Who’s it for?
The new Ford Focus Electric is Ford’s first ever all-electric car. Like the standard Focus, it’s aimed at families who want to make savings in the long run. In a lot of ways, it’s just like the regular model but boasts a quieter interior and cheaper running costs.
With a purchase price of over £31,000, it’s also a lot more expensive to buy. It’s heavier than the standard model too, but it combines practicality with comfort and fantastic handling to good effect.
The Ford Focus Electric has a range of 140 miles, and 80% of its battery can be charged in just 30 minutes. [vc_single_image image=”65466″ img_size=”article-image”]Electric Motor & Handling
The Focus Electric’s electric motor produces 143bhp, which is a decent amount of power. It covers the 0-62 sprint in 11.0 seconds.
Because power is delivered almost instantly, the Focus is able to pull away from roundabouts and junctions with ease. As a result, it feels faster than its 0-62 time suggests.
Ford have fitted the car with a system designed to capture potentially wasted energy each time you brake. However, the system causes the car to brake suddenly and could frustrate drivers.
The Ford Focus Electric is fitted with a firm suspension setup to help it cope with the extra weight of the batteries. That it does, but it also makes the car less fun to drive than the standard Focus. When you approach corners, you will notice the car’s extra weight.
Overall, buyers will notice that the Ford Focus Electric isn’t as nimble as the standard model, and because of its firmer suspension setup, it isn’t as smooth either.The Cabin
The Ford Focus Electric boasts a very pleasant cabin, but the amount of tech inside – while useful – contributes to its high purchase price.
- Quality – The dashboard is top notch, while the part-leather seats will appeal to buyers. A Sony DAB digital radio comes as standard.
- Comfort – The part-leather seats are super comfortable, but comfort is offset a tad by the firm suspension setup. Potholes and lumps will be an issue. The driver’s seat and steering wheel offer lots of adjustability so that the driver can find their best position.
- Insulation – At speed, the Focus Electric is very quiet. Road and wind noise do intrude, but it’s minimal.
- Space and Practicality – This isn’t a purpose-built electric car, but Ford have done a good job of hiding away the bulky battery pack so that it isn’t too intrusive. However, rear leg and knee room is not the best. Five adults can fit inside but there are more spacious rivals on the market.
- Load Capacity – Because the Focus Electric isn’t purpose-built, Ford have made room for the battery pack by reducing the size of its boot. It measures 237-litres, which is a lot smaller than the 316-litre boot of the standard model. Access is easy thanks to a wide-opening tailgate.
Costs
Price: £31,680
The Ford Focus Electric is cheap to run, but it’s expensive to buy and depreciates badly.
- It has a BiK rating of 9%, the lowest possible.
- The car sits in insurance group 20 out of 50, the same group that the Volkswagen e-Golf occupies.
- The car can keep going for 140 miles on a single charge. This, of course, is subject to conditions. In colder weather, you’ll need to work your heater, wipers and headlamp hard, and this can severely reduce range – perhaps by as much as half.
- An overnight charge shouldn’t cost much more than £2.
- The Ford Focus Electric is exempt from road tax and the London Congestion charge. It also emits zero CO2.
- Depreciation is so bad that employers may think twice before using a Ford Focus Electric as a company car.
Need more information? Check out our full review of the Ford Focus Electric here, including comparisons with its closest rivals.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
