2025 Ford Ranger PHEV Stormtrak | UK Review

The hybridised Ranger rocks up with more torque than a Raptor. Does it also walk the walk?

By Nic Cackett / Tuesday, 19 August 2025 / Loading comments

Encountering the Ranger PHEV for the first time by the side of the road, snapper Oli, doubtless echoing more than one casual observer, queried why anyone would want such a thing. It’s a fair point. We usually associate pickup trucks with burly oil burners - or, at a push, even burlier petrol engines. Even allowing for the proliferation of plug-in hybrids elsewhere, the thought of one endowed with an electric motor seems almost counterintuitive. Thanks to its popularity among farmers, not to mention a long-established reputation for rugged versatility, we think of pickups as go-anywhere multi-tools, not purveyors of silence, forever mindful of where the next plug socket might be.

But there is good reason for Ford to consider the newcomer a crucial addition to the Ranger lineup - and that’s the tax situation. In a nutshell, double-cab pickups (i.e. those with back seats) were previously considered commercial vehicles in the same flat-rate bracket as vans and other work vehicles, assuming they could accommodate a one-tonne payload. But thanks in part to the increasing popularity of the Ranger and others like it as a lifestyle option, HMRC has opted to reclassify the segment to better reflect what it sees as the predominant use case - i.e. the movement of people, not goods. Which, from a business user’s perspective, means you’re now looking at a car. With an oversized boot.

Whether or not you think that fair (frankly, it’s hard not to sympathise with anyone using a double-cab pickup in its traditional role), the fact remains that the plug-in Ranger’s introduction now looks as well-timed as an Amazon delivery on Christmas Eve. Where the rest of the lineup - and practically all of its rivals - are staring down the barrel of benefit-in-kind catastrophe, the new Stormtrak PHEV, with 25 miles of electric range and lowly 71g/km CO2 emissions, qualifies for a much more affordable bracket. Still more expensive than the flat rate a previous Ranger user would’ve paid, mind— but sufficiently close to the ballpark that Ford is likely counting on the upgrade eventually seeming like a financial no-brainer.

Of course, as a rule, we like to keep such machinations at arm’s length (associated running costs being low on our mostly adolescent list of priorities). Instead, the hybridised Ranger qualified as a blip on the PH radar for another reason: the unexpected presence of Ford's 2.3-litre Ecoboost, a four-cylinder engine more readily associated with the Focus ST, and with it the lively combined prospect not only of 281hp (more than you get from the diesel V6) but also 514lb ft of torque— 152lb ft more than is claimed for the Ecoboost V6 powering the fun-tastic Ranger Raptor. No matter its reliance on the 102hp electric motor mated to the 10-speed transmission, we thought— this has all the makings of a clandestine, holier-than-thou barnstormer.

In reality, as any sane person would have predicted, it is only two of these things. Ford has purposely kept its celebration of the PHEV’s status to a minimum: this is the launch edition Stormtrak in an exclusively natty colour, but you can buy it in other high-spec costumes, and, flashy 18-inch wheel design aside, the only item to really mark out the hybrid is the additional filler flap concealing the charging port. Plug the Ranger into the mains and you’ll fill the 11.8kWh battery in around four hours. We didn’t do this, but you can also regather some meaningful charge while on the move via an EV button in the cab that tasks the four-pot with the job, albeit to the detriment of fuel consumption. The interior, otherwise, is carried over.

The ambience, though, is very different. Accustomed as we are becoming to cars of all shapes and sizes starting up in silence, it’s hard to square the experience with the familiar Ranger fixtures and fittings, or the big-shouldered way it still manoeuvres. There is nothing wrong with the electric motor’s toil at very low speeds (an attribute that remains long after the battery claims to be flat) and there’s a lot to be said for ghosting about the place in a vehicle that some are minded to find objectionable - but it’s hard not to miss the comforting heft of either V6, or the lusty throttle response that both bring to the party. Doubly so when the Ecoboost reinforcement does arrive, it being as mild-mannered as Clark Kent in the morning.

Clearly, the four-pot has been tuned for (mostly) seamless interaction with the hush that precedes it, and the new powertrain does this job impressively well. Combined with the Ranger’s long-travel talent for bump absorption and its dialled-in steering, progress on smooth roads approaches a level that could almost be called serene. Save for the occasional judder and a brake pedal compromised for feel, there is precious little that penetrates the PHEV bubble; imagine a Ranger as you already know it, but swaddled in a duvet. Or better yet, a weighted blanket, because at 2,560kg - more than 100kg heavier than a Raptor - you never fully escape a background awareness of greater mass.

Certainly, it crops up in a straight line. The Ranger is dependably brisk from a standing start, but the electric motor isn’t sufficiently punchy - nor the Ecoboost subsequently lively enough - to rival the outright performance of the V6; hence the 1.2-second difference in 0-62 mph times between PHEV and Raptor. This does not make the former slow per se (just as the latter isn’t really legitimately fast), and there is gusto enough in the mid-range to earnestly push on virtually anywhere you like - but the distant hope that Ford might have brought a bit of serious vim to proceedings is dashed early on. A Raptor remains lighter, quicker, sweeter, and infinitely more charismatic.

Nevertheless, what you get instead might very well be the next best thing. After all, the PHEV can still tow up to 3.5 tonnes, still carry up to one tonne (albeit on a marginally smaller load bed to account for the battery underneath), still offers you the usability of a dual transfer box and rear diff lock, and will still wade through 800mm of standing water. Moreover, with the 2.3kW Pro Power Onboard option ticked, you get access to the lithium-ion drive battery via two three-pin sockets in a rear-mounted load box - which means you can turn the Ranger into a mobile power plant. Fairly redundant for PH’s hired geeks (we could only test it with a solitary MacBook), though perfect, you’d imagine, for anyone doing real work in remote locations. Whether or not that justifies the £49,800 (excluding VAT) starting price rather depends on your use case - but it would be hard to argue that Ford hasn’t done a fine job of furthering the case for its multi-tool in an electrified future.

SPECIFICATION | 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV Stormtrak

Engine: 2,261cc, four-cylinder, turbo
Transmission: ten-speed auto with e-motor, four-wheel drive
Total power (hp): 281 @ 4,600 rpm (combined)
Total torque (lb ft): 514 @ 2,500 rpm (combined)
0-62 mph: 9.2 sec
Top speed: TBC
Weight: 2,560kg
MPG: 28 (WLTP)
CO2: 71 g/km (WLTP)
Price: £49,800 (excl. VAT)
Price as tested: £52,941 (excl. VAT)