2024 Ford Explorer: Price, specs and release date

2023 Ford Explorer price and release date

The new Ford Explorer is on sale now with first deliveries due in the summer. Prices start from £45,875 for an entry-level Select model, while you’ll pay from £49,975 for high-specification Premium trim.

While the Explorer will initially be launched with a 77kWh battery a 55kWh £39,875 Standard Range model will follow in due course.

The Explorer was set to go on sale six months ago but changes to battery regulations meant that Ford moved to both change battery – with a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) constitution – and change supplier, which meant re-engineering the car. Ford reckons the Explorer is for the changes a better car now than it would have been if the launch had gone ahead as planned.

Ford Explorer models, specifications and range

Even select models come with a decent chunk of equipment that includes a 14.6-inch central touchscreen, massaging and heated front seats, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel and a seven-speaker stereo. 

Premium models bump up the kit list adding a ten-speaker stereo, matrix LED headlights, an electric boot lid and 20-inch wheels that (won’t) do wonders for range. 

In terms of safety, all Explorers get active cruise control, cross-traffic alert, front and rear sensors and a rear-mounted camera. And thankfully, there’s no mention of the Firestone tyres that made the original Explorer a death trap subject to multiple lawsuits in the US.

What the new Explorer can offer is a range that’s similar to its petrol-powered predecessor. Owing to new motor tech – found in the mechanical identical Volkswagen ID.4 – the Explorer can travel up to 374 miles in big battery, rear-wheel-drive form. That's a significant bump compared to what Ford targeted at its reveal a year ago, and buyers have the aforementioned battery upgrade to thank for it.

The all-wheel-drive version’s thirst for juice means they’re limited to a 328-mile range. Cars with the 77kWh battery can charge at speeds of up to 185kW while the 55kWh model can only manage 135kW – both should take around 26 minutes to charge from 10-80 per cent.