Ford Puma Gen-E review

A big deal, that’s what. The current Ford Puma has been the best-selling car in the UK for the past two years running (and leads the way in 2025 too), and has long been Top Gear’s favourite small crossover for being about the only one we enjoy driving.

So, welcome to the Ford Puma Jenny. Sorry, Gen-E. You’ll have guessed it's electric from the name, of course. Either that or the closed-off grille, which to our eyes makes it look like a toad wearing PPE. Disagree?

Other adaptations include active shutters and air curtains, aero friendly alloys, a larger spoiler, and white Puma lettering at the rear. And a charging socket instead of a fuel filler nozzle, of course.

What’s the story underneath?

Strap in for another chapter of ‘How to not fully commit to EVs’. Ford’s first foray into electric was the Mustang Mach-E, which actually started life as a Focus. Then it brought out the Explorer and Capri, which are basically VWs (specifically the ID.4 and ID.5) in disguise.

The Gen-E sits on a modified version of the existing Puma’s ICE platform – itself based on the Mk7 Fiesta, RIP – which was never intended to carry a battery and all the electric gubbins that go with it. So it’s a bodge job.

Look, we understand why: fleet emission targets must be piling pressure on the finance department and making an EV this way is cheaper and easier than developing an entirely new base from scratch. But that involves cutting corners and compromising, as we’ll get onto shortly…

What are my powertrain options?

Options? It’s one version and one version only, with a single front e-motor generating 166bhp and 214lb ft of torque. The zero to 62mph sprint is seen off in eight seconds flat, on to a top speed of 99mph. Nothing too outlandish there, which is actually quite refreshing.

To our surprise the Puma Gen-E steers, corners and handles with the same sort of quality as the 1.0-litre 3cyl version, although the extra weight – all 250kg+ of it – has inevitably sucked some life out of the chassis.

The biggest let-down is the ride, which is far more unsettled than the pre-surgery Puma. We’ll get into the nitty gritty over on the Driving tab.

But of more importance for most is the promise of 233 miles of range WLTP, courtesy of the 53kWh (43kWh usable) battery. We’ve managed 4.4 mi/kWh in warm weather – equivalent to 190 miles. Efficiency wise, that’s darn good. But that total is pants and will only get worse in the UK winter months of October-to-May.

Charging peaks at 100kW DC, so in theory a 10-80 per cent top up should take 23 minutes.

Does the cabin differ to the petrol version?

Well, the MegaBox (the deep rubber-lined box in the boot complete with plug hole so you can hose out your mess) is present and correct, but it’s now morphed into… a GigaBox. No exhaust to worry about here, see, so bootspace actually climbs to a whopping 523 litres. It’s as good a reason to buy one as any.

Otherwise the Gen-E stays true to the facelifted Puma's recipe, complete with squircle steering wheel (yuck), 12.8-inch digital display and 12.0-inch SYNC 4 infotainment system, which controls everything from the climate to the drive modes.

How much will it cost me?

Prices start a whisker shy of £30,000, just under three-and-a-half grand more than the combustion version. And it comes in three trim levels. Ford reckons you can recoup that extra outright cost with one of those cheap overnight tariffs (and not the sort being dished out over the Atlantic lately).

Ford has also announced a new ‘Power Promise’, which amounts to a free electric home charger, 10,000 miles of charging credit, plus a five-year service plan that includes towing assistance should you run out of charge. Good to know.

It's a bonus selling point against its main rivals, of which there are many in the compact electric crossover sector. Take your pick from the Renault 4, Kia EV3, Skoda Elroq, Volvo EX30 and VW ID.3, plus (from the Stellantis megacorp) the Jeep Avenger, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric.

Given the Puma Gen-E was a late afterthought on Ford’s not-that-grand electrification plan – cobbled together on the hop and delivered three years after it was teased – it’s turned out remarkably well. Some of that inherent Puma-ness lives on and from a practical point of view it performs much better than many of its closest rivals. Ford must be licking its lips at the sheer number of expiring lease deals primed to slip seamlessly from EcoBoost to electric power.

But its improvised genesis has led to some major compromises: the ride is much worse, the refinement isn’t all there, and the limited range – in an arena where 200 miles real-world ought to be the bare minimum – undoubtedly limits the appeal. We get the distinct impression Ford has brought the Gen-E to market on a shoestring, and when you’ve got stuff like the brilliant Renault 4 competing for attention, you’re going to get found out.