Ford Puma Gen-E review
Despite being fun to drive and surprisingly practical, the Ford Puma Gen-E feels a little late to the game in terms of electric ability
Our opinion on the Ford Puma Gen-E
The Ford Puma makes a compelling case for itself in this new all-electric ‘Gen-E’ format. Much of what we like about the petrol model’s driving dynamics are retained, it’s sensibly priced and there’s a nice surprise with the Puma Gen-E’s added storage space. It was efficient enough in our test to take attention away from its average range figures, although we still have reservations in this area and for charging. It may not remain competitive for long, either, given that this is the biggest battery the Puma’s platform can accommodate.
| Key specs | |
| Fuel type | Electric |
| Body style | SUV |
| Powertrain | 43kWh battery, 1x e-motor |
| Safety | N/A |
| Warranty | Three years/60,000 miles |
About the Ford Puma Gen-E
Arriving in 2019, few could have predicted the success the Puma has had for Ford - especially in the UK where it’s had the best-selling top spot for the past two years. There’s been a glaring omission to the Puma’s spectrum of appeal which has arguably made its popularity all the more admirable: there’s been no pure-electric version, but Ford has plugged the gap by introducing the Puma Gen-E for 2025.
It’s the smallest electric car in Ford’s line-up and for now at least “the final part of the EV range” according to the brand. Sitting under the Explorer, Capri and Mustang Mach-E, the new Puma Gen-E has some seriously tough competition in the shape of the Kia EV3, Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Peugeot E-2008, Volkswagen ID.3, Volvo EX30 and the new Skoda Elroq, among others.
Despite the extensive rivals, Ford does have an ace up its sleeve: renewing customers. The brand expects 30,000 existing Puma customers to return to dealerships this year with many of those being directed towards the new EV. They’ll have to get used to a shortened trim level structure, however, with Select and Premium the only ones available.
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Select kicks things off from £29,995 with the Premium costing £2,000 more. That means the Gen-E costs around £3,500 more than a basic petrol car with Ford’s 123bhp 1.0 EcoBoost engine. Opt for the automatic gearbox on the ICE car and that premium narrows to less than £2k.
Ford started working on the Gen-E alongside last year’s Puma facelift. As a result it gets broadly the same kit as standard, with the dashboard dominated by a 12-inch touchscreen and 12.8-inch driver’s display. There are a few bespoke tweaks for the EV, but existing facelifted Puma owners will find the Gen-E familiar inside.
Unlike some of its other pure-electric siblings, the Puma Gen-E doesn’t share its technical make-up with Volkswagen’s MEB EVs. Underpinning it is the same global B-car platform as the regular Puma, though Ford has managed to shoehorn in a 43kWh battery to provide a maximum range of 234 miles.
Performance & driving experience
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Our hopes were high for the Ford Puma Gen-E’s driving dynamics because it shares its architecture with one of the best-driving small SUVs out there. Instead of going to extremes and try to make the Gen-E an alternative to the Puma ST, Ford told us that inspiration for the chassis set-up came from the softer, entry-level Titanium instead.
Our car was the top-spec Premium, which sits on 18-inch wheels as opposed to the 17-inch rims on the Select. There’s a 19-inch option, but we’d be wary of the ride on them. We certainly didn’t find the Puma Gen-E uncomfortable – it rides like the petrol car and it copes with speed bumps and large potholes pretty well. Comfort at higher speeds was good, too, it was occasionally fidgety around town, with the damping not quite settling.
It’s worth noting that, at 1,563kg, the Gen-E weighs almost 300kg more than the petrol version. Ford has managed to hide the extra mass well, though, because it’s genuinely adept.
Four driving modes are offered – Normal, Eco, Sport and Slippery – with steering and throttle response tweaks the most noticeable changes between them. Steering feel can be a little vague in Sport mode around town, especially just off-centre, but despite using a new rack system it’s pretty similar to the regular Puma, which is a very good thing. In the ST you get the option of a Handling Pack, which replaces the squared (Ford calls it the ‘squircle’) steering wheel with a round one. We wish this was offered in the Gen-E because the rim makes it hard to provide input smoothly.
The balance is nose-heavy and this gives it a rather exploitable feel in the bends, just like the petrol-powered Puma and Fiesta before. There’s plenty of front-end grip to shrug off speed and while there’s a bit more roll than we’d like, it’s all manageable and well communicated. It’s no hot or even warm crossover, but the Gen-E retains a decent level of fun to its driving dynamics – certainly more than most of its rivals at least.
On the more sensible side, the brake regeneration is well engineered, with a balance of immediacy and smoothness, although you have to switch through too many menus on the screen to operate one-pedal driving (driving modes have a similar issue).
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
There’s just one electric motor option with the Gen-E, a front-mounted unit with 166bhp and 290Nm of torque – almost matching the 168bhp petrol-powered Puma ST. Despite its power, the Puma Gen-E takes 0.6 seconds longer to get to 62mph compared to its warm crossover sibling, with top speed pegged at 99mph.
There’s instant torque in Sport mode so it feels sprightly enough, but the motor can feel a little unresponsive at higher speeds. Sport also gives you a distant rumble through the speakers to give you a greater sense of what the car’s doing.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Ford Puma Gen-E | 166bhp/290Nm | 8.0 seconds | 99mph |
Expert view on driving experience
“The Puma Gen-E shares plenty of driving dynamics with the petrol car and as a result it’s one of the more engaging small EVs you can buy. Refinement on British roads could be tricky on cars with larger wheels, however.” - Alastair Crooks, Senior News Reporter, tested the Ford Puma Gen-E in Spain
Range, charging & running costs
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Nearly all of the Ford’s direct rivals have battery capacities of over 50kWh so with its 43kWh unit, the Gen-E’s efficiency is extra important. To coax out every last mile per kWh, Ford has tweaked the bodywork. At the front there’s the customary blanked-off grille, combined with side air curtains in the bumper and active grille shutters below. The side skirts have been reworked, too, and the rear spoiler is lower and longer. Even the new wheels are designed to be more slippery.
As we’ve said, the Gen-E is quite a bit heavier than the petrol car, but it’s still remarkably efficient. Ford claims the Puma Gen-E will return 4.7 miles per kWh and we found that after an even mix of town, country and motorway driving it would do a very impressive 4.3 miles per kWh. The issue is that despite the efficiency, you’ve only got a 43kWh battery to play with so total range still would have only been 184 miles when on a bad day most of its rivals would easily cover more than 200 miles.
An area where the Puma scores well is insurance; group 19 places it well below the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3 and Kia EV3.
Electric range, battery life and charge time
Considering its relatively low range, you’ll be charging the Puma Gen-E more often than most. Maximum charging stands at an average 100kW, and it takes 23 minutes to top up 10 to 80 per cent. As standard you get a type 2 charging cable – which can be neatly tucked away in the 43-litre area under the bonnet.
Ford covers the battery under an eight-year, 100,000 mile warranty and there’s a two-year unlimited-mileage service interval. You also get free recovery to the nearest charging station if you run out of juice on the road.
| Model | Battery size | Range | Insurance group |
| Ford Puma Gen-E | 43kWh | 234 miles | 19 |
Interior, design & technology
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It doesn’t look too dissimilar to the petrol car, and that’s the point. Ford knows that it’s probably best not to alienate its existing customers with a wild new EV, so taking the incredibly popular Puma and making it electric seems to be a smart move. There is an eye-catching and suitably named Electric Yellow paint that’s exclusive to the Gen-E, or you can have black, white, silver, red or blue.
The interior is pretty similar to the petrol car’s, but there’s a redesigned centre console which has removed the manual handbrake and gearlever, and replaced it with a column-mounted stalk. So there’s now extra space on the console for three cupholders and a large wireless charging pad.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
The Puma Gen-E’s infotainment is the same as you’ll find in the facelifted Puma. It gets Ford's bespoke SYNC4 system with Amazon Alexa voice control included. The layout of the infotainment’s menus is pretty easy to get your head around and the system itself is responsive, but the in-built sat-nav isn’t the best with a bit of lag and rather simplistic mapping.
Occupying a 12-inch screen, all of the car’s climate and audio controls have been integrated, so the dash looks neater, but less ergonomic than the old Puma. We like the physical steering wheel-mounted buttons, though, and the driver’s display places a focus on the most important readouts, with an easily-accessible trip computer.
Expert view on interior
“The large dual-screen set-up in the Puma gives the dash a flashier look than older cars, but it comes at the cost of usability. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are recommended for sat-nav usage.” - Alastair Crooks, Senior News Reporter, tested the Ford Puma Gen-E in Spain
Boot space & practicality
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Being one of the smaller entrants to the B-segment electric crossover group, the five-seat Puma Gen-E is unsurprisingly not the roomiest inside. Front occupants won’t have any issues with headroom and general space, but in the back there’s a raised floor because of the battery so your thighs are angled up – headroom isn’t great back there, either.
There’s a bit of space underneath the reshaped centre console, some storage under the central armrest and decent-sized door bins, but overall interior storage is fairly average for the class in the Puma. There’s also a useful 12-volt socket in the boot area to power a range of accessories, and on the back row you’ll find two Isofix points for child seats.
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4,186mm |
| Width | 1,805mm |
| Height | 1,536mm |
| Number of seats | Five |
| Boot space | 523 litres |
Dimensions and size
The Puma Gen-E is 114mm shorter and sits 24mm lower than the Kia EV3. It’s also smaller than the family hatch-sized Volkswagen ID.3 and significantly smaller in every dimension than the new Skoda Elroq. The body of the Gen-E is taken from the regular petrol car so you get a swept-back roofline and rounded proportions for a sporty look.
Boot space
Ford has managed to free up even more space than you’ll find in the petrol car. All-in, the Gen-E has a Peugeot E-2008-beating 523 litres of space. That figure includes a huge 145-litre ‘Gigabox’ (the petrol car gets a 65-litre ‘Megabox’) beneath the boot floor, with a handy drain plug included. A 43-litre well sits under the bonnet – big enough for a toolkit or charging cable. There’s a bit of a lip to the boot, but given the crossover proportions, it shouldn’t be difficult to raise heavy items over it.
Expert view on practicality
“The Ford’s headline boot figures are impressive - even though it doesn’t come in one immediately accessible area. There aren’t that many clever storage solutions in the cabin, which limits its family-friendly appeal.” - Alastair Crooks, Senior News Reporter, tested the Ford Puma Gen-E in Spain.
Reliability & safety
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Given the Puma Gen-E’s battery and electric motor combination haven’t been used in any other car as yet, it’s difficult to predict reliability for Ford’s latest offering. The firm’s oldest EV in its current line-up, the Mustang Mach-E, hasn’t had many issues with reliability since its launch in 2020, though.
Last year Ford finished a disappointing 30th in the Auto Express Driver Power customer-satisfaction survey, with just Fiat and MG below it; 20.8 per cent of Ford owners experienced a fault in the first year of ownership so we’d be hoping for better with the latest Puma Gen-E. During our test we found that overall build quality was solid.
Given its technical differences to the petrol car, the Puma Gen-E needs a separate Euro NCAP test. The regular Puma scored five stars initially – although a re-test in 2022 dropped it to four stars. Standard safety kit is good, with cruise control with an Intelligent Speed Limiter, Driver Alert, Lane-Keep assist, pre-collision assist, rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and speed sign recognition. The optional kit on the Driver Assistance Pack adds lane centering, predictive speed assist, lane-change warning and a 360-degree camera.
| Key standard safety features | Euro NCAP safety ratings |
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Alternatives
Almost every mainstream manufacturer has a rival to the Puma Gen-E. There’s the suite of Stellantis siblings such as the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Peugeot E-2008 and the more upmarket Alfa Romeo Junior for example. All beat the Puma for range, though only the Alfa would be able to keep rival the Ford for driving enjoyment. Other offerings include the excellent Kia EV3 and the spacious Skoda Elroq, not to mention the Renault Megane E-Tech (which recently got a price reduction) and the classy Volvo EX30.
Ford Puma Gen-E pictures
Frequently Asked Questions
The Ford Puma Gen-E has a maximum range of 234 miles
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