Would you pay $495 for your frunk? Mach-E buyers will have to

[j.w.s]

Put this in the category of “things I didn’t see coming”.

New Mach-E buyers will now need to pay $400 more to be able to access their frunk. Begs the question, would you be willing to pay for your frunk?

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-mustang-mach-e-frunk-now-costs-extra

https://insideevs.com/news/788178/mach-e-2026-frunk-paywall/

So more detailed version is:

We Rivian buyers think that a Mach-e buyer paying net $345 more to buy the frunk liner and have it installed is just crazy. OK well of course it is.

Then again, we Rivian buyers are apparently OK with paying $3,000 for black paint, $755 for an R1S cheapo donut spare tire or - let's find an example for around the same price - $375 for a cargo net and a plastic seat-back clip for a Tablet, not installed. Is this less egregious than the frunk liner charge?

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[Nixapatfan]

The title of the thread is wrong, the cost is for an option to have a front trunk liner installed not for using it. Nothing wrong with optional equipment and letting the buyer choose what they want if it brings down the base price.

This is exactly how they'd be able to bring a $30k truck to market by making everything optional.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Can I buy an R2 for a few grand less if I forgo all the normal vehicle accoutrements?

 

[ElGuano]

Yikes. I get that it's a manufacturing cost savings, but charging people for something that used to be free isn't usually taken well.

Charging more for something extra is fine. Like, I would pay many hundreds more for a fully powered frunk. I NEVER used the frunk on the Model S or X because it was frankly a hassle, particularly the fragile "press down with both palms to close without damaging the hood." But I use it all the time on the Rivian because it's auto open/close.

 

[captainjp]

Is this less egregious than the frunk liner charge?

Absolutely

 

[TTedP]

It's a slippery slope and the problem with connected cars - letting Ford have this kind of data. It's another thing anti EV crowd will pick up on.

What's the threshold for not enough? How many ICE Trunks go unused to Ford's liking??


*** edit
answered my own question, they killed all the cars. So NOW it's just giant empty SUV hatches going unused.

/s

 

[RickRivian]

The title of this thread is wrong, and clickbait.

The cost is $495, not $400, and it is for the tub, which is much smaller since the heat pump was added last year. Near useless.

As for ridiculous costs, Rivian charges $2,500 for many paint options. The Ford Mach-E cost for a metallic paint with top coat is $495...

But, but, ... Rivians are much bigger.

Fun fact - the cost to put the nicer paint on the Lightning - $495.

And the Lightning frunk has a 14.1 cubic foot frunk. Rivian R1S is 11.1 cubic feet. Talk about small...

 

[Virtio]

Didn't BMW try to charge a monthly fee for heated seats or something like that? Not really the same but seemed wrong at the time.

 

[vandy1981]

The titles of this thread and the articles are very misleading. It's not a software paywall.

If you don't pay for a frunk liner it's not installed at the factory.

This is no different than any other paid option for ICE vehicles for the last 100 years.

 

[CrazyOne]

Paying for tub is fine. Paying for opening hood is not. I don't know the details, but I guess it's former.

Someone will make an aftermarket one for less.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

And we're supposed to believe Ford's going to make a $30K electric Pickup Truck?

It’ll cost $30K, but you have to pay $20 every time you open the door. They’ve gotta make money somehow.

 

[cohall]

The title of this thread is wrong, and clickbait.

The cost is $495, not $400, and it is for the tub, which is much smaller since the heat pump was added last year. Near useless.

As for ridiculous costs, Rivian charges $2,500 for many paint options. The Ford Mach-E cost for a metallic paint with top coat is $495...

But, but, ... Rivians are much bigger.

Fun fact - the cost to put the nicer paint on the Lightning - $495.

And the Lightning frunk has a 14.1 cubic foot frunk. Rivian R1S is 11.1 cubic feet. Talk about small...

Just for clarity, Admin changed my thread title and added the second line. I only asked if owners here would be willing to pay to access your frunk.

And it's actually $385 or something that Ford is charging if you include the price reduction that they're promoting along side this new fee. Hence the $400 number I wrote in the text of my message.

I was simply asking if people would be willing to pay a fee, like Ford is charging. Doesn't matter if it's a software or mechanical lock, or lack of the tub, without spending $400 - you don't get access to a frunk in the Mach-E. Not sure what's controversial about that, and nothing I wrote is incorrect or "click bait".

Best Regards!

 

[RickRivian]

Just for clarity, Admin changed my thread title and added the second line. I only asked if owners here would be willing to pay to access your frunk.

And it's actually $385 or something that Ford is charging if you include the price reduction that they're promoting along side this new fee. Hence the $400 number I wrote in the text of my message.

I was simply asking if people would be willing to pay a fee, like Ford is charging. Doesn't matter if it's a software or mechanical lock, or lack of the tub, without spending $400 - you don't get access to a frunk in the Mach-E. Not sure what's controversial about that, and nothing I wrote is incorrect or "click bait".

Best Regards!

First, Ford is not promoting any net price, they never do that. In fact, they aren't even mentioning the removal of the frunk as feature, and that you have to order it separately. Some dealers are going to have frunkless vehicles and customers won't open the frunk until they bought it, and then say "what the frunk!"

Every vehicle charges money for options. Ford decontents constantly, like getting rid of tilting headrests, heated wiper deicer, front camera washer, and more.

But they didn't get rid of the frunk, they just make you order it as an option.

So, it isn't a user fee, or a subscription, which is how I read the heading on this thread. It is an option.

 

[cohall]

First, Ford is not promoting any net price, they never do that. In fact, they aren't even mentioning the removal of the frunk as feature, and that you have to order it separately. Some dealers are going to have frunkless vehicles and customers won't open the frunk until they bought it, and then say "what the frunk!"

Every vehicle charges money for options. Ford decontents constantly, like getting rid of tilting headrests, heated wiper deicer, front camera washer, and more.

But they didn't get rid of the frunk, they just make you order it as an option.

So, it isn't a user fee, or a subscription, which is how I read the heading on this thread. It is an option.

You seem to have a very strong opinion on this, while simultaneously ignoring most of what I wrote. All-good. I never said they got rid of the frunk. I never said they don't discontent constantly. I never said you couldn't order it as an option. Again, I stated that Ford is charging for a useable frunk, and asked if people here would be willing to pay.

Here's my thread title before it was altered by the admin, "Would you pay to use your frunk?". I'm not sure it gets much more basic and benign than that.

I'm not sure what you mean by ford never promoting new pricing. I see about 10 commercials an hour that beg to differ (Did you know it's ford truck month?). Not to mention other press releases and the whole "From America, For America" reduced MSRP/Employee pricing campaign. But for the record, here's what I was specifically referencing:

Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E brand manager, Teddy Ankeny, revealed to The Electric Duo that, for the 2026 model year, the controversially badged crossover will no longer provide a frunk for free, despite the fact that many EVs offer extra space in the area that an internal combustion engine would traditionally sit. But this decision wasn’t made for nefarious reasons, says Ankeny. Instead, it’s meant to save buyers a little money on their base MSRPs.

Ankeny explained ...and no longer charging for a frunk as part of the base MSRP gives buyers a slightly cheaper entry point to Mach-E ownership.

 

[RickRivian]

You seem to have a very strong opinion on this, while simultaneously ignoring most of what I wrote. All-good. I never said they got rid of the frunk. I never said they don't discontent constantly. I never said you couldn't order it as an option. Again, I stated that Ford is charging for a useable frunk, and asked if people here would be willing to pay.

Here's my thread title before it was altered by the admin, "Would you pay to use your frunk?". I'm not sure it gets much more basic and benign than that.

I'm not sure what you mean by ford never promoting new pricing. I see about 10 commercials an hour that beg to differ (Did you know it's ford truck month?). Not to mention other press releases and the whole "From America, For America" reduced MSRP/Employee pricing campaign. But for the record, here's what I was specifically referencing:

Net, not new...

I said they never promote net pricing, which was mentioned earlier. Frunk is $495, but price of car went down, so net is $385. Never happened from a promotional standpoint.

They also don't promote "our 2026 Mach-E is cheaper than our 2025".

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