Ford Explorer Review & Prices

The Ford Explorer may wear an American badge on its nose and tail, but the handsome electric SUV is actually related to the Volkswagen ID4 under the skin. It features a premium interior with lots of clever cubby spaces, but it’s not very spacious in the back and the boot could be bigger.

You might already know of the Explorer nameplate - in the USA, it’s a big, thirsty, petrol-powered SUV. That makes this electric version feel a bit like an American diner in the quaint British countryside. Sure, you can order ribs and a root beer float, but the portions are smaller than you might expect and you’re greeted with ‘hello there,’ rather than ‘howdy partner.’

There are plenty of options if you’re after a medium-sized, electric-powered family SUV. From the Citroen e-C5 Aircross and Hyundai Ioniq 5 to the Changan Deepal S07 and Leapmotor C10, you’re spoilt for choice. The mechanically similar Skoda Elroq and Audi Q4 e-tron are worth a look, and if you fancy a sleeker shape then the Ford Capri should also be on the menu.

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

That said, there’s a touch more Americana to its looks than the Skoda and Audi because while those cars are all sleek and slippery, the Explorer’s upright, squared-off front and rear ends give it a touch more road presence than the Europeans. It’s a handsome thing, with the joined-up lights at both ends giving it a futuristic edge.

Step inside and you’re greeted by a surprisingly premium cabin, especially considering the Volkswagen it’s based on has an awful mix of scratchy plastics around the place, and a cheap-looking design. The enormous 15.0-inch infotainment screen sits leant back against the dash, while the neat driver display is perched atop the steering column.

Ford’s software is also easier to use than Volkswagen’s fare, making it less of a burden to navigate the Explorer’s infotainment and focus on driving, rather than probing your way through the menus. This takes the edge off of the driving experience, but the screen’s biggest flex is the way it contours up and out of the way, revealing a hidden centre console. A nice fusion of form and function.

There are plenty of other storage compartments, too, and there’s more than enough room to get comfortable up front. A high floor means that taller passengers can feel hemmed in by the front seats, with their knees up by their ears, while the 470-litre boot is far smaller than the Skoda Enyaq and even the Kia EV3.

Range varies from 273 miles in the entry-level car to 374 miles in the rear-wheel drive Extended Range version with the larger battery fitted. That’s about on par with the alternatives from Skoda and Audi.

Light steering and solid forward visibility mean the Explorer is an easy car to drive around town, though it could do with softer, more comfortable suspension. It’s quiet and more composed on the motorway, and though it’s related to the Volkswagen ID4, it’s more fun to drive on a twisty road with less body lean and more direct steering.

Verdict

The Ford Explorer is a solid all-round electric SUV. It offers good range, a high-quality interior and a borderline fun driving experience, even if it isn’t as comfortable as a Citroen e-C5 Aircross, nor is it as spacious as a Skoda Elroq.

Check out the latest Ford Explorer deals available through Carwow to save yourself some cash or find a great Ford Explorer leasing deal. Our network of trusted dealers has loads of used Fords for sale too, and don’t forget that you can also sell your current car through Carwow.

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.

Ford Explorer Euro NCAP score (2024): 5/5

Adult occupant: 89%
Child occupant: 86%
Vulnerable road users: 80%
Safety assist: 72%

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.