Better MPG Than Gas Chevy, Ram

The hybridized Ford F-150 delivers an estimated 24 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and—predictably—24 mpg combined on the EPA test cycle. It achieves this high rating while managing to put out 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. As expected, the hybrid performs better than most other models in the F-150 lineup, while edging out all of the gasoline-fueled variants of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 pickups. The Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid also is more efficient than any Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan you can buy. In fact, no version of the aging Tundra even cracks the 20-mpg barrier.

Ford has not yet released fuel economy stats for the 2021 F-150 diesel. That said, we can look to the 2020 model for guidance; even though it’s an older truck, the engine is the same for 2021. That rig was rated 21/29/24 mpg, which puts it about on par with the new F-150 hybrid, beating the gas-electric model’s highway figure by a lot but matching its combined number and falling short in the city cycle. The F-150 diesel makes the same 250 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque in the new F-150 this year as it did last year. Keep in mind that other diesel trucks perform better, though. The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado diesel nets a combined rating of 27 mpg, while the Ram 1500 diesel gets 26 mpg.

After the hybrid, and likely the diesel, the next most efficient truck in the 2021 F-150 lineup is the 2.7-liter V-6 delivering 325 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. This truck gets up to 20/26/22 mpg (city/highway/combined), matching last year’s number. Compare that to the most efficient gas Silverado, rated at 21 mpg combined, and the most efficient gas Ram 1500, delivering 23 mpg.

As for the Blue Oval’s 3.3-liter V-6, expect up to 20/24/21 mpg (city/highway/combined). The more powerful 3.5-liter V-6 sacrifices little in the way of fuel economy with a rating of 18/24/20 mpg. Move up to the bigger 5.0-liter V-8, and you’re looking at a max rating of 17/24/20 mpg. Fuel economy numbers for these three engines have changed slightly from 2020, when the 3.3-liter delivered 19/25/22 mpg, and the 3.5-liter and 5.0-liter were both rated 17/23/19 mpg.

The best-selling truck promises significant upgrades for the new model year. Along with the new hybrid option, we can expect better ride quality and a nicer interior with a huge touchscreen. Prices for the truck start at $30,635.