I'm actually working on my 3rd month with this '25 F-150 Lightning Flash. Just thought I'd share my thoughts, since I came from a LONG line of gasoline and diesel trucks over the past 30 years.

The most glaring thing I've noticed so far is that I can't ever figure out why there's so much money in my checking account. I check my balance a few times per week, and I'm very well versed in what I'm going to see at different times through the month when I look at it. Lately whenever I pull it up there's a lot more cash in there than expected. This is hard to get used to (I'm not complaining) because I then panic that maybe I forgot to pay a bill somewhere. But it turns out that the insurance savings, lack of maintenance required, and not having to stop at fuel stations weekly is just adding up. At this point, it would be very hard to convince myself to go back to a diesel truck, where I would pull into the station and hand them a $100 bill every week. The financial savings cannot be understated with this EV truck.

Secondly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I've gotten really used to the peace and quiet. I get in the truck, hit the PTS button, shift, and go. There's no noise, no smoke. It's just dead quiet inside. The only time I hear anything is when it's cold outside and the heat pump fan kicks on for the HVAC system. I typically like the sound that a V8 engine running through nice mufflers produces, and I still have a Challenger SRT8 392 Hemi to meet that need, but man this Lightning truck is just so nice and non-fatiguing to drive. The wife loves it too. It's serenity.

Third, it's been surprising how easy it was to transition from a deleted and tuned Powerstroke to this Lightning. The power output feels exactly the same. Ford did a great job on throttle response, linear feel, etc. too. Braking is pretty nice as well. The regen braking makes it a little odd at times, but overall the brakes are smooth. When I had my 26' enclosed trailer behind me, the truck doesn't care. It's so wild how much power this truck has. I have used this Lightning to do 99% of what I used my F-250 to do, and it has done all of it perfectly. It's has been a great replacement for the diesel.

I really like that I won't have to stand at a pump in frigid weather this winter with the wind howling waiting for my truck to fill up. I really like that nobody will siphon fuel out of my tank if I'm in a bad area of town. I love the features and creature comforts that the Flash offers. The frunk is truly useful and I put things in there all the time. The fit and finish is fantastic. The doors have a nice, solid "thunk" when they are closed. They seal off great. There are no creaks, moans, or rattles and I drive gravel roads daily. The truck feels like it's the most solid and well built truck I've ever had. I love the 2,030 lb. payload capacity and the nearly 5,000 lb. RAWR because it opens up the door to towing what my F-250 could tow.

If there is ONE complaint, it's battery capacity and charge speed. I really would LOVE to have the charge speed that the GM truck has, and the ability to tow 200 miles or more on a single charge like the GM truck does. That would be a total game changer for me. If this F-150 Lightning had those two things, it very well may be the perfect pickup truck. I hope Ford sees this. The new "T3" truck that is scheduled to replace Lightning doesn't need to change much from the current formula....just give us more battery range and faster charging and we're set!

 

Why would insurance be cheaper?

 

@WXboy

Thank you for posting a 3 month review as a first time EV owner who replaced a Diesel truck.

Everything you wrote is spot on. Keep the smile on your face and keep us informed.

 

I had a lightning on order after waiting for my invite a year and a half or so. I was really pumped thinking about an extended range pro model. (which ended up going to fleets only) I drive 4-5000 miles a month for my job. My thought was I’d keep the miles off the 350 and use it only on the ‘long’ days. What I’d had to pay for extended range wasn’t viable. The Flash is a great option and the pricing at the end of the government money really was enticing.

I ended up letting the dealer take my lightning and bought a maverick. There is a lot to be said about an efficient truck, it’s a huge market that is just now being catered too. For now I’ve sold the maverick. I didn’t like having two trucks to maintain and jockey in the garage. I’m back to dailying the diesel 350 and am anxious for the next lightning, hoping they can get the range/charge times where I’d need them.

As a side note, my buddy has both a ER lightning and a diesel 350. As we take his pontoon to the lake (hilly southern Indiana) the lightning is the preferred tow pig. Regen braking in the hills is SO MUCH MORE less dramatic than the exhaust brake on the 350. It really is an excellent offering by Ford.

 

The only thing I can figure is the enormous amount of safety tech that's on these EV trucks. And when I say insurance costs went down, I mean WAY down. Hundreds of dollars annually. In fact, I think I'm paying less on the '25 Lightning than I do on my '05 Lariat.

 

A while back in California, insurance was more expensive on electric electric vehicles than on gas vehicles.

The excuse that an insurance agent told me was that electric vehicles cost more to repair, take longer to repair, and inherently present more risk (shorted wiring in collisions) that are mitigated with the replacement of more subsystems.

This rambling went on to include lack of historical actuarial data that the insurance industry could draw upon to predict collision repair costs of electric vehicles.

Moreover, the insurance agent pointed out that a limited number of body shops were qualified to repair electric vehicles, which allowed these shops to charge more, as there were fewer of them, and the shops could justify the higher rates due to the time in training costs to become certified... according to the agent.

I'm glad to read of an anecdotal example where the insurance premium for an electric vehicle was substantially less in cost than the premium for a gas vehicle that was substantially similar in function.

 

Well I think I may have jinxed all of that, because just today I got an e-mail from Progressive stating that my new premium is going up $477/year for 2026. Sigh............. no tickets, no claims, still live in the same rural location, no changes but the cost is going up. Figures. I hope it isn't because the truck has been spying on me. 98% of the time I drive very conservatively, but occasionally I might rip the throttle a little bit. Who doesn't when there are over 500 horses?