Ford Mustang Mach-E Review 2024

There was much consternation among enthusiasts when Ford chose to name its first electric SUV after its iconic sports car. However, that hasn’t stopped the Ford Mustang Mach-E really chiming with the buying public – and even many of those sceptical petrolheads have now come around.

What’s the link between the Ford Mustang Mach-E – a large electric SUV, remember – and the traditional Mustang sports car? Well, the two cars share a strong family resemblance and you won’t find any Ford branding on either of them – only the Mustang galloping horse emblem. Otherwise, the two vehicles are completely unrelated.

Now that’s cleared up, what’s the Mustang Mach-E actually like? Rather good, actually. It works pretty well as a family car. There’s enough space for five adults – limited rear-seat headroom notwithstanding – so it’s comfortable for a family of two adults and two kids.

The boot is small for this type of vehicle, but plenty of families manage with a car like the Volkswagen Golf, which has a boot that is smaller again. If kids aren’t in the picture, it’s likely more than big enough.

Travelling in the Mustang Mach-E is a nice experience from any seat, although the back bench feels a bit dark without a panoramic glass roof. The minimalist dashboard is dominated by a huge touchscreen display that controls the infotainment system and air conditioning. It’s an impressive system that’s packed with features and generally very user-friendly. The interior feels really well-made, too.

This is a really good car to drive – indeed, the Mustang Mach-E is one of very few electric SUVs that’s actually quite fun. Its steering feels rather odd until you get used to it, but otherwise the car is light, nimble and trustworthy. There are loads of driver assistance features, including a battery of parking sensors and cameras that make up for poor rear visibility.

The ride is very firm around town, but the comfy seats take the edge off. It smoothes out at higher speed, turning the Mustang Mach-E into a relaxing motorway cruiser. It can also go a long way between charges: between 273 and 379 miles, according to the official figures, depending on which model you choose.

Speaking of which, there are three models to choose from (plus the sporty Mach-E GT, which you can read about elsewhere). The Mach-E Select is the most affordable, but has the lowest range. Premium models offer more range from bigger batteries and more powerful electric motors, albeit for a significantly higher price.

Prices range from £51,000 to £65,000, which is in the right ballpark for this type of car. You get loads of standard features, including the aforementioned infotainment system with sat-nav and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, plus leatherette seats and adaptive cruise control.

There’s an awful lot to like about the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It’s a decent family car: good to drive and strong value, with more range than most of its rivals and styling that stands out from the crowd. If you’d rather not get a Tesla Model Y, we reckon it’s one of the best options.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is one of very few electric cars – of any sort, never mind just SUVs – that is genuinely fun and rewarding to drive. We’d expect nothing less of a Ford. It feels light and nimble in corners and there’s only a small amount of body lean. This gives you confidence that the car is on your side and working with you. It even starts to feel quite playful if driven more enthusiastically.

On the flip side, the ride is quite harsh when driving around town, the car thumping over bumps and potholes. It does smooth out at higher speeds, making the Mustang Mach-E a relaxing motorway cruiser. Parking can be tricky because there’s virtually no view out of the back window, but there are all sorts of sensors and cameras to help you out.

Overall, then, the Mustang Mach-E is very easy to get along with when you’re sitting in the driver’s seat. There is one peculiarity in how it feels to drive, though: how the steering feels. Driving along in a straight line, the steering feels like it’s not really connected to the front tyres. Then, when you turn the wheel, it suddenly becomes super-responsive.

You never doubt that the car will go where you point it, but that sudden change in how the steering responds takes a bit of getting used to.

There are three powertrain options available in the Ford Mustang Mach-E (four if you include the GT version, but we’re covering that elsewhere).

The entry-level option is found in the Select model. It features a 70kWh battery pack, an electric motor that produces 269PS and 430Nm of torque, and rear-wheel drive. Ford quotes a range of 273 miles between charges. Accelerating from 0-62mph takes 6.9 seconds and top speed is limited to 111mph.

Next up is the Premium RWD. It has a bigger 91kWh battery and a beefier electric motor that produces 294PS and 580Nm of torque, which is sent to the rear wheels. Range is 372 miles, one of the longest of any electric car currently available in the UK. The 0-62mph sprint takes 7.0 seconds and top speed is again limited to 111mph.

Lastly, the Premium AWD. It has the same 91kWh battery as Premium RWD, but with two electric motors: one each for the front and rear wheels. They produce 351PS and 580Nm of torque, enough to get from 0-62mph in just 5.8 seconds. The extra power reduces range: it drops to 341 miles. Top speed is still limited to 111mph.

Whichever powertrain you get, performance is more than adequate for a large family SUV. As electric cars always do, it feels particularly nippy off the mark because all of its power is available instantly. Still, there are similar electric cars that accelerate significantly quicker, such as the Tesla Model Y.

The safety experts at Euro NCAP awarded the Ford Mustang Mach-E a full five-star rating. It scored very strong marks in every area of the assessment, including 92 percent for protecting adult occupants in a crash and 86 percent for protecting children.

The Mustang Mach-E is full of safety features, too. These include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera system. 

How much weight the Ford Mustang Mach-E can tow depends on which model you get. In Select form, you’re limited to a capacity of 1000kg – barely enough for a decent two-berth caravan. The more powerful Premium models are rated at 1500kg, which is enough for a more substantial four-berth caravan, or perhaps a small sailing yacht.

At 4739mm long, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is a big car with loads of passenger space. Pretty much anyone of any size will fit comfortably in the front, and three adults can sit in the back. However, the car’s sloping roofline does limit headroom, so anyone much over six feet might not be totally comfortable.

Still, kids are unlikely to outgrow the Mustang Mach-E, and it’s easy enough to install an Isofix child seat. If you’re thinking about buying the Ford as a family car, though, it’s worth investing in the optional panoramic glass roof. Without it, the back seats are quite dark because the windows are high and small – not good for those who suffer car sickness.

Sounds pretty good so far, right? Sadly, the Mustang Mach-E’s potential as a family car is limited by its boot. At 402 litres, it’s quite small for this type of SUV. In fact, it’s only 27 litres bigger than a Ford Focus hatchback: a considerably smaller car overall. You might have to pack light for family holidays.

At least the boot is square and the floor is flat, so it’s easy to load, even with a high loading lip. And the back seats fold down to free up 1450 litres of space. There’s another storage area under the bonnet for the charging cables, too.

With most of the car’s features controlled through the enormous display screen, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has a rather minimalist interior. Substandard materials can easily ruin such a cabin, but fortunately the Mustang Mach-E is as plush as you’d expect for a car of this price.

The mix of plastic, metal-effect and fabric materials used on the dashboard looks and feels plush, and the dashboard itself is really solid. The controls on and around the steering wheel are lifted from other Ford cars. They look a bit old-fashioned when other brands are using touchpads to control the same functions, but proper buttons are much easier to use. We prefer them.

Apart from the start/stop button on the dashboard, the only other control to note is the rotary drive selector on the centre console. It’s a really easy thing to use, being in exactly the right position just in front of the armrest.

The Ford is not quite up to the standards of premium-brand rivals such as the BMW iX3, but overall the Mach-E’s interior is very pleasant.

The interior of the Ford Mustang Mach-E is dominated by an enormous 15.5-inch, portrait-orientated touchscreen display that controls the infotainment system. Features include sat-nav, DAB radio and Bluetooth, plus you can connect your phone wirelessly via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to use your preferred navigation and entertainment apps.

The air-con is also controlled from the screen, but there are permanent icons for it at the bottom – much more user-friendly than hiding them in a menu.

Generally speaking, the system is easy to use. The on-screen ‘buttons’ are helpfully big, while the screen is bright, clear and snappily responsive. However, some of the features and information can be tricky to find until you’re familiar with the menus.

There’s a separate 10.2-inch digital display for the driver that shows basic vehicle and driving info. We should also mention the clear and powerful Bang & Olufsen stereo system. 

At the time of writing, prices for the Ford Mustang Mach-E start at £50,830, which is roughly half-way between more mainstream large electric SUVs such as the Skoda Enyaq and premium-brand offerings like the BMW iX3.

The range tops out at £65,405, but our pick of the line-up, the Premium RWD, costs £59,380. There aren’t really any rivals that can match its long range and generous standard spec for the price. 

The Ford Mustang Mach-E delivers a long range for this type of car. Ford quotes figures of 273 miles for the entry-level Select model, 341 miles for the Premium AWD and 372 miles for the Premium RWD. The latter is one of the longest you’ll see from this type of electric car.

Premium models are compatible with 150kW rapid chargers, which can deliver a 10-80 percent top-up in 45 minutes. The Select works with 115kW rapid chargers and takes 38 minutes for fill up from 10-80 percent.

Charging at home obviously takes a lot longer: about 10 hours using a 7.4kW wallbox. Charging is cheapest at home, but how much it costs depends on which electricity tariff you use.

Private owners don’t have to pay vehicle excise duty (VED, or road tax), but a Mustang Mach-E is liable for the £390 charge applied to cars that cost more than £40,000 when new. This is due from its second through to sixth birthdays. Company car benefit-in-kind tax rates are very attractive.

Other running costs should be pretty low, too. Servicing is only needed every two years or 18,000 miles, and the rates charged by Ford’s service centres are always very reasonable. The car is covered by a warranty lasting three years or 60,000 miles, while the battery pack has a separate warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles.

There are two trim levels of Ford Mustang Mach-E to choose from: Select and Premium. The key difference between them is the usable capacity of their battery packs: 70kWh in the Select, 91kWh in the Premium. It’s worth noting, too, that Select is only available with rear-wheel drive, while Premium gives you the option of having rear- or all-wheel drive. Each has a different amount of power, too.

There are more obvious differences between Select and Premium as well. Select has 18-inch alloy wheels and black plastic trim around the wheelarches. Premium has 19-inch wheels, adaptive LED headlights and different styling details.

Both models come loaded with standard equipment. Among the highlights are the infotainment system, which uses a huge 15.5-inch touchscreen display that features sat-nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, DAB radio and Bluetooth. You also get dual-zone air conditioning, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, Sensico leatherette upholstery, a 10.2-inch digital driver’s display, four USB ports, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, and keyless entry and start.

On top of all that, Premium adds eight-way electrically adjustable front seats with lumbar support and plusher perforated Sensico upholstery. All-wheel-drive models also get a panoramic glass roof, a thumping Bang & Olufsen stereo and a hands-free power-opening tailgate.

Both Mustang Mach-E models also have a vast quantity of driver assistance features including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree camera system and Stop & Go. The latter system can take over driving the car at low speeds in stop/start traffic to make driving less stressful.