Ford Hybrid VS the Ford Diesel – Which Truck Do You Want?

You know that you want to buy a truck that is made by Ford, but now the question is; what kind of truck do you want? Do you want a hybrid truck, or do you want a diesel truck? We’ve done the research and here is what you need to know.

Hybrid Ford trucks have a typical Towing capacity of 9,300 lbs., while Ford diesel trucks have a towing capacity range of 12,300 to 15,000 lbs., although some have a higher towing capacity. Diesel trucks range in mpg from 11-51 mpg while hybrid trucks range in mpg from 17-24 miles per gallon.

It is important to consider all of your options when you are looking for a truck to purchase.

Hybrid Ford Trucks

Hybrid trucks made by Ford are relatively new, even though Ford has been manufacturing hybrid cars since 2005. The first Ford Hybrid truck was announced in 2020 and was released in late 2020, early 2021. However, this does not mean that they only have made one hybrid truck because they released many hybrid truck models during the year 2021.

The first hybrid truck that Ford announced is the 2021 F-150. It has an MSRP that starts at $28,940. The price will increase if you choose to add any features to the truck when you purchase it. It has a towing capacity that ranges from 5,000 to 11,300 lbs., and gets up to 25 miles per gallon in the city, and gets 26 miles per gallon on the highway, which is pretty good mileage for a truck, at least in my opinion.

2021 Ford F-150 Lariat Truck SuperCrew Cab

Another hybrid truck is the 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat Truck SuperCrew Cab. This automatic hybrid truck gets 19 miles per gallon in the city and 22 miles per gallon on the highway. It has Four Wheel Drive, and the MSRP starts at $67,480.

2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Long Box

The 2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch is slightly cheaper than the 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat Truck SuperCrew Cab. It has an MSRP of $62,555. It gets 24 miles per gallon in the city and on the highway and can tow up to 9,300 lbs.

2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch 3.5L V6 Hybrid SuperCrew Cab Short Box

The 2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch 3.5L V6 Hybrid SuperCrew Cab Short Box has an MSRP of $62,255 and gets 24 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon highway. It also can tow up to 9,400 lbs.

King Ranch 2WD SuperCrew 5.5′ Box

The 2020 King Ranch 2WD SuperCrew 5.5′ Box gets 17 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the highway. It has an MSRP of $56,330, although that price will change if you add any features to the truck, or buy it used.

2021 Ford F-150 XLT 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Short Box

The 2021 Ford F-150 XLT 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Short Box has an MSRP of $48,300, and it is one of the cheapest hybrid trucks on this list. It gets 24 miles per gallon in both the city and the highway. It also can tow up to 8,200 lbs. However, this means that if you plan on towing very large and heavy items, other trucks that can tow heavier items will be a better fit for your truck needs and wants, since a towing capacity of 8,200 lbs. is lower than most of the other trucks that are on this list.

2021 Ford F-150 Platinum 3.5L V6 Hybrid SuperCrew Cab Long Box

The 2021 Ford F-150 Platinum 3.5L V6 Hybrid SuperCrew Cab Long Box has an MSRP of $65,335 and gets 24 miles per gallon both in the city and on the highway, which is great mileage for a large truck like this one. It can tow up to 9,300 lbs.

2021 Ford F-150 Lariat 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Long Box

The 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Long Box is similar to the 2021 Ford F-150 Platinum 3.5L V6 Hybrid SuperCrew Cab Long Box, but it is slightly cheaper. It has an MSRP of $54,945. Like the 2021 Ford F-150 Platinum 3.5L V6 Hybrid SuperCrew Cab Long Box, it gets 24 miles per gallon both in the city and on the highway and can tow up to 9,300 lbs.

2021 Ford F-150 XLT 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Long Box

The 2021 Ford F-150 XLT 3.5L V6 Hybrid 4WD SuperCrew Cab Long Box has an MSRP of $48,790 and is one of the cheapest hybrid vehicles that are on this list. It gets 24 miles per gallon both in the city and on the highway and can tow up to 9,300 lbs.

Diesel Trucks:

2020 Ford F-150

The 2020 Ford F-150 has an MSRP that starts at $28,745, and it is one of the cheapest of the diesel trucks that are on this list. It gets up to up to 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway. It can tow up to 8,000 lbs., although its towing capacity can change depending on what features you add to it.

2020 Ford F-250

The 2020 Ford F-250 has an MSRP that starts at $34,035. It gets 14.6 miles per gallon in the city and on the highway, which is not great mileage, even for a large truck like this one. However, it can tow up to 15,000 lbs.

2020 Ford F-450

The 2020 Ford F-450 has an MSRP that starts at $50,210 and gets 19.4 miles per gallon both in the city and on the highway. However, with the low miles per gallon comes the ability to tow heavier items. This truck can tow up to 24,200 lbs., which is great for when you are carrying a large and heavy load.

2020 Ford Ranger

The 2020 Ford Ranger has an MSRP of $24,110. It gets up to 21 miles per gallon in the city and 26 miles per gallon on the highway. It can tow up to 3,500 lbs.

2020 Ford F-350

The 2020 Ford F-350 has an MSRP of $35,550. However, it only gets around 11.2 miles per gallon. It can tow up to 20,000 lbs.,

2021 Ford F-250 SuperDuty

The 2021 Ford F-250 SuperDuty has an MSRP of $34,230 and can tow up to 15,000 lbs. The best thing about this pickup truck is the gas mileage. It gets 51 miles per gallon in the city and gets 46 miles per gallon on the highway, which is amazing mileage for a truck this size.

2021 Ford F-350

The 2021 Ford F-350 has an MSRP that starts at $35,745, and can tow up to 20,000 lbs., although some versions can only tow 12,000 lbs. It gets around 20 miles per gallon. One interesting thing about this truck is that it was rated to be the #3 Most Popular Truck by Cars.com. source

2021 Ford F-150

The 2021 Ford F-150 has an MSRP of $28,940, and has a towing capacity of 11,300 lbs., and gets up to 25 miles per gallon in the city, and 26 miles per gallon on the highway.

All the trucks that are on this list seat around 5 people, although you can get ones that seat 6 people. The features will vary by model, and you can choose to add extra features if and when you decide to purchase the car. However, you will need to discuss those added features with the dealership that you decide to go to.

Diesel vs. Hybrid: Pros and Cons

These truck types both are great options on the market. To help you decide which is best for you, we’ve compiled the pros and cons. Let’s first start with diesel.

Diesel

There are ton of good things that are great about diesel trucks.

Pros

While the diesel engine seems very similar to the gasoline options, they have different methods of combustion. Gas engines require air, fuel, and spark plugs in order to ignite the fuel, while diesel engines only require air combustion. 

“Diesel is also a more energy-dense fuel. It allows for more power to be utilized from a smaller amount of fuel, making it a more efficient engine. Also, diesel engines provide low-end torque characteristics better suited for heavy-duty towing and hauling.”

However, diesel is more expensive than gasoline, and large trucks have low gas mileage, even though they have the ability to hold a lot of fuel.

If you have a diesel-fueled car, you may have already realized that diesel-powered vehicles boast better gas mileage on the highway than in the city. That’s the opposite of hybrids, which usually return better mileage in the city than the highway “thanks to regenerative braking” and because they can drive while only using the battery rather than using gasoline. “As a result, one major benefit to diesel-car ownership is highway fuel economy, which can be a big deal for drivers who often travel long distances for work or pleasure.” source

Diesel vehicles offer a few other benefits, aside from their highway fuel economy. One of them is their towing ability. “Diesel-powered cars often tow better than gas- or hybrid-powered rivals, largely because they make so much torque. As a result, if you’re thinking about towing — even if you are only looking to pull a small trailer — a diesel might be the way to go.” source

One big benefit that diesel powered cars have is their low-end power. “Although diesels don’t traditionally have high horsepower ratings, their abundance of low-end torque helps to propel them off the line quicker than many cars [that have] more power.” source This means diesel cars will usually feel like they speed up quicker than many of their rivals.

Cons

However, there are a few cons to owning a diesel car, such as city gas mileage that they get. Unfortunately, many diesels struggle to outpace even regular gasoline engines in the city because they can’t cruise in the low-rpm range that typically delivers such excellent fuel economy. And that leads us to another drawback: cost. Many diesel cars are priced like hybrids, which is fine for highway drivers who get great mileage, but if you’re looking for a city vehicle, you won’t want to pay hybrid prices for fuel economy that will only be available on occasional highway trips.

Hybrids

Pros

Although hybrid cars and trucks are a relatively new invention, they are very useful, and they do not require you to fill your gas tank as frequently as diesel trucks and cars do. Also, while diesels do better with gas mileage on the highway, hybrids do better in the city. Their regenerative braking systems are more frequently used in the city and in high-traffic areas, which allows the car to operate on electric power rather than gasoline power more often than on the highway.

Hybrid cars are also very quiet. Since the electric motor is used much of the time, including when you start the vehicle, hybrid cars tend to make very little noise. Sometimes owners do not even realize that their hybrid car is actually on because they are so quiet.

“Hybrids, like diesels, also accelerate well at low speeds. Because their electric motors offer full torque the moment you put down your foot, hybrids often feel a lot faster than they really are. Unfortunately, the lightning-quick acceleration starts to taper off as you start picking up speed.” source

Cons

However, hybrid cars still require power, and that adds some of the saved diesel and gasoline costs back into the equation. If you get a hybrid car, you will have to charge it almost every night, or whatever time of day that you are not using it for long periods of time. This will require electricity, and your electricity bill will go up after you purchase a hybrid vehicle. It is also very hard to find hybrid cars that are used rather than brand new, so if you want to buy a used car in order to save some money, it will be hard to get a hybrid. It is much easier to find used diesel trucks and vehicles.

It is important to remember that each dealership that you go to will offer different vehicles, prices, and features that you can add on to the vehicle that you choose to purchase. Ford is not the only car company that makes both hybrid and diesel trucks. You may be able to negotiate the price of a truck, or other vehicle, down, but the amount of money that you will be able to negotiate down will vary depending on the dealership that you go to.