2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E review: Australian first drive

Legacy car makers such as Ford have to do something to keep up with the new wave of brands flooding the market, and in many cases, this means relying on its heritage.

Ford has 100 years of history in Australia alone, more in the US. Despite being an American company, though, it has somehow been adopted by us and the Brits as our own, and as a result, we take all things Ford very seriously.

So then, it’s understandable that when the brand brought out an all-electric Mustang in 2023, everyone asked, ‘Now hold on a minute, what are you playing at?’.

Two years later, sales have been slow with, it seems, a limited appetite for the EV.

Let’s get it out of the way now: the Ford Mustang Mach-E does not have a thrumming V8 under the bonnet. But consider this, it’s a good car nonetheless.

According to the 2021 census, the average Australian family had 1.8 (call it two) cars at any one time. So why not have an electric Mustang for family duties during the week, and the V8 version for the weekend? Or a Mach-E alongside a Ranger or Everest? 

Ford says the Mach-E is predominantly aimed at couples, but maybe that’s not reaching far enough, and boosting those sales numbers means reaching more Ford fans in the form of families.

The updated Mustang Mach-E line-up consists of three grades: the Select, Premium, and GT.

The entry-level rear-wheel-drive Select model costs $65,990, while the Premium RWD variant is priced at $80,490, and the top-of-the-range AWD GT model costs $98,490, all before on-road costs.

The pre-update car is in runout, with Ford knocking as much as $20,000 off the asking price in an effort to shift cars, but despite this, the car maker is confident it has the pricing of the facelifted model just right.

There’s no shortage of electric SUVs these days, so it is important to stand out from the crowd. The Mustang Mach-E’s key rivals are the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6.

Pricing for the Tesla Model Y starts from $58,900 for the RWD variant, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 range opens from $69,800, and the Kia EV6 Air from $72,590, all before on-road costs.

As standard, the Mach-E Select comes with a 15.5-inch infotainment screen and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, a wireless charger, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel.

It also features 19-inch alloy wheels, a tyre repair kit, a panoramic sunroof, black synthetic leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, a powered tailgate, privacy glass, puddle lights, and access to the Ford Connect app (no longer called FordPass).

On top of this, the Premium adds 19s with a different design, Brembo brakes with red calipers, red contrast stitching for the faux leather, and ambient lighting.

At the pointy end of the range, the GT adds 20-inch wheels, Ford Performance front seats, synthetic leather and suede upholstery, a new fake front grille, adaptive suspension, and Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Largely, the Mach-E retains its predecessor's design; however, some styling changes have been made for the MY25 model year. Predominantly, though, the biggest changes are under the skin. More on that soon.

The projector LED headlights from the Premium and GT are now standard across the model range, the Select gains the old Premium's 19-inch wheels without aero covers, and the Premium gets new 19s inspired by the pre-update GT's 20s, while the GT receives new 20s.

There are new colours available, too, eight in total, with Shadow Black the only no-cost option, as the others cost $700 each.

On the inside, the number of changes is minimal, but there are some key differences. The gear selector has moved from a rotary dial to a steering-column stalk, and door sill plates are now standard across the range. 

The front seats are now 10-way power-adjustable, up from eight-way, and adjustable under-thigh support has also been added.

The materials are high quality, they look and feel nice, the mix of textures adds good depth, and the seats are nice and comfortable, but there could be more choices to break up the dark black and grey colouring. It’s all quite masculine.

What is not as hardy-looking is the 15.5-inch infotainment unit, which, unlike the 12.0-inch equivalent in the Ranger and Everest, is not surrounded by large plastic honeycomb air vents or chunky dials and buttons.

It sits neatly on the dash and looks sleek and modern in comparison. However, it is absolutely massive in what is a considerably smaller cabin than its siblings. The infotainment works well and is logically laid out, with excellent native satellite navigation and top-notch sound from the Bang & Olufsen system.

The sole dial, which oddly protrudes into the screen at the base, controls the volume, with the heating and ventilation controls integrated within the screen. Fortunately, the controls are permanently displayed at the bottom for ease of access.

The 10.2-inch cluster is nice too. It displays all key information, but isn’t overloaded, and its slim design makes it easy to see through the steering wheel. It sounds silly, but having a physical starter button is a plus, since many EVs now don't.

There are three USB-C ports in the front row, and one USB-A port as well, while rear occupants have another two USB-C ports in the second row.

According to Ford, the Mustang Mach-E is aimed at couples, perhaps because it is cautious to dub it a family SUV at a time when family means massive. 

The Ford Mustang Mach-E Select and Premium are 4728mm long, 1881mm wide, 1627mm high, and have a 2984mm wheelbase.

The GT is slightly shorter in height at 1609mm, but it’s 15mm longer, with an extra 1mm on the wheelbase as well.

That makes the Mach-E taller than its rivals, and longer. Proportionally, it’s similar in many ways to the Tesla Model Y, though the latter is longer and wider. 

There’s a good amount of space in the front row, around the driver and passenger, with two large cupholders in between, and a small space for storing items like keys and hand sanitiser. Underneath, space has been opened up by moving the previous model’s rotary dial gear shifter to the steering column.

A decent-sized glovebox and centre console storage bin add room for things you’d rather keep hidden from view; however, space in the doors is much more limited, suitable only for slim drink bottles or cans. 

The same is true in the second row, though here there are map pockets on both sides, plus two additional cupholders in the centre armrest when folded down.

With a larger wheelbase than all except the Ioniq 5, there’s plenty of leg room inside for adults or children in the back seats, with a proper second row compared to the regular Mustang’s 2+2 setup. Head room is generous too.

The space isn’t as small as it looks over your shoulder from the front. I fit comfortably behind my own driving position, and I’m around 167cm tall. Younger children in child seats may be able to kick the back of the front seats, but this is true of most SUVs unless they’re on the larger side.

There are three top-tether points accessible via the boot for the child seats, and ISOFIX anchors are also available on the two outboard ones.

The Mustang’s boot is a little on the small side compared to its competitors at 402 litres (519L to the roof), but it still offers a reasonable amount of space for a crossover SUV and for everyday family life. With the second row down, this expands to 1420L.

In addition, there is 49L underneath the bonnet for charging cables or a backpack, etc. 

Given that many families use small SUVs, sedans and even hatches to move their littlies around, the Mach-E’s credentials aren't too bad. If there are a couple of ways that it could be more practical for parents, the cubbies in the boot could be deeper to store more small items, and the doors could be easier to open.

The Mustang has circular buttons on each door to open them, and won’t open if you don’t push them, even by pulling the grab handle – which caught me out, no matter how many times I reminded myself that was how it worked. 

The front doors have little handles for ease of opening, but the back doors don’t. It seems like a change for change's sake, and really is a feature that just has to go. It’s the new way of opening doors that nobody asked for.

Where the Mach-E is more practical is in its safety technology. It has a suite of up-to-date safety equipment and a five-star ANCAP rating from 2021, for all variants except the GT.

Features include autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, rear cross-traffic alert, speed sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera. 

Largely, the technology works well and does its job without any fuss. The lane-departure warning flashes up on the driver’s cluster but doesn’t take over and isn’t aggressive, and the driver monitor didn’t go off once, even with all the settings turned up to high.

The one letdown is that the quality of the 360-degree camera is a little muddy.

For 2025, new batteries have been introduced, with the Select now featuring a 73kWh battery pack (previously 72kWh), maintaining a claimed driving range of 470km.

The Premium, however, comes with a slightly smaller 88kWh battery (previously 91kWh) but also maintains its driving range claim of 600km.

The GT, meanwhile, uses the 91kWh pack for a claimed driving range of 515km, up from 490km pre-update.

The other big news is that Ford has responded to criticism that the Mach-E was slow to charge, with improved charging times for all variants except the Select.

The Select can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 32 minutes using a 150kW DC charger, and the Premium and GT in 36 minutes – down from 45.

On an 11kW charger, expect the Select to be topped up in 7.8 hours and Premium and GT in 9.6 and 9.9 hours, respectively. Using a 7kW unit extends those times to 11.7, 13.9, and 14.6 hours.

Although new with this update is the inclusion of a heat pump as standard, which is claimed to improve the energy efficiency of the climate-control system, Ford doesn’t quote an energy consumption figure.

Previously, the Select’s 72kWh battery offered a claimed figure of 17.8kWh per 100 kilometres. 

On test at the vehicle’s launch, the Mach-E trip data showed a variation of between 19.0kWh and 23kWh/100km across the three grades, coming from a mix of freeway and rural driving scenarios. 

Unlike many EVs, it doesn’t have adaptive regenerative braking, just an e-Pedal that is either on or off. Personally, I found having it on to be too aggressive, but it can be a matter of taste.

In addition to new batteries, the Mach-E Select and Premium variants have also had their electric motors tweaked. 

Both are powered by a single electric motor driving the rear wheels, producing a combined output of 212kW/525Nm, up from 198kW/430Nm in the Select and changed slightly from 216kW/430Nm in the Premium.

The AWD GT’s dual electric motors are now also more powerful, producing a combined 434kW/955Nm (up from 358kW/860Nm).

What does all that mean when you put your foot down? Plenty of power on tap even in the Select and Premium, with all the instant torque you need for snappy lane changes and overtakes without being too rowdy.

The GT packs a real punch and is exceedingly quick, but I’d wager it’s more performance than most people want or need.

There are three drive modes that essentially represent economy, normal and sport as you’d find in most cars, but have been renamed Whisper, Active and Untamed. Again, a silly change that just isn’t necessary.

Whisper tones down the performance a little, and there’s a bit of lag to get going, but it’s generally fine once you’re cruising and isn’t unreasonably impaired.

Active is a happy middle ground, but Untamed makes the biggest difference.

It sharpens the steering, increases the throttle response, and emits a not-at-all convincing fake V8 Mustang sound. It would probably be better to create an entirely unique performance noise or, alternatively, not bother at all.

The GT also gets an Untamed Plus mode for performance driving.

Even though it’s no sports car like its namesake, the Mustang Mach-E handles keenly, with well-weighted steering that is direct and agile, though there is a touch of understeer while cornering.

There’s not much body roll, it coasts along the open road really nicely, and the GT especially winds through corners like a, well, grand tourer, feeling sure-footed as it does so. 

The grip from the GT’s Pirelli P Zeros is good, but there’s room for improvement from the Select’s Hankook S1 Evo3 EV tyres and even the Premium’s Continental Premium Contact 6 rubber.

All produce a fair amount of road noise, with the Hankooks proving the loudest, while the wind was also most noticeable in the Select.

The ride, which has been improved in the Select and Premium, with revised sway bars, springs and dampers, is a bit firm, but it remains relatively composed, especially at cruising speeds. 

Even though it was a little unsettled under duress on the uneven and patchy twisty country roads we encountered on the driving route near Healesville in Victoria, there were no big shocks translated into the cabin.

The GT has adaptive suspension, which generally helps it to feel pretty cruisy, but at times it still felt a tad jittery and hit large potholes with a harsh clatter.

If you can get over the fact that it’s not a sports car and hasn’t got a big V8 under the bonnet, there is a lot to like about the Mustang Mach-E.

Even in its base guise, it has a healthy driving range, is feature-rich, and has more than enough power for everyday use. I don’t love the nose, but generally its looks are easy on the eyes.

It’s not the cheapest EV, but the starting price of $65K is in line with other similar offerings in the ‘not cheap but also not premium or luxury’ middle ground.

The Premium theoretically feels like the pick of the range, with its extended 600km driving range, but the 130km bump over the Select just doesn’t feel like good value to me for the added $15K.

Asking that much more for largely the same features, identical power and torque, and the same suspension tune is too much, and Ford needs to close the gap here.

Rather than relying on the Mustang name to do the heavy lifting for its first passenger car EV, perhaps there’s more mileage in appealing to regular Australian family buyers to add a Mach-E to their garage alongside something else.

If you like the idea of a Ford as a name you know and trust, want an EV that drives well, doesn’t go nuts beeping at you for no reason, and don’t want a Tesla, the Mach-E is worth a serious look.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk