Despite the Trump Administration’s possible tariff reduction (who knows what’s actually gonna stick at this point?), Ford is apparently still in panic mode after losing billions from tariffs in 2025. The American automaker is doing a bit of penny pinching, resulting in the new 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E models seeming even lamer than they already were.
The Mach-E had a lot to live up to, seeing as it’s an electric SUV named after one of America’s most iconic symbols of aggression and power. With 480 horsepower and a 0-60 sprint of 3.1 seconds — along with enough room to comfortably fit four to five people — the Mach-E has made a valiant attempt at living up to the Mustang namesake. It hasn’t for me, personally, but it’s one of the more stylish SUVs we have while still managing to be super practical. However, that practical part — the part that made it almost worth giving up the V8 — is being minimized in the latest models coming off the production line.
Is it worth paying extra for the Mach-E frunk?
One of the benefits of getting a vehicle without an engine is the additional cargo space under the hood. This little extra storage area has become known as the “frunk.” The concept of the frunk has been around for decades but was popularized by electric vehicles like Tesla. But I guess Ford has decided to slash this benefit.
The base Mach-E will now come without a frunk. This will save you a few bucks off the MSRP (literally a few — the price has been reduced by $50), but it will cost you $345 to add the frunk feature. This brings the price up to $40,335. Now it costs more than it did last year, even though it’s the exact same model.
It feels like Ford is following in the footsteps of other panicked automakers ravaged by tariffs, looking for every small way to reduce production costs. The Mach-E was a popular seller in 2025, with 51,620 units sold, making it one of the most popular electric SUVs in the American market. So maybe Ford is hoping that people are so jazzed by the Mach-E that they are willing to pay a bit extra for the frunk (and won’t notice the removal of the seatback map pockets).
The issue, however, is that the frunk sucks. At 4.7 to 4.8 cubic feet, the frunk is super tiny and impractical. The size of a cooler, Ford even joked that people could put 1,000 wings in it for a tailgate party, but not even that is possible when the frunk reportedly gets extremely hot during certain months.
To me, that joke sort of emphasized that Ford knows there is no real use for the frunk. In fact, Ford Authority states that the decision was made after Ford learned that owners weren’t really using the frunk space anyway. Said Mach-E Brand Manager Teddy Ankeny: “Yeah, so we were learning that customers were using their frunk, but perhaps not as much as we had originally intended. And so, in order to kind of preserve that customer choice, we have made it optional for the 2026 model year.”
Owners have mentioned using it for an emergency tool kit, dirty clothes, plastic bags, takeout, and even battery charging stuff. However, one owner noted about the 2025 frunk: “Not gonna fit more than a sandwich up there!” In reality, you can fit a few things in there. Maybe some cleaning supplies. Maybe a few bags of groceries if you don’t mind them overheating. It’s not like it’s a horrible thing to have. Well, if the SUV already came with it.
However, paying $345 for it??? Ford, you’re out of your mind with this one. You’re lucky the Mach-E was even a good seller, seeing as it took the Mustang name and slapped it on a bloated SUV. Don’t push it.
