How long is the wait to order a 2022 F

Ford’s ability to push its new all-electric pickup truck through from Production to delivery sooner than expected has its 200,000 Ford Lightning reservation holders buzzing with excitement. But how soon can you get a Ford Lightning, really?

In this article, we’ll walk through Ford Lightning delivery dates for all four trims of the Ford F-150 Lightning, how to track your Ford Lightning order, and where to get a Ford Lightning if you don’t already have a reservation.

But first, a quick note on why this all-electric F-150 is hard to get:

What’s the Holdup?

Since Ford closed the books on its 2022 Ford Lightning, options for buying one this year are limited. For non-reservation holders, purchasing a brand new F-150 Lightning is only minutely possible through a dealership—if you’re lucky and the markup isn’t too high. The best way to get info on future (2023 and beyond) Ford Lightning reservation slots is by going to Ford’s website and selecting “Get Updates” (near the bottom of the page) to sign up for notifications.

For everyone with a reservation already made, you’ll either be one of the lucky few who receive a lightning this year, or you may be invited to be a reservation holder of the F-150 Lightning’s 2023 model. While Ford has jumped through quite a few hoops to prepare their brand new EV truck Production line to manufacture Lightnings this quickly, only about 40,000 are expected to roll off the line by the end of the year. That leaves about 160,000 reservation holders waiting for their Ford Lightning’s delivery update.

Ford F-150 Lightning Delivery Dates

For the following discussion, please keep in mind that many of these numbers and estimates come from Ford Lighting reservation conversion orders this past spring that are being delivered now. With a ramp-up of Ford F-150 Lightning Production, the time from your order to your Lightning’s expected delivery date should shorten significantly.

That said, let’s take a look at each trim level’s estimated delivery dates:

F-150 Lightning Pro Delivery Estimates

Back in January, Ford speculated that it would be delivering its Pro trim sometime in 2023. However, supply chain issues and the overwhelming reservation response by customers (especially businesses looking for fleet vehicles) have changed Ford’s approach to the Pro’s Production.

Currently, the Ford Lightning F-150 Pro trim has been pushed through the Production line in batches, and some Pros are already in the hands of early reservation holders. However, few Lightning Pros have been reported delivered to individual consumers; many of the completed Pros are fleet-oriented versions of the electric truck.

If you have already received a VIN and have converted from a reservation to an order, you can expect your Lightning Pro to Progress from order to delivery in around 3-5 months from your completed order date. On the other hand, If you have a reservation in the earlier 50,000-80,000 reservations for the Lightning and have not yet received a VIN number, it may be the 4th quarter of 2022 or early 2023 before you are able to get an estimated delivery date for your Pro.

Ford expects to ramp up Production to 150,000 units next year, so they may be able to finish fulfilling Pro reservation orders by September-December of 2023.

F-150 Lightning XLT Delivery Estimates

We haven’t seen nearly as many F-150 Lightning XLT trims off the Production floor compared to the Pro and the Lariat. That said, the Lightning XLT has been included in Ford’s Production rounds, and the time between the XLT’s reservation-to-order conversion and delivery seems to be taking about 6-7 months.

If you have received your VIN already, your Lightning XLT is likely to meet the estimated delivery window of July-September 2022. If you haven’t received your VIN already, you’re likely to be invited to order a 2023 Lightning XLT instead (Ford calls this “extending your reservation”).

F-150 Lightning Lariat Delivery Estimates

The Lariat seems to make up the majority of 2022 Ford Lightning deliveries in the hands of individual consumers to date. Even with many other electric vehicles struggling to make it through Production thanks to the worldwide semiconductor shortage, the Lariat has been Progressing at a rapid pace since the end of spring.

So far, the Ford F-150 Lariat delivery time has taken about 4-6 months, with customers in the first order wave waiting the longest between their reservation to order conversion and actual delivery. If you’ve already gotten your Lariat’s VIN, you can generally expect Ford to deliver your Lariat within a month of the estimated delivery date.

If you aren’t among the lucky reservation holders that got an estimated delivery this year, be on the lookout for an invitation to the 2023 Lightning Lariat waiting list. With Ford expecting to start Production on the 2023 Ford Lightning this October, we don’t expect too many more Lariat reservations to turn into orders before Production of the next model year begins.

F-150 Lightning Platinum Delivery Estimates

The “Have It All” Platinum trim of the F-150 Lightning has been Produced at a similar pace to the Pro and the Lariat. From order confirmation to final delivery, the 2022 F-150 Lightning Platinum Process has taken about 5-6 months.

However, like the Lariat, if your Platinum reservation hasn’t been converted to an order yet, you can Probably expect to be invited to join the 2023 Lightning Platinum waiting list.

How to Track Your F-150 Lighting Order

Here’s a rundown on how order tracking works after your Ford Lightning reservation number gets picked:

• First, Ford will contact you to change your reservation to an order.
• Next, you’ll be given your VIN and an estimated Production schedule. This is typically through an email, especially if you are purchasing completely online.
• Last, using your order number (from your order summary) and VIN, you should be able to check on your Lightning’s Progress through the Ford Order Tracking Site.

Bonus: You can also follow your Lightning’s chip activation through Ford’s Service Info site using your VIN. This won’t give you any insight into your delivery date, but it’s still a neat way to see some evidence of build Progress.

Note: If you are completing all or part of your order through your local Ford dealership, your dealer may be aware of the Production date for your Lightning even before you’ve been contacted by Ford with your VIN. If it’s been a while after you’ve converted your registration and you still haven’t heard from Ford, be sure to check in with your dealer to see if they have any additional info.

Can’t Wait for Your Ford Lightning Delivery? There IS Another Way!

Right now, the reality of Ford’s F-150 Lightning is that Production is limited, orders are backed up, and Ford’s reservation books for 2022 are closed. With prices on the rise and the Lightning’s current popularity among EV enthusiasts, getting in that reservation line even for 2023 can seem overwhelming.

But what if we told you that you can find your Lightning without the wait at a comparable price?

There is a way: buy used! Heck, most of the Lightnings on our site are barely used at all!

One of the best things about the current used Ford Lightning market is that these EV trucks are all basically new, with low mileage, low wear-and-tear, and well-within warranty. Buying a pre-owned Ford F-150 Lightning puts you ahead of the reservation line. Plus, you’ll avoid the uncomfortable uncertainty about pricing increases, since there’s no guarantee that current prices will hold for the next few model years.

While there may not be many Ford F-150 Lightnings out there yet, a reasonable number of used Ford Lightnings are for sale right now on online listing sites.

Of course, there’s good news and bad news about those online listings.

The bad news? Most online car listing websites will mix a Ford F-150 Lightning in with a bunch of other ICE trucks from the same manufacturer. For instance, did you know that Ford already had an ICE version of the Lightning back in the early 2000s? If you try to search for a Ford Lightning EV, you’ll find that fact out pretty quickly. Additionally, in most places you can forget filtering by battery size (pretty important if you are hoping to tow with your Lightning) or tech package. What the site wants you to see is what you get

Now for the good news: you can find an F-150 Lightning easily right here on Find My Electric. We’ve spent our time and effort making the listing system intuitive so you don’t have to guess whether the Lightning you’re looking at has a Max Tow package or the Extended Range battery pack. And there’s no extra clutter: we focus on electric vehicles (and only EVs), and you’ll only see the EV you’re searching for.

If you want to skip the wait and start hauling with a new-to-you Ford Lightning as soon as possible, check out the selection of used Ford F-150 Lightnings available today on Find My Electric.

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