You know those parts of the country where the locals say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change?” We’re starting to think the same mechanisms are at work on Ford F-150 Lightning pricing but on a three-month timeframe. Just going back to last July, Cars Direct reported Ford cut prices on the 2023 F-150 Lightning anywhere from $6,079 to $9,979. That lowered the MSRP range of last year’s truck from $51,990 after destination for the Pro trim, $56,990 for the XLT, $71,990 for the Lariat, and $93,990 for the flagship Platinum trim. When pricing for the 2024 trucks came out in October, prices mostly went up again, along with destination rising $100 to $2,095. The Pro held steady but for the destination with a price of $52,090. The XLT went up $2,600 to $59,590, the Lariat base price leaped $7,600 to $77,590, almost entirely due to the Lariat no longer offering the Standard Range battery. The Platinum came down $1,900 to $92,090. Ford also announced a new Flash trim to fill the $18,000 gap between the XLT and Lariat, the Flash starting at $72,090. At the tippy top, a new Platinum Black would ask $99,990.
Fast forward three months to January of this year when Automotive News covered new higher pricing for all but one trim in the 2024 range. This time, the Pro rose $5,000 to $57,090 after destination, the XLT trim going up $6,500 to $67,090, the XLT also dropping its Extended Range option. The Flash, just three months after its announcement, climbed $3,500 to $75,590. The Lariat jumped $4,000 to $81,590, the Platinum got another cut, coming down $5,000 to $87,090, so too the Platinum Black, dropping to $95,090.
Another three months have passed, and Cars Direct says it’s seen a dealer bulletin laying out more price adjustments, this time in the buyer’s favor. The new sums:
- Pro: $57,090 (No change)
- XLT: $65,090 ($2,000 less)
- Flash: $70,090 ($5,500 less)
- Lariat: $79,090 ($2,500 less)
- Platinum: $87,090 (No change)
The prices and differentials were confirmed by a thread at the F-150 Lightning Forum based on information in a Ford dealer video. We would confirm them on Ford’s retail web site, but as of writing, the 2024 F-150 Lightning hasn’t been uploaded, only the 2023 truck appears on the site. With plenty of 2023 Lightnings still in dealer inventory, keen shoppers can find deals and trims the the 2024 doesn’t offer. Do your research, though, Ford having changed some standard equipment with the new model year and adding a heat pump to the 2024 models. If, after all that, you still don’t like the prices, you know how long to wait.