Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV 2026 review: long-term test

I've got to be honest, I wasn't entirely sold on the Ford Ranger Stormtrak — the brand's BYD Shark 6-fighting plug-in hybrid workhorse – when it first arrived at Casa Chesto.

I guess I just didn't really understand the point. I'd spent much time in the rabid Raptor, and the more sedate, diesel-powered Platinum trim, and liked them both, and I wasn't sure that the PHEV was going to add much to the equation.

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And once drained, you are no chance of putting any energy back into it through brake recuperation. The Stormtrak has a handy Eco Driving Coach, which told me that my braking was perfect, and was recouping 100 per cent of the available energy, and yet the dial didn't move off zero per cent, ever.

Ok, so option two. You can use the engine charge mode so the petrol engine charges the battery while you're driving, ensuring you have a full charge when you get to where you're going (an off-grid campsite or worksite, for example) to power whatever you need to power. Which a) can't be good for fuel use, and b) kind of defeats the purpose of driving a hybrid if you're going to rely on the petrol engine to do all of the heavy lifting, all of the time.

Now, to be fair to Ford, they do bill this Ranger as a "portable power station", and make a big deal of the fact that "whatever you need power for at worksite or campsite, the Ranger PHEV can supply it". Which suggests they know a lot of owners are just going to drive using the petrol engine and save the 11.8kWh (useable) battery for later. That's a pretty small battery, by the way. For perspective, the BYD Shark 6 PHEV's battery is more like 30kWh, which explains the Ranger's 49km EV only driving range versus the Shark's 80km.

Happily, the Stormtrak does not feel at all underpowered, even with the battery flat. It makes 138kW and 411Nm all by itself (the e-motor ups total outputs to 207kW and 697Nm).

I had the ute in town and on the open road, and while it lacks the urgency of a Raptor, or the potent, progressive power of the diesel V6, it definitely doesn't feel asthmatic. Average fuel use was around 10.5L per 100km, which was about 10 per cent better than I managed in the diesel-powered Ranger, but not outstanding.

But then I cracked the Stormtrak code. You see, it might be a workhorse first and a plug-in hybrid second, but it’s still a PHEV. And like most PHEVs, to make the most of it you need to plug it in Every Single Day. So I did, and I conducted a little experiment.

Battery fully charged up, I set off on my morning commute, leaving the Range to figure out how to best use its power. It’s about half an hour (33mins, to be exact) and just over 25kms each way.

And this is where the plug-in magic happens. The Ranger managed to do 18 of those kilometres in electric mode, and total fuel use for the trip was 3.3L/100km — almost 70 per cent less fuel than if the ute had been using engine power alone.

So let’s say your trip to work is around 30 minutes each way, and you’re willing to plug in every night, then theoretically your fuel bill in your massive Ranger would be less than in a Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Not bad, right?

Of course, a plug-in hybrid requires way more diligence than a conventional hybrid, in that you have to commit to plugging it in, but you charge your phone every night, right?

There is just one more hurdle to climb, though, and that’s the price. This flagship Stormtrak variant I’m driving is $94,849 on the road. 

There are cheaper PHEV grades — the Wildtrak is $87,639, the Sport is $83,519 and the XLT is $79,161 — but we’re still talking a circa-$10k price jump over a 2.0L bi-turbo-diesel-powered equivalent. And that’s a lot of petrol.

But used wisely, and the Ranger PHEV is no less tough than a traditional Ford ute. And it’s a whole lot smarter. Just as long as you plug it in.

Acquired: August 2025

Distance travelled this month: 1350km

Odometer: 6723km

Average fuel consumption this month: 10.6L/100km