Electric vehicles were long considered to be the future of the auto industry, but there’s plenty of evidence that hybrid cars are the best path forward. 2023 numbers show that Ford hybrid sales are increasing and that the automaker’s two hybrid trucks represent an overwhelming part of the market, leaving its few competitors far behind them. 

Ford Hybrid sales continue to soar

Ford currently makes two hybrid pickups – the Ford F-150 PowerBoost and Ford Maverick Hybrid – and those two vehicles are more than enough to dominate the segment market. 

According to Ford Authority, Ford hybrid trucks account for 77% of the overall market in 2023. (Sales numbers are accurate through the month of August.) Admittedly, there aren’t a lot of models in this sphere at this time. Toyota only has Tundra Hybrid in its lineup this year, though the brand will be adding a hybrid variant to the Tacoma next year. 

Still, all stats make it clear that Ford’s hybrid options aren’t succeeding by default. There’s a growing audience for them. When reporting its sales numbers in Q3 of this year, Ford explained that hybrid sales are up 41.4% from last year and that both the F-150 Hybrid and the Maverick Hybrid have increased sales exponentially in the last 12 months.

While Ford has invested billions of dollars into EV development and electric vehicle production facilities, the company is already making moves to capitalize on this momentum. The Maverick’s electrified powertrain will now be an option for the 2024 model year rather than the standard choice, making the PowerBoost a no-cost option over the standard 3.5L EcoBoost in the refreshed 2024 F-150. The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus will also include a hybrid model. 

Ford CEO Jim Farley stated in August that the company expects hybrid sales to continue to rise. “We have the flexibility to offer customers choice of ICE, hybrids, and full electrics in the years to come,” Farley said. “Our hybrid offerings are extremely popular. F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for 46 years. 10 percent of all F-150s and 56 percent of all Mavericks sold in the U.S. are sold as hybrids. We are adding hybrid options across our ICE lineup, and we expect to quadruple our hybrid sales in the next five years, and we’re already number two in the market last year.”

An overview of the F-150 Hybrid and Maverick Hybrid

The 2023 F-150 is the first of its kind to come with a hybrid powertrain and packs plenty of power (possibly at the expense of reliability). The PowerBoost combines a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and a 35 kW electric motor to produce 400 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. The truck also uses a 10-speed automatic transmission. The F-150 Hybrid provides up to 700 miles of driving range per tank and can power an onboard generator to keep the truck active on job sites or during power outages. 

The Hybrid has a fuel economy of 25 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, which is slightly better than the 20 mpg city and 26 highway offered by the traditional turbocharged 2.7-liter V6. It can also tow up to 12,700 pounds. Pricing for the F-150 Hybrid begins at $83,010. 

The Maverick Hybrid uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor to produce 191 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque that sends power to the front wheels through a continuously variable automatic transmission. (The Ford Escape Hybrid uses the same engine but uses a different electric motor.) The truck only tows a maximum of 2,000 lbs since it can’t be paired with all-wheel drive of the Maverick towing package, but it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. 

The Maverick Hybrid has an impressive fuel economy of 42 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. The truck is available in three main trim levels (the base XL, XLT, and Lariat) and two off-road variants. Pricing begins at $24,900. 

Toyota Tundra Hybrid specs

Ford Hybrid sales may loom over the rest of the market, but the Toyota Tundra Hybrid is also a solid vehicle. It brings together the standard twin-turbo 3.5-liter engine and an electric motor to produce 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque. The hybrid powertrain, known as the i-Force Max, is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and is an option for the Limited, Platinum, and 1974 Edition trims and standard with the TRD Pro and Capstone models. 

The EPA estimates that the Tundra Hybrid should get 20 mpg in the city and up to 24 mpg on the highway for its fuel economy, but other reviewers found that the vehicle is more of a gas guzzler than it purports to be. It does reach 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, tow up to 11,450 lbs, and carry a payload of up to 1,680 lbs.

The MSRP for the Tundra Hybrid starts at $39,695. Toyota will hope that next year’s model will make up some ground on Ford’s hybrid offerings.