Tesla Cybertruck vs Ford F-150 Lightning: who is winning the US electric-pickup race
In 2025 Tesla delivered approximately 62,000 Cybertrucks in the United States. Ford delivered approximately 39,000 F-150 Lightnings. Both numbers are well below the manufacturers' early projections — Tesla had targeted 250,000+ at full ramp; Ford had built capacity for 150,000. The electric full-size pickup is the most expensive segment-creation experiment in US automotive history, and so far the unit economics don't justify the investment.
US electric pickup deliveries — 2024 vs 2025
| Model | Brand | 2024 units | 2025 units | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Cybertruck | Tesla | 38,965 | 62,000 | +59% |
| F-150 Lightning | Ford | 33,510 | 39,000 | +16% |
| Silverado EV / Sierra EV | GM | 9,850 | 22,000 | +123% |
| R1T | Rivian | 14,860 | 16,200 | +9% |
| Hummer EV | GMC | 9,775 | 12,500 | +28% |
| Ram 1500 REV | Stellantis | — | 3,200 | n/a |
Total electric pickups 2025: ~155,000 — about 6% of total US full-size pickup volume of 2.6 million.
Three reasons the segment hasn't taken off
1. Towing range collapse. Full-size pickups are bought heavily for towing. An F-150 Lightning towing a 6,000 lb trailer drops from 320 mile rated range to roughly 110 miles in real-world use. The buyer who needs to tow loses 65% of the practical utility of the vehicle. ICE trucks lose 25-30%.
2. Charger network for towing. A pickup with a trailer cannot fit into 75% of public DC fast charger bays — the trailer blocks adjacent spots and the pull-through charger is rare. The Tesla Supercharger network is incrementally adding pull-through stations but the existing Electrify America / EVgo footprint is fundamentally car-shaped.
3. Price premium. The Lightning starts at $54,000; an equivalent F-150 XLT trim starts at $44,000. Even with the $7,500 federal tax credit (where it applies), the buyer pays $2,500-$3,500 more upfront. For commercial buyers running 40,000 miles/year the fuel-cost saving recovers the premium in 4-5 years; for the typical 12,000 mile/year owner it never does.
What changes the picture
Two events would unlock the segment: a 600+ mile real-world range pickup (which probably requires 4680 cell improvements that are 2-3 years out), and a buildout of pull-through pickup-friendly fast chargers (which Tesla is doing slowly and the public networks are not). Until both happen, electric pickups stay at single-digit share of the segment.
Source & methodology
Sales data verified against Cox Automotive Auto Market Report and GoodCarBadCar model-by-model deliveries. Tesla Cybertruck volume estimated from Tesla's North America delivery disclosure minus Model 3/Y/S/X. The full electric-pickup nameplate ranking and trend lines sit on the USA dashboard.