Shopping Around For The Best Ford F-150 Lightning Deal Won't Be Easy

Sep. 14, 2021 2:00 PM ET by Karl Furlong Pricing / 3 Comments

The dealers have to adhere to Ford's new advertising rules for pricing.

Shortly after orders opened up for the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, Ford said that dealers wouldn't be able to advertise the vehicle below MSRP, which means that typical incentives and deals wouldn't be seen for the Mach-E. The rules did not mean that a deal couldn't still be negotiated with your Ford dealer as they applied to the advertised pricing only. This same pricing approach is now being taken with the new F-150 Lightning electric pickup, according to CarsDirect. Once again, Ford dealers won't be able to list prices below the manufacturer's recommended selling price, but is this good or bad for us as buyers?

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Driving Front Angle

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Side View Driving

This information is said to have been obtained from a bulletin that was sent to Ford dealers this week. If dealers don't act in accordance with what is known as the Minimum Allowable Advertised Price (MAAP), they could lose out on a significant subsidy. Dealers who do comply will be eligible for payments amounting to 1% of MSRP. Once again, it's worth emphasizing that dealers can still sell the F-150 Lightning at a price of their choosing but they can't advertise a price under MSRP. For customers who were hoping to shop around for the best deal, this does make things a bit more complicated as it will be difficult to compare one dealer's offer to the next from the comfort of their homes.

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro Interior Overview

Dealers can also report other dealers who don't abide by the MAAP requirement, which will also apply to the upcoming Ford E-Transit.

The pricing rules will likely do little to dampen enthusiasm for the electric F-150 Lightning. Ford even had to double the production of the truck to meet demand. Leaked pricing for the F-150 Lightning indicated that it would start at under $40,000 for the commercial-oriented Lightning Pro, and that's before tax incentives are taken into account. The range-topping Platinum goes all the way up to nearly $90,000. Ultimately, it'll be more difficult to find the cheapest deal, but at least that means that your local dealer won't run out of inventory so quickly if it opts to sell its trucks at a lower price.