Ford's Affordable New Electric Pickup Might Give Slate Something To Worry About

Published Wed, Jul 8, 2026

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Car and Driver

Prototype vehicle covered in camouflage undergoing testing on a racetrack.

Car and Driver

MSRP

$30,000

est

By Austin Parsons

Overview

There's a lot of buzz around the idea of an affordable electric pickup truck right now—thank you, Slate—and Ford plans to capitalize on it by introducing its own entry-priced EV workhorse. While we don’t know for sure, we think that the new model will wear the Ranchero nameplate and have a footprint comparable to the compact, gasoline-powered Ford Maverick.

The Ranchero will be built on Ford's new Universal EV platform that will also underpin several of the brand's other upcoming low-cost electric vehicles. The core engineering principles of the new platform are simplicity and thriftiness, so the Ranchero will make use of minimal parts and feature a 400-volt electrical architecture to keep costs low.

Vehicle details are sparse, but we do know that a 4.5-second 60-mph sprint is the acceleration target and that passengers will apparently have more stretch-out space than in a Toyota RAV4. With Ford claiming that the arrival of its new electric pickup is a "Model T moment" for the brand, we expect big things when details start rolling in.

Expert Tip: The Ranchero's most obvious rival will be the sub-$30,000 Slate Truck. While neither electric pickup will come well-furnished, the Ranchero will likely offer some creature comforts—like an audio system and power windows—that the Slate will not.

What's New for 2028?

The Ford Ranchero, if that's what it ends up being called, will be the first of several budget-conscious electric vehicles built on Ford's Universal EV platform. In the future, there will be a variety of different affordable electric offerings built with the same underpinnings. Ford claims that it is working on "everything from vans to three-row SUVs down to B-segment vehicles," the size class that includes tiny cars like the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, and Mazda 2—none of which are currently sold in the U.S.

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Pricing and Which One to Buy

As more information becomes available, we'll update this story with more details about:

EV Motor, Power, and Performance
0–60-MPH Times
Towing and Payload Capacity
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
Infotainment and Connectivity
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
Warranty and Maintenance Coverage
C/D Test Results and Specs

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