Ford Ranger pick-up drops diesel as tax-friendly plug-in hybrid takes hold
Ford’s iconic flat-bed is cutting what was previously its most popular engine as tax changes push working buyers to PHEVs
Ford is dropping the core 2.0-litre diesel engine from its Ranger pick-up, with buyers increasingly moving to the plug-in hybrid model in a move fuelled partly by government tax changes for pick-up trucks.
The 237bhp 3.0-litre diesel will remain on sale, primarily for anyone regularly towing heavy loads, but the 168bhp and 202bhp 2.0-litre diesels, while currently still on Ford’s price list, will disappear from sale by the end of this year.
The change in tax rules has played a big part in the reduced appeal of pick-ups as a working tool. Anyone running a pick-up as a company car previously dodged almost all the Benefit-in-Kind tax, but changes from April 2025 mean trucks are treated as cars, so their high emissions figures make for punishingly costly monthly bills from HMRC. The Ford Ranger PHEV will save drivers thousands of pounds a year, and Ford said the fact that it has better fuel efficiency than the diesel and a similar towing capacity means the 2.0-litre isn’t required any more.
The plug-in hybrid, which offers 277bhp from its combination of 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine and electric motor powered by a 12kW battery, has an official figure of up to 27 miles on electric power alone, and claimed fuel consumption in excess of 90mpg.
At present, Ford’s Ranger is the only pick-up available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, although Korean firm KGM and Chinese brand Maxus offer a full-electric truck, and Toyota recently revealed its first Hilux BEV, which Auto Express has driven, and which will hit UK roads by next summer.
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