- Good fun to drive
- Large boot, especially with Gen-E’s GigaBox – but poor rear passenger space
- Not the cheapest choice despite Gen-E’s full Electric Car Grant eligibility
Ford’s blockbuster hit is still a strong small SUV contender, with impressive driving dynamics and luggage capacity.
Overview
When we talk about sales successes in the UK car market, they haven’t come any bigger in recent years than the Ford Puma. Launched six years ago, this small SUV has effectively taken the role of the discontinued Fiesta supermini by regularly topping the sales charts. 2025 marked the third year in a row that it was the UK’s best-selling car, and it’s remained at the top of the registrations table across the first four months of 2026.
The model hasn’t been unchanged since its launch, with a facelift carried out in 2024, and the range of powertrains expanded with the introduction of the fully electric Gen-E variant, which joined existing petrol mild hybrid options.
Those mild hybrids are available with outputs of 125PS or 155PS with regular trim levels, or 170PS with the ST performance model. Depending on spec, there’s a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.
The Gen-E comes with a 168PS motor and a 53kWh battery, of which 46.8kWh is said to be usable capacity. All Pumas are front-wheel drive.
Styling changes with the facelift were pretty limited, retaining the coupe-inspired SUV looks that have been familiar since 2020 (though still a far cry from the original 1990s Puma coupe). The Gen-E is mainly distinguished by a ‘shield’ front end design replacing the conventional grille – it’s also available with distinct paint colours like our test car’s aptly-named Electric Yellow (an £800 option).
Rivals for the mild hybrid Puma include the Skoda Kamiq and Renault Captur, while rivals for the Gen-E include the Renault 4 E-Tech. The Vauxhall Mokka is one of many alternatives which like the Ford feature both ICE and EV options.
Pricing and spec
The mild hybrid Puma range includes Titanium, ST-Line and ST-Line X trim levels, along with the ST. The Gen-E range comprises Select and Premium trims. Both the mild hybrid and electric Puma are also available with a limited edition BlueCruise Edition trim, incorporating Ford’s Level 2 driver assistance system – we weren’t able to sample this feature with our Premium-spec test car.
On-the-road prices for the mild hybrid Puma start at £27,145 for a 125PS Titanium, and top out at £34,745 for a 155PS BlueCruise Edition.
The Puma Gen-E is one of the few cars currently eligible for the UK Government’s Electric Car Grant at the full £3,750 Band One level, and was recently confirmed as being one of the five top-selling grant-supported models. With the grant applied, on-the-road pricing for the Gen-E starts at £26,245 with Select trim, and rises to £28,245 for the Premium trim we tested, and £30,545 for the BlueCruise Edition. The Gen-E is also eligible for the Ford Power Promise which includes a free home charger, up to 10,000 miles charging credit, and an eight-year/100,000 mile battery warranty (the rest of the vehicle – and the mild hybrid Puma – are covered by Ford’s standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty).
The mild hybrid Puma looks fairly level on price with equivalent versions of the Skoda Kamiq and Vauxhall Mokka, but is undercut by the Renault Captur despite that model being a full hybrid.
Although the Gen-E’s value case is helped by its Electric Car Grant eligibility, it still comes in at nearly £3,000 more than the Renault 4 E-Tech, which is also eligible for the full grant. The Gen-E is however cheaper than the electric Mokka, which only gets the £1,500 ‘Band Two’ grant.
Technology
With the facelift, the Puma gained Ford’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system, said to have twice the computing power of the previous version. This operates via a 12in touchscreen, and a 12.8in driver display. The touchscreen generally is pretty good, fairly responsive and straightforward to operate albeit without much in the way of graphical wow factor, and the driver display offers a range of useful information that’s well presented.
Temperature controls are presented via a permanent role of icons at the bottom of the touchscreen, but these can be a bit fiddly to use while driving.
Safety
Standard safety systems with the Puma include pre-collision assist with post-impact braking, speed sign recognition, and lane keeping assist – the latter and the mandated speed limit warning system are easily deactivated via one and two presses respectively of buttons on the steering wheel, should drivers wish. Also standard is a driver distraction and fatigue warning system, which we found to be a bit trigger happy, advising us to take a break at one point when we’d only been on the road for about 15 minutes.
A 360-degree camera system, part of the optional Driver Assistance Pack, is highly detailed and offers an impressively clear picture.
The pre-facelift Puma received a four-star Euro NCAP rating in 2022. No separate rating is available for the Gen-E.
Driving experience
With the Gen-E, Ford is keen to make you aware you’re driving an EV right from the get go, since you get a cool sci-fi sound effect when turning the car on and off, like a spaceship powering up and down.
Acceleration is brisk rather than properly rapid – officially 0-62mph is possible in eight seconds. Choosing ‘L’ mode on the drive selector increases the level of regenerative braking. For drivers who want to take this further, there’s also a full one-pedal drive mode available – though with this engaged we found it a little tricky to slow down smoothly. Official combined WLTP ranges are 251 miles with Premium and Blue Cruise Edition specs, 259 miles with Select – a 100kW DC charging capacity allows a 10-80% battery charge in 26 minutes. Mild hybrid Pumas officially achieve 47.9-52.3mpg depending on spec.
As well as inheriting the Fiesta’s sales success, the Puma also carries on its forebear’s reputation for being good to drive. The steering is precise and car feels nippy and willing to change direction, with very little body roll. With the Gen-E being around 200kg heavier than the mild hybrid Puma, the EV does just lose element of sharpness relatively speaking – with this extra weight maybe also to blame for a touch of choppiness at higher speeds on British B-roads
That aside, the suspension is well judged. It’s not overly soft – you can tell you’re connected to the road – but there’s no harshness over bumps and potholes. The brakes are good, with no difference noticeable with the Gen-E compared with an ICE car.
Practicality
With the Gen-E, space on the centre console is freed up by a steering column-mounted drive selector stalk replacing the traditional gear lever, and there’s a useful storage area underneath.
Given that Premium is the top-spec model in the regular Gen-E range, we think the presence of scratchy plastic trim is a little disappointing, though there are also some nicer glossy plastics and Sensico synthetic leather. The lighter grey colour of the latter material also brightens things visually.
Sporty front seats hold you in place well without sacrificing comfort – the driver’s seat also come with a useful range of adjustment including for lumbar support.
With the Gen-E, the rear cabin floor is rather high, meaning adult passengers might not be comfortable for long journeys due to the need to adopt a knee-high sitting position. Rear legroom generally we would describe as OK at best, and headroom might be tight back there for taller adults. There are also no dedicated rear air vents, although rear passengers do get two USB-C ports.
A standout practicality feature of the Puma since launch has been the MegaBox – an extra compartment, waterproof and featuring a drain plug, hidden under the main boot floor which adds an extra 80 litres of capacity, taking the total to 456 litres. The Gen-E takes things even further, featuring a 145-litre GigaBox and a total boot capacity of 574 litres, transforming what’s already a large load space for the segment into a properly vast boot that’s competitive with much larger family SUVs. The Gen-E also comes with a 43-litre front boot – really more a sort of caddy under the bonnet.
