Ford Explorer Review & Prices

The Explorer is Ford’s second electric SUV after the Mustang Mach-E, but it goes about things in a very different way. Rather than using a bespoke Ford-developed platform, the Explorer leans heavily on Volkswagen Group technology, sharing its underpinnings with the VW ID4. That makes it a familiar recipe mechanically, but Ford has worked hard to give it a distinct personality.

It also borrows its name from a huge petrol-powered SUV sold in the US, which makes the Explorer feel a bit like an American-style diner parked beside the A303. It still serves burgers and hot dogs, but the portions are more restrained, and the chef feels more Tamworth than Texas.

The Explorer drops into one of the busiest parts of the electric car market. Alternatives include the Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y and Peugeot E-3008, all of which target buyers after a mid-sized electric SUV with decent range and everyday usability. It also makes a lot of sense if you’re coming from something like a Ford Kuga and want your first EV to feel familiar rather than intimidating.

Visually, the Explorer does a good job of hiding its Volkswagen roots. The design is upright and chunky, giving it a proper SUV stance without tipping into rugged cosplay. It looks clean and confident rather than futuristic, which will suit buyers who want something modern but not overly flashy.

Ford Explorer: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 276-374 miles
Efficiency: 3.6-4.5 miles per kWh
Battery size: 52-79kWh
Max charge speed: 185kW
Charge time AC: 8 hours, 10-80% at 7kW / 5 hours 30 minutes, 10-80% at 11kW
Charge time DC: 26 minutes, 10-80% at 185kW
Charge port location: Rear right
Power outputs: 190hp/286hp/340hp

Inside, the Explorer feels impressively premium. While there are subtle hints that the hardware comes from elsewhere, the overall design and material quality feel a step up from the ID4. It feels much posher and is a nicer place to sit as a result.

The focal point is the massive 15.0-inch portrait touchscreen, which runs Ford’s own software rather than Volkswagen’s. It’s responsive, sharp and comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The menus are fairly intuitive, although it’s frustrating that basic climate controls are handled entirely through the screen.

There are also some clever storage solutions on show. A huge cubby beneath the centre armrest is big enough to swallow a laptop, and the touchscreen itself slides backwards to reveal an additional hidden storage compartment behind it.

Practicality is decent rather than outstanding. The boot is noticeably smaller than those in cars like the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y, and while rear legroom is fine for most passengers, the high floor can leave taller adults feeling like their knees are sitting a bit too high on longer journeys.

On the road, the Explorer is easy and reassuring to drive. Around town, forward visibility is good, although the small rear window doesn’t help when reversing. The suspension is on the firm side over broken surfaces, which can make rough roads feel a little unsettled.

Push on a bit and the Explorer is a better car to drive than the VW ID4, with sharper steering that makes it feel more confident on twisty roads. It’s also quiet and refined on the motorway, settling into long journeys without fuss.

Overall, the Ford Explorer is a solid all-round electric SUV rather than a revolutionary one. It offers good range, a high-quality interior and plenty of technology, even if it isn’t the most comfortable or the most spacious option in its class.

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In price terms, the Explorer sits slightly above the Volkswagen ID4 and Tesla Model Y, while lining up closely with the Kia EV6 and Peugeot E-3008. Generous standard equipment helps soften the blow, and Ford also offers a cheaper version with a smaller battery to broaden the range.

There are three trim levels available: Style, Select and Premium. Even the entry-level Style comes well equipped, with 19-inch wheels, full LED headlights and adaptive cruise control. Select adds heated and massaging front seats, and keyless entry and start.

Premium models add a panoramic glass roof, a 10-speaker B&O sound system, LED ambient lighting and a hands-free electric tailgate, giving the Explorer a more upmarket feel without pushing it into luxury-brand pricing territory.

The Ford Explorer is more fun to drive than other electric SUVs, however the bouncy suspension means it isn’t the most comfortable

In town

In town is where most electric SUVs thrive, and the Explorer makes for a decent city runaround. Forward visibility is good, you have good-sized door mirrors and a right turning circle to make those last-minute U-turns a breeze. You also get plenty of punch from the electric motors for nipping through gaps in traffic.

What’s not so great is the suspension, because it’s pretty stiff and as a result it never really settles over potholes and speed humps. It all feels a bit busy, and a Skoda Enyaq is much more comfortable.

Still, at least there are plenty of driver aids on board to make busy urban streets a bit less stressful. All cars get rear cross-traffic alert which will warn you if a car or bike is coming as you reverse out of a space, and a reversing camera also comes as standard. If you want a 360-degree camera then you’ll have to go for the Driver Assistance Pack which also includes a head-up display and a power tailgate.

You may want to go for that pack as well, because the view out of the back isn’t good thanks to a very narrow rear window. Reversing in tight car parks or pulling out at oblique junctions can be a bit challenging.

On the motorway

If you do a lot of motorway miles, the Explorer is very agreeable. You’ll be best off going for the rear-wheel drive model here for the extended range, but regardless the cabin remains hushed at speed and the suspension settles down nicely as you go faster.

All Explorers also come with adaptive cruise control as standard which can maintain a safe distance from the car in front and steer to keep you in lane - which is great for taking the sting out of longer slogs.

On a twisty road

Hit up a winding B-road and you’ll find the Explorer is a bit more fun to drive than the VW ID4 it shares a lot of its parts with. It’s certainly no hot hatch, but the steering is sharp and direct and there’s very little body roll as you push on through the corners.

Unfortunately there is a trade-off for this, and that’s the fact it’s quite bouncy over bumps. Reducing body roll in a heavy electric SUV usually means beefing up the suspension, and that appears to be what’s happened in the Explorer because it’s always fidgeting and bobbing around. A Peugeot E-3008 is better if you just want to waft home in comfort.

The Explorer has plenty of cubbies and loads of space up front, but competitors have larger boots

Life up front is pretty good in the Ford Explorer. The front seats have electrical adjustment with a good range of motion to suit all sizes and shapes of driver, while the steering wheel adjusts for both rake and reach - the latter in particular has a big range of motion.

Unlike the closely-related Volkswagen ID4, the Explorer’s instrument panel stays in one place and doesn’t move with the steering column. This does mean it’s possible to block it out in certain driving positions. 

You get a variety of storage cubbies, including Ford’s so-called ‘Mega Console’ - essentially, a usefully large storage area underneath the central armrest with adjustable dividers, big enough to store a laptop. You can choose whether you’d like cupholders at the front of this or a plain storage tray. The infotainment screen slides forward at the touch of a switch to reveal a space perfect for keeping assorted odds and ends - and it’s linked with the central locking so it’s secure when the car’s turned off. There are also twin wireless charging pads, positioned almost vertically so your phone stays out of sight and possible temptation.

Space in the back seats

There’s at least as much space in the back of the Ford Explorer as there is in electric SUVs such as the Volkswagen ID4 or Kia EV6. Taller passengers may struggle for knee room, but headroom is pretty good. Some models get a panoramic glass roof, which typically results in reduced headroom - but here it doesn’t, because the glass panel extends back further than the rear passengers’ heads.

The batteries under the floor also raise it up quite a lot, and this means you may find your knees are elevated too high which isn't especially comfortable on longer journeys.

Each rear door gets a usefully large door bin, there’s a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders, and two USB-C charging ports in the middle. If you’d like to carry three passengers, you’ll find a totally flat floor and a reasonably comfortable middle seat.

Boot space

Boot space totals 450 litres - bigger than the pricier Ford Mustang Mach-e but less than a Volkswagen ID4 or a Kia EV6 which have 543 and 480 litres respectively. The top trim level gets an electric tailgate (with a piercingly loud chime when you open it) revealing a square, practical space. There’s space underneath the floor to store your charging cables, and you can fold the rear seats down in a 60:40 split to carry larger items.

There’s also a ski hatch allowing you to carry long, thin items between the two rear passengers. A couple of bag hooks and some deep wells just behind the rear wheels help keep things tidy, and there’s also a 12V socket. The rear seats drop easily and leave a totally flat floor.

And if you like towing a trailer or caravan, the Explorer’s available with a towbar - four-wheel drive models can tow up to 1.4 tonnes, which is still quite rare for an electric car. What’s missing is the front boot, or ‘frunk’ that some rivals such as the Tesla Model Y offer.

High quality build, but touchscreen-driven interior isn’t the most intuitive to use

Like so many modern SUVs, the Ford Explorer has precious few physical buttons on the inside. Most items are controlled through the large 15.0-inch touchscreen in the centre, but what buttons remain are touch-sensitive and therefore not the easiest to use on the move.

The Ford Explorer’s column stalks aren’t totally self-explanatory either, with the right-hand stalk being the drive selector - leaving lights, wipers and indicators to cram onto the left-hand stalk all together. Even the window switches haven’t escaped - there are just two, with a further touch-sensitive button to switch between controlling the fronts and the rears.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The dashboard has a cool-looking soundbar on top of it, and material quality seems good throughout - the artificial leather seats in particular are nicer than the ones you get on a Tesla or a Volkswagen. The infotainment system itself doesn’t have the simplest interface, but all the virtual buttons are big enough to be easy to press which isn’t always the case. We like the shortcut buttons permanently at the top and bottom of the screen, and wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto cover off smartphone connectivity requirements.

Rear-wheel drive versions of the Ford Explorer can manage up to 374 miles of range with the smaller wheels, however go for the Premium with its 20-inch rims and this drops to 354 miles. If you fancy a bit of extra shove from the 340hp dual-motor model, you'll have to make do with 329 miles of range.

So how does this stack up against the alternatives? Well, the new Tesla Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive will do up to 387 miles on a charge, while the EV6 with the standard 84kWh battery only manages 347 miles on a full charge. All models will charge from 10-80% in under half an hour using a DC rapid station.

All Explorers are eligible for £10 first year road tax, with the standard rate applying afterwards. The entry Style trim Explorer misses out on the luxury car supplement as it costs just under £40,000. The other Explorer models cost more than £40,000, meaning they have to pay the luxury car supplement, which applies from years two to six.

However, being an EV, the Explorer sits in the lowest band of company car tax, making it a good option for fleet buyers.

The Explorer achieved a full five-star Euro NCAP rating. The Volkswagen ID4 on which the Explorer is based did just that in 2021.

All models will include a plethora of driver assistance and safety features including autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Neither Ford nor VW (which supplies the battery and motor technology for the Explorer) are known for stellar reliability. The relative simplicity of electric cars should mean mechanical maladies are largely avoidable, but some EVs have suffered software bugs for a while after launch.

Ford’s standard warranty is three years or 60,000 miles and is pretty standard. It doesn’t look so generous compared to Kia’s seven years of cover, or Toyota’s ten. The battery is be covered for a period of eight years/100,000 miles, which is in line with most other manufacturers.