The Detroit three will be able to lean on decades of building a customer base and experience in truck making to attract buyers to their electric pickups, putting the startups at a disadvantage
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Shoppers who say they are considering buying an electric pickup in the next two years are a lot like traditional truck buyers. That’s good new for Detroit’s big three, and bad news for start-ups, because brand loyalty is playing a big role in what vehicles shoppers consider buying.
Research by Cox Automotive shows that the Ford F-150 Lightning is the electric pickup truck that shoppers are the most interested in buying in the next couple of years. However, on specs alone, another option comes out on top.
As part of its research, Cox tried to account for brand preferences by showing shoppers each coming electric pickup’s specs, without revealing who made it. Based on projected range, driving performance, styling, and price, shoppers were the most interested in the Ram 1500 REV.
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However, once the brand names were revealed, Ford shot to the top of the ranking, with a consideration score of 67 percent. The Ram 1500 REV and the Chevrolet Silverado EV tied for second place with scores of 63 percent.
Read: 2025 Ram 1500 REV Offers Up To 500 Miles Of Range Thanks To A Ginormous 229kWh Battery
“Ford’s full-size pickup has long been the best-selling, best-example of the genre, so perhaps it is no surprise that the F-150 Lightning arrives with a leg up on the competition,” said Vanessa Ton, senior manager of Market and Customer Research at Cox Automotive. “Our studies continue to show the importance of brand strength, and that is particularly true in the full-size pickup truck segment, where brand loyalty often runs deep and fierce.”
While that’s good news for Detroit, it may be a harder pill for startups to swallow. Rivian fared admirably, more or less tying with the GMC Hummer EV Pickup on its consideration scores. That’s an impressive feat for a startup, but given the price gulf between the two vehicles, Rivian has a lot of work to do before it can consider itself a mainstream player.
The news is worse for Tesla, as the Cybertruck earned a very low consideration score of 29 percent on specs alone, and 27 percent once the make and model of the truck had been revealed. However, its unusual styling and design may prove to be advantages here.
“This research really shows how important it will be for a brand like Tesla to attract consumers and shoppers who are NOT traditional pickup truck buyers,” said Ton. “It is natural to consider the new Tesla truck as part of the full-size pickup segment, but this research demonstrates Tesla’s need to attract a different audience.”
What’s clear here is that anyone hoping for the rise of electric vehicles to disrupt the pickup truck segment will be disappointed.
