This year’s roster of automotive awards is already rolling out. Among some of the top-rated awards for 2023, you won’t be at all surprised to learn that the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning takes the cake. However, what is most impressive about this new pickup’s award-winning presence, is that it earns distinctions in two different categories.

The Ford F-150 Lightning is not only the best truck in this top-rated vehicles contest. It’s also the best EV. This is music to the Blue Oval’s ears and should convey to consumers that this truck has it all. We dove in to explore this “Best of the Best” award and uncover why the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning is such a game-changing winner.

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning wins ‘Best of the Best’ award

There’s no question that the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning is a worthy, top-performing truck in the running. But this “Best of the Best” award, as assembled by Edmunds, is quite the achievement. This award is intended to recognize the best vehicles on sale in today’s market.

And for 2023, Edmunds says their teams revamped the categories from the previous year to embrace the growing number of electric vehicle contenders. The Ford F-150 Lightning just happens to qualify for both the pickup and EV categories.

The Edmunds official, Top Rated Best of the Best award, salutes the best, most standout vehicle based on a few key criteria. The Ford F-150 Lightning was evaluated on its innovation, impact, and relevance to today’s car and truck buyers. And as the Edmunds teams remarked, this is “electric pickup for people who like to drive trucks.”

What makes this win even more impressive

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning didn’t just win the Top Rated Best of the Best award. It also took home first place as the Edmunds Top Rated Electric Truck award, too. The team says there isn’t another EV that “has more appeal for so much of the US market.” And the F-150 Lightning does a brilliant job of marrying the traditional truck feels and job-site capability with the most impressive and futuristic EV technology.

With two available battery options, you can drive 240 miles on a charge or 320 if you choose the extended-life battery. The Edmunds team achieved 345 miles with it during testing. But it’s an EV that still likes to do truck things and boasts a max towing capacity of 10,000 pounds.

It’s not every day you see a new pickup outperform both its traditional gas and modern EV competitors. In fact, it’s unheard of, which is what makes this Ford victory so sweet.

Reasons why the F-150 Lightning deserves to be champ

Based on the Edmunds’ team evaluations, the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning is “good – very, very good.” It’s not just a better truck. It’s a “better kind of truck.” In performance testing, it out-maneuvered and out-muscled its competition.

But it’s also refined, with plush amenities and convenience features that allow even the hardest-working folks to relax a little in the driver’s seat. And it’s a more practical pickup truck, with its lockable front trunk and capable overall size.

What stood out the most in this contest is the Ford F-150 Lightning’s ability to transition everyday consumers to an EV option. It’s still a beefy truck that doesn’t feel like a subdued EV. And it’s far more affordable than other electric options, with its price range of $46,974-$96,874.

If you’re on the EV fence and still need a new pickup, the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning is going to be a win-win for you. Edmunds says it’s so revolutionary that years into the future when historians look back on this timeframe and the evolution of EVs, they’ll recognize the F-150 Lightning for what it was—a genius and game-changing contribution to the industry as both the best truck and the best EV.