Ford’s electric pickup truck is back in the spotlight. The Ford F-150 Lightning has again taken the top spot as the best-selling electric pickup in the US, surpassing the Tesla Cybertruck in the first quarter of sales.
The Ford F-150 Lightning becomes the top-selling electric pickup truck.
In its inaugural year of production, starting in 2023, Tesla’s innovative Cybertruck quickly overtook the Ford F-150 Lightning to become the best-selling electric vehicle pickup truck in the United States last year.
Based on registration data, we can approximate Tesla’s regional sales since the company doesn’t provide a breakdown of its global gross sales by region. The most recent registration information from S&P World Mobility (through ) exhibits that the F-150 Lightning retook the title in March and the primary quarter of 2025.
Ford’s electric pickup outsold the Tesla Cybertruck in March, with 2,598 registrations compared to the latter’s 2,170. In its inaugural quarter, the F-150 Lightning surged ahead with a respectable 7,913 registrations, outpacing Tesla’s Cybertruck by a significant margin of 787 units, at 7,126.
Although the Cybertruck was the fifth best-selling electric vehicle in the US last year, it failed to make the top ten in March. According to sales data for the first three months of 2025, the electric vehicle in question held a ninth-place ranking globally, trailing the Volkswagen ID.4.
As Tesla and Ford continued to dominate the electric pickup truck sector, several newcomers started to gain traction. According to the latest statistics, General Motors delivered 2,383 Chevrolet Silverado Electric Vehicles and 1,249 GMC Sierra Electric models in the first quarter of the year. During this period, Rivian delivered 1,727 R1T units to customers.
At the start of this year, reports emerged indicating that the introduction of new electric vehicle (EV) models, including the Honda Prologue and Chevrolet Blazer EV, contributed to a notable surge in EV registrations across the United States, with numbers rising by 20% in March alone.
Despite regaining dominance over Tesla, Ford’s electric pickup truck is struggling to gain traction in the market. Ford revealed a 16% decline in Lightning electric truck orders, with just 1,740 units sold in April. As of April 2025, Ford has delivered 8,927 electric vans, a 9% decline compared to the 9,833 units handed out last year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla remains significantly ahead in the US market. Tesla reported a 51,000+ surge in March registrations, marking a 1% increase following two consecutive months of year-over-year decline.
General Motors’ Chevrolet brand has leapfrogged Ford to become the second-best-selling electric vehicle model, boasting nearly 8,500 registrations – a whopping 274% increase over last year’s figures. Ford slipped to third place, with a modest 7,361 vehicle registrations.
Despite being just a quarter, an early indication is emerging that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s high-profile antics may already be having a tangible impact on the company’s bottom line. As the initial fervor surrounding the Cybertruck has subsided, a notable shift is occurring: many customers are opting for traditional pickup trucks, such as the F-150 Lightning.
Meanwhile, Ram has pushed back its launch date for the 1500 REV, its inaugural electric pickup, yet again. Ram is extending its manufacturing timeline until at least summer 2027, citing a prolonged “standard validation interval.” The plug-in hybrid Ramcharger’s release date has also been pushed back to the first quarter of 2026, further disappointing fans eagerly anticipating the vehicle’s arrival.
Following the withdrawal of the RamCharger from the lineup alongside the fully electric model last year, Stellantis cited lukewarm demand for EV pickups in the US market as the primary reason.
