Ford F-150 Lightning pulls ahead of Tesla Cybertruck in Q1

The competition among electric pickup trucks in America is heating up, and the early leader has just been overtaken. For a brief time, Tesla Cybertruck held the top spot as the best-selling electric truck, but new information shows it lost that title in the first three months of this year. The Ford F-150 Lightning, a more traditional-looking electric version of a long-time favorite, is now in the lead.

According to data that tracks vehicle registrations across the United States from S&P Global Mobility, Ford registered 7,913 F-150 Lightning trucks from January through March. In the same period, Tesla's Cybertruck had 7,126 registrations. This difference put the Ford truck slightly ahead, reclaiming a position it held before the Cybertruck began its deliveries in larger numbers. It is important to note that Tesla does not publicly share sales numbers for individual models, so registration data gives the clearest picture compared to other truck makers who do report sales.

Looking at the numbers a little bit closer, registration data isn't the only source. Cox Automotive also tracks vehicle sales. Their data shows a similar trend, though with slightly different figures. According to Cox, Ford sold 7,187 F-150 Lightnings in the first quarter, while Tesla sold 6,404 Cybertrucks. Regardless of the exact numbers, both data sources agree that the F-150 Lightning moved ahead of the Cybertruck in the first part of this year.

For the Cybertruck, this marks a slowdown. While its first full quarter of availability (Q1 2025) showed thousands delivered, its registration and sales numbers were lower than in the previous two quarters. In the third quarter of 2023, the Cybertruck saw 16,692 sales according to Cox Automotive, which then dropped to 12,991 in the fourth quarter of 2024. The 7,126 registrations (or 6,404 sales) in the first quarter of 2025 show a continued dip in the numbers compared to the initial rollout period.

Despite the F-150 Lightning taking the lead, neither truck is selling in massive numbers just yet, when compared to the millions of gasoline-powered trucks sold each year. Selling around 7,000 units in three months shows that while there is interest in electric trucks, the market is still finding its footing. This slow pace isn't limited to just Ford and Tesla. The Chevrolet Silverado EV came in third place in registrations, followed by the GMC Sierra EV, Rivian R1T, and the very large GMC Hummer EV.

The challenges facing electric trucks are significant. Truck buyers often use their vehicles for tough jobs like towing heavy loads, going off-road, and taking long trips. These activities require a lot of energy. To provide enough driving range for these tasks, electric trucks need very large batteries. These big batteries are expensive and add a lot of weight to the vehicle.

Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, has spoken about the difficulties, noting that the design of trucks, which are less aerodynamic than cars and need to be capable of many things, makes building affordable electric versions that meet customer needs a tough puzzle. Other companies are also seeing delays; Ram has pushed back the launch of its electric 1500 REV and Ramcharger trucks, and Rivian's deliveries dropped in the first quarter compared to last year and the previous quarter.

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