Is the Ford F-150 Lighting Pro a Better Deal Than the Lightning XLT?
The Ford F-150 Lightning became the huge superstar of trucks in 2022. How could it not, with most of the capability and the good looks of the standard F-150 truck but with a lot more electric power. The major difference is that it is electric, vs. the gas or diesel-powered traditional F-150s. Ford, however, came out of the gate with a cheaper work truck version it calls the Pro, which could be a better value than the upgraded XLT.
What is the Ford F-150 Lighting Pro? It’s the cheapest Ford Lightning truck.
The Pro is the most basic version of the 2023 Ford F-150 Lighting. Generally, trucks that come with specs like this are destined for fleet duty at your local school district or utility, and it’s the cheapest Ford Lightning truck. That means you don’t get the fancy LED lights, the nicer interior with soft-touch cloth seats, or even the 15.5-inch touchscreen of the upgraded XLT version. Other than that, it’s hard to tell the electric work truck apart.
But, the Pro’s 12.0-inch screen gets the job done, and those who wear thick gloves daily will appreciate that Ford changed the HVAC controls to knobs from the screen. Also, the Pro has easy-clean vinyl seats and rubber flooring, which suits this truck’s mission just fine, thank you. Other than those few changes, it’s not a whole lot different from the much more expensive XLT.
Is the Ford XLT package worth it?
The XLT and the Pro both offer a lot of the same options, such as the same low-voltage Pro Power Onboard system for powering tools. But the XLT does offer several upgrades, such as the option of the extended range battery, a 360-degree camera, and cloth seats. It is not a luxury truck. That’s the Platinum’s purview.
However, the XLT offers several of the basics that we’ve come to expect. The XLT has leather-wrapped steering wheel, carpet instead of mats, extended running boards, and a few other trim pieces. Both trucks have four-wheel drive from a dual-motor powertrain, as well as a base 240-mile range.
The Lighting Pro saw a huge price increase
The Pro version was designed to appeal to those who want a basic work truck. When the Lighting was launched, you could get a Pro, with no options, for about $44,000. Now, the base price of the base F-150 Lightning is a whopping $55,974 before tax credits. It’s impossible to see where the extra $15,000 went into the 2023 model, but it could be that Ford designed the Pro version to be a loss-leader and to get Lightings on the road sooner. And, according to InsideEVs, only some Lightnings will qualify for tax credits.
The XLT, however, also saw a price increase. The base price for a 2022 version was $52,974, while the 2023 version starts at $63,474, again before tax credits. That, too, is a steep increase in the price. These trucks, however, are seeing huge demand and that usually means huge price increases. While the Pro version looks, well, plain, is the $11,000 price upgrade worth it for cloth seats and a larger screen?
