So after our previous article about the Rivian R1T Price in Australia gained a lot of traction, we were asked to do one on the F150 Lightning Price in Australia.
Now, a key point to note is that at this stage there has not been an indication that the F150 Lightning will be coming to Australia as a factory backed option. This means that any vehicles in Australia will be grey imports.
Notice
An earlier version of this article incorrectly doubled the costs at an early stage of the calculation, prices have now been amended.
Baseline Assessments
Now, given that I am writing this on the 11th of January 2022, I will be setting some things in stone for this article, remember, things are subject to change. So, please, torch and pitchfork crowd, if you are reading this in 6 months and things have changed….that’s life.
| Luxury Car Tax | Luxury Car Tax will be the same as covered in our other article on the Rivian R1T, assume that you will get it. Link to Article |
| Exchange Rate (USD to AUD) | $1.00 USD = $1.3927606 AUD |
| State of Registration | QLD (However Pre-Stamp Duty Value will be shown for you to make your own calculations) |
| Duties on Motor Vehicles | 5% |
| GST Rate | 10% |
| Shipping Cost | $5,000 AUD |
| Conversion COst | $20,000 AUD |
So, with these simple baseline levels laid down, like we always do, let us move on.
Cost of the F150 Lightning in the USA
So this is something that is subject to change, as we still don’t know what esle will be factored in, but the costs of the F150 Lightning seem to be fairly fixed.
This is especially since Ford US has sent an email to all Ford Dealers saying that they really really don’t want them to be selling then above MSRP.
Now this email also says that Ford really doesn’t want cars sold within a year by buyers, even asking dealers to include this in the contracts. How this will affect the grey import market…we don’t know.
But given this, let’s assume that:
- Grey Importers will be paying MSRP
- Grey Importers will be allowed to sell their cars in the first year
Now using the Ford USA Website, without adding anything, the prices are as follows:
| Model | US Price |
|---|---|
| Pro | $39,974.00 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $52,974.00 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $72,474.00 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $67,474.00 |
| Lariat (Long Range Battery) | $77,474.00 |
| Platinum | $90,874.00 |
So as you can see, this seems to be fairly reasonable, so, let us do the Australian Pricing!
F150 Lightning Australian Pricing
Right, so, taking our assumptions above, we can work out the pricing!
| Model | AUS Price | Shipping Added | Duty | GST | Imported Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $55,674.21 | $60,674.21 | $3,033.71 | $6,370.79 | $70,078.72 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $73,780.10 | $78,780.10 | $3,939.01 | $8,271.91 | $90,991.02 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $100,938.93 | $105,938.93 | $5,296.95 | $11,123.59 | $122,359.47 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $93,975.13 | $98,975.13 | $4,948.76 | $10,392.39 | $114,316.27 |
| Lariat (ong Range Battery) | $107,902.73 | $112,902.73 | $5,645.14 | $11,854.79 | $130,402.66 |
| Platinum | $126,565.73 | $131,565.73 | $6,578.29 | $13,814.40 | $151,958.41 |
Right, so at this stage, we have worked out what the cost is to get the vehicle to the Importer.
Now, the importer may claim the GST back, and they may not. GST rules can be fuzzy. Likewise, there are some importers that will put your name on the iumport doicuments.
Ergo, the importer is importing the vehicle on behalf of “John Smith” and unless “John Smith” can claim the port GST back, too bad, so sad, it costs you what it costs you.
Anyways, that’s 1 figure now.
So, after the Conversion you’ll see these prices, as you will recall, we fixed the conversion at $20,000 in the first part of the article.
| Model | Cost After Conversion |
|---|---|
| Pro | $90,078.72 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $110,991.02 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $142,359.47 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $134,316.27 |
| Lariat (Long Range Battery) | $150,402.66 |
| Platinum | $171,958.41 |
So, basically some people will stop here and calculate your own from here. But I am going to keep running with this for my own purposes, and work out:
- The GST Value you will Pay and the cost including GST
- The LCT you will pay on this from here
- The cost to get it on the road in QLD (Where I live)
So, next, the GST that you will pay on this:
| Model | Pre-GST | GST Payable | Showroom Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $90,078.72 | $9,007.87 | $99,086.59 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $110,991.02 | $11,099.10 | $122,090.12 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $142,359.47 | $14,235.95 | $156,595.41 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $134,316.27 | $13,431.63 | $147,747.90 |
| Lariat (Long Range Battery) | $150,402.66 | $15,040.27 | $165,442.92 |
| Platinum | $171,958.41 | $17,195.84 | $189,154.26 |
Moving on to LCT
Right, we did this to death in the Rivian Article, which I think you should read to get a comparison. There is a case to be made that this will be a “Luxury Vehicle” and not a “Work Vehicle”, so stands to reason we include that cost here.
For those that aren’t familiar, in Australia, Luxury Car tax is paid on “Luxury Cars” and you pay 33% above the threshold. Which for a “Fuel Efficient Vehicle” (such as an EV), this is set at $79,659, ergo, for every dollar above $79,659, you pay an additional 33% tax.
Therefore, we end up with:
| Model | RRP | LCT Payable on | LCT Payable | Final Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $99,086.59 | $19,427.59 | $6,411.10 | $105,497.69 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $122,090.12 | $42,431.12 | $14,002.27 | $136,092.39 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $156,595.41 | $76,936.41 | $25,389.02 | $181,984.43 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $147,747.90 | $68,088.90 | $22,469.34 | $170,217.24 |
| Lariat (ong Range Battery) | $165,442.92 | $85,783.92 | $28,308.70 | $193,751.62 |
| Platinum | $189,154.26 | $109,495.26 | $36,133.43 | $225,287.69 |
And now we have Stamp Duty…
Right, so if this “Tax on a Tax on a Tax” setup has confused you, there is one more step to go through! Stamp Duty!
So in QLD, the Duties are on electric cars:
- Up to $100,000—$2 for each $100, or part of $100
- More than $100,000—$4 for each $100, or part of $100
Now as the F150 Lightning is, in every trim in Australia, with LCT, over $100,000 that means that it is $2,000 + the $4 for every $100 or part thereof after
So this means that:
| Model | Cost | Stamp Duty | Driveaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $105,497.69 | $2,219.91 | $107,717.60 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $136,092.39 | $3,443.70 | $139,536.08 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $181,984.43 | $5,279.38 | $187,263.81 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $170,217.24 | $4,808.69 | $175,025.93 |
| Lariat (Long Range Battery) | $193,751.62 | $5,750.06 | $199,501.68 |
| Platinum | $225,287.69 | $7,011.51 | $232,299.20 |
On Road Costs (QLD)
Now I am in QLD, so I have to remember that there is the following fees getting it on road (In addition to the Stamp Duty)
| Registration Fee | $845.55 |
| Traffic improvement fee | $59.35 |
| Numberplate Cost | $32.00 |
| Compulsory Third Party Insurance | $355.80 |
| Total | $1,292.70 |
Note: This is assuming a 4,495kg GVM to be driven on a car licence. If you wish to use all capabilities, the F150 Lightning will need to be registered as a light truck, which will attract diffferent fees. QLD does not have any provisions for electric light trucks. Therefore you pay much higher costs.
Anyways, so if you have stayed this far, this is how much it will cost to get these F150 models on the road, in QLD Australia, after the conversion:
| Model | QLD On-Road Cost brand new |
|---|---|
| Pro | $109,010.30 |
| XLT (Regular Battery) | $140,828.78 |
| XLT (Long Range Battery) | $188,556.51 |
| Lariat (Regular Battery) | $176,318.63 |
| Lariat (Long Range Battery) | $200,794.38 |
| Platinum | $233,591.90 |
My take
Ok, so my wife hates hearing my hot takes, so I’ll stick it here:
The cost of the F150 entry level, in the Pro, is going to be a work truck. It’s going to do what you need, and it’s not going to be the “nicest” option about it.
And until it comes to Australia in a factory backed option, from Ford, you are stuck with an Importer that will be doing a serious mechanical conversion, and adding to the final cost to the consumer. This also means that the importer has the warranty, and the importer has the network of repairers, and the importer has to either source parts from the USA, or make those parts in Australia and get them to you.
This also puts a big disparity in the cost of the vehicles, the base model Rivian R1T, which is coming to Australia as a factory backed option will come in at a sticker price of $119,015.80
This is, to be fair, a significant chunk less than the F150 at an entry level of $186,949.06 or $67,933.26 which is about the driveaway price of a Tesla Model 3 base in Australia.
I was wrong, I screwed it up, the base models are comparable in price. So the above is irrelevant.
Even still, looking at the Pro, what you get for an extra $10,000 in the Rivian makes the value proposition worth it.
However a big appeal in the F150 is the ability to take the tub off and put something on the back, an option you don’t get with the Rivian.
Now in my use case, I wanted a specced up model, with a long range battery. Meaning I would be looking, in the F150, minimum of the XLT long Range.
That said, as I covered in my other article, my Rivian config came to around the $168,000 mark, so $20,000 cheaper than an F150 XLT with Long Range Battery.
Now given the Rivian I calculated would cost me, in my configuration to be around the $168,701.09 on road, contrast this with the Ford F150 Lightning XLT and you come to $342,137.11, this is a $173,436.02 price disparity.
Now, this means I can literally buy 2 Rivians and still have enough left over for nearly 90 cases of Great Northern (30 can packs of full strength at $53 a box, or roughly 2,700 beers…and I have 2 Rivians…or I can have one F150 and no beer…)
But, as with all things in this space, this is genuinely a Glass Coffin thing, which is to say, Remains to be Seen…
If you would like to support Harden Electric, please check out some of our merchandise below.
