article

For 2025, the F-150 Lightning Pro comes with a 98-kWh Standard Range battery as standard, which delivers a 240-mile range on a full charge. The larger 123-kWh battery with a 300-mile range is an option, but this is now standard for 2026, which helps explain the price increase of $5,000. The Pro trim will now cost $54,780, which means you’ll no longer be able to get an F-150 Lightning for under $50k. The Standard Range battery has been discontinued across the entire lineup, so all models should be able to manage at least 300 miles on a full charge.

Besides the price bump, there’s some more bad news for the Lightning Pro. According to a Washington-based Ford dealer, this model is not available for retail purchase—only fleet orders will apply. You’ll have to cough up at least $63,345 for the STX, which replaces the XLT. That price excludes a delivery fee of $2,195.

Only the Flash ($65,995) and Lariat ($76,995) receive price cuts for 2026. The top Platinum grade will still cost $84,995.

What Else is New?

The scrapping of the Standard Range battery is the main change for 2026, but Ford will also be introducing three new colors for the F-150 Lightning: Argon Blue Metallic, Marsh Gray, and Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat. Colors from 2025 that won’t carry over are Rapid Red, Space White, and Iconic Silver.

The Pro now gets Carbon Black running boards as standard, and there’s a one-year subscription to the Ford Connectivity Package for all trims. The Max Trailer Tow Package that increases the towing capacity from 7,700 lbs to 10,000 lbs is now standard on the Platinum and optional on other trims.

There’s no Such Thing as a Cheap Electric Pickup

It seems like ages ago since the cheapest Ford F-150 Lightning cost just under $40k. Tesla once promised that the Cybertruck would arrive with a base price of around that point, but it never happened. The 2026 Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV both cost way over $50,000, too. This tracks with the average transaction price for new EVs in September, which increased to a whopping $58,124.

Ford is planning a smaller, cheaper electric pickup, while Slate has even bigger ambitions for a $25k electric pickup with the bare minimum of features. Until these plans come to fruition, electric pickups remain too expensive for a large percentage of American consumers.