Our Ford F-150 Hybrid Is Far Thirstier Than Its EPA Figures Suggest

• Our F-150 Hybrid achieved the EPA-rated 24 mpg only twice.
• Our previous 2018 F-150 EcoBoost's fuel economy was also below estimations.
• The F-150 Hybrid excels at putting down the power though — it's faster than an F-150 Raptor.

We've seen this before

This situation is a reflection of more than the hybrid system itself. In the past we have also owned a 2018 EcoBoost F-150, which is fundamentally a very similar vehicle, but with the turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 and, of course, no hybrid boost. After 42,000 miles, we averaged 17.7 mpg, excluding towing, with a best fill of 21.7 mpg. The EPA prepared us for 21 mpg combined (19 city/24 highway). Overall, the truck's average fell short by 3 mpg and was never close to the highway claim. Time and again we've seen these EcoBoost engines require a driving style that we have yet to master. F-150 owners forums suggest we aren't alone.

But, man, can it go

We've established that these EcoBoost engines require an oftentimes unnatural finesse to drive efficiently. Where they don't need help is with power. For example, the PowerBoost F-150 has 430 horsepower and 570 lb-ft of torque. This is really why you buy the hybrid — if you're in it for the pulling power, this is your truck. Heck, we recently filmed a series of desert drag race videos using our F-150 Hybrid to carry gear as a support vehicle. We decided to call it off the bench to go against an F-150 Raptor. To many of our surprise, the hybrid won three consecutive races, convincingly. It seems to us that this hybrid is more about performance than sipping fuel.

Edmunds says

We've been conditioned to accept that attaching the word "hybrid" to a car elevates it to fuel-sipping status. Sometimes we forget why they are more efficient. That battery-derived torque at low speeds, when the engine benefits from it most, is what it's all about. If you are towing a trailer, hauling a heavy payload or drag racing your buddy's Raptor, the F-150 Hybrid's torque is your friend. For that, we are really digging this PowerBoost F-150. Still, when we look at a window sticker and see a claimed mpg, we have an expectation. This truck isn't meeting that.