2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Price Goes Up to $58,514
When the Ford F-150 Lightning was first announced in May 2021, its starting MSRP of $39,974 seemed like a pretty good deal. Now, with the power of hindsight, it’s a downright bargain. Ford raised the price before the official launch — then raised it again, and again, and then one more time after reopening order banks.
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The F-150 Lightning now costs $58,514 for its base model, a near-$5,000 hike compared to the previous adjustment made in August, and approaching $20,000 more than the price that was promised in mid-2021. Ford has assured customers who are waiting for delivery that their price was locked in and will not be affected by the new one.
This latest adjustment is different than those that came before, though. While previous price changes affected every trim level, the most recent affects only the base trim. The other models cost the same as they have since August: the XLT starts at $66,014 and goes up to $82,869 with the extended range battery; the Lariat starts at $76,369 and the top-end Platinum at $97,819.
With this additional context, a $5,000 hike might not seem like much. After all, the base model is still $7,500 more affordable than the next trim level and over $39,000 less than the Platinum. The Ford Lightning’s price range is simply so wide that $5,000 could just seem like a drop in the bucket for those who can actually afford one.
Ford claims the price increase is a response to market factors, supply-chain limitations, and rising material costs. Though it’s true that the cost of producing goods has risen, the U.S. government says it does not account for all of the inflation and that corporations are using inflation as a cover for price gouging. Some might thus perceive that Ford, seeing that dealerships are able to throw massive markups on the Lightning, felt the vehicle had been underpriced.
The underlying reason doesn’t really matter as long as the consumer still buys the product. As an NPR article helpfully analyzed, inflation is caused by many things — and at the root of it all is our unwavering demand for goods regardless of what they cost. The new Ford F-150 Lightning price might seem high, but it’s only gotten this high because Ford has good cause to believe people will buy it anyway.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.