Ford Puma Gen-E SUV (2024 - ) Electric review

The Puma Gen-E is priced ‘sensibly’ as opposed to being cheap; the petrol Puma (on which this electric version is based) was priced from around £20,000 when it was introduced in 2019. So, while £30,000 looks good in the context of the significantly smaller Mini Aceman, and an electric Vauxhall Corsa that doesn’t cost much less, it’s not quite a bargain. Unless you compare it to petrol versions of the Puma, in which case it is. The price of a Gen-E is pretty much on par with what you’d pay for a petrol Puma when it's equipped with an automatic gearbox and similar power. And the EV will, of course, be much cheaper to run. At the time of writing this (June 2025), Ford is throwing in free home charger installation with a Gen-E, too, as well as a number of “free” miles via charging credits. Albeit, for those you have to use Ford's energy partner, Octopus energy, which might mean switching your home supplier.

If we gave the petrol Puma a 3/5 score for reliability (mainly because Ford tends to fare in the mid-to-low region in reliability surveys, and because the warranty is shorter than you’d get with, say, an MG or a Kia), then it’s probably fair to add a star to the electric version. EVs are by nature more reliable – fewer moving parts in the motor and car batteries are now proving their longevity – but also, because Ford has shifted mountains of Pumas (it was the UK’s best-selling car in both 2023 and 2024) the company will be learning what’s wrong and correcting along the way. As we mentioned earlier, the basis of the Gen-E is the same as the petrol Puma (this is not a brand new, ground-up electric car), which means that bits like the suspension and the touchscreen are tried and tested.

Euro NCAP hasn’t had its robotic arms on the Gen-E specifically, but it’s tested the petrol Puma twice now, giving it five stars initially in 2019, then downgrading that to four stars in 2022. The test was stricter by then. As standard, it gets autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assist, traffic-sign recognition, driver attention monitor, rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera. Some safety stuff is left to the options list though (always vexing), with the Advanced Driver Assistance Pack adding adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, and blind-spot monitoring. The Gen-E has one of the more intuitive touchscreens on the market, a safety feature in itself because it limits the time you’ll spend gazing down at it while trying to figure out how to find Magic FM.

There’s no doubt that the Puma’s ride comfort has suffered in the transition from petrol to electric. It feels like the suspension is firmer, no doubt to cope with the additional weight of the battery pack – all 280kg of it. For context, that’s like having five actual pumas in a petrol Puma. The result is quite crashy ride quality at low speed. It’s far from problematic, and you’d never call the Gen-E “uncomfortable”, but it’s noticeably more fazed by potholes than a petrol one is. And it’s a shame because with a petrol engine, the Puma’s particular balance of ride comfort and ‘fun driving feel’ is its best quality. The Gen-E is still one of the more engaging electric crossovers to drive, though, if that matters to you. If it doesn’t, you’ll at least appreciate the fundamental comfort of the seats, the wide adjustability of the driving position and the quickness with which the controls all become familiar. The steering wheel is comically large and needlessly oblong, but you’ll get used to that too.

Let’s talk Gigabox. It’s basically a massive plastic hole under the main boot floor with a sinkhole it in, so you can hose it out or fill it with baked beans and sit in it to raise money for charity. It’s simple but effective, and you do wonder why more cars don’t have one. That aside, this is a car that gets the basic stuff spot-on, from having enough space for four adults while being small enough to park easily, to map software that makes long journeys easier by suggesting available charging stops along the way, and updating their availability live. Two trim levels, with the £30k car (called Select) getting all the stuff you’ll need, though that tends to be the case these days. A base car gets air con, alloy wheels, and the same touchscreen and software as the fancier version. For a couple more grand you’ll get nicer wheels, a B&O stereo that handles bass better than Dizzee Rascal’s home studio, fake leather seats, a hands-free tailgate and keyless entry. Stretch to it, we say.

Taking the existing Puma, removing the petrol engine and the fuel tank then replacing them with an electric motor and a battery have limited what Ford could do. So there’s only one drivetrain option, which pairs a 166-horsewpower electric motor to a 46kWh battery pack for a 234-mile claimed range. Figure on 180-200 miles in real life, and even less if you’re planning on being on the motorway much – this is an efficient car at low speed, but not so much at higher speed. The Gen-E is limited to 99mph and feels much happier below 60mph than it does above it, but it is quick and responsive at low speed. As most EVs tend to be. Max charging speed is 100kW, which isn’t at the cutting edge but is more than enough for a decent 20-80% charge time at a service station or wherever. More importantly, the 11kW on-board charger means it’ll fill with electrons at that rate at a workplace or public fast charger.