THIS is what you need to know if you’re considering leasing a pick-up as a personal vehicle - and no, you don’t need to be a business customer to drive one.
Ever felt like you’re playing an extreme game of Tetris when you load the car for a family holiday, as you crave more luggage space?
Do you wince doing the tip run, worrying about what that dirty load is doing to the back of your fancy SUV?
And have you ever wondered what it might be like to be able to see over that hedge you're driving parallel to?
Well, it sounds like you need a pick-up in your life. And you’re not the only one.
Rewind 20 years, and pick-ups were mainly the preserve of farmers who wanted to ferry hay bales and sheepdogs about the place.
But those days are gone. Registrations of new pick-ups have already jumped by 18% this January compared with January 2023, according to the latest stats from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
And what are the implications if you wanted to swap your leased SUV for a leased pick-up, purely to run as an everyday, personal car for commuting and leisure purposes, and which will never see any business use?
How much is road tax? Will you get stung by insurers? And what’s it like living with a pick-up anyway, when we’re all so accustomed to our automotive creature comforts?
To find out, we grabbed the keys to the latest Ford Ranger Wildtrak - with the Ranger the UK’s most popular pick-up and the fifth best-selling light commercial vehicle in 2023 - and embarked on a week-long test:
Day 1 - Footy training
I’m in the midst of a busy day when the good people at Ford drop off the Wildtrak for our 'pick-up or SUV?' experiment, and I’ve barely glanced at it before I slam the lap-top shut and load the thing up for youth team footy training.
But first impressions are, well, impressive.
It’s full-blown British winter weather, and the roads are treacherous, covered in blown leaves and bits of trees that have fallen down.
But the Ranger’s high stance and massive windscreen gives a commanding view of the road ahead - one of the big plus points with a pick-up - while there’s a clear view out of the back and the wing mirrors are so enormous blind spots might become a thing of the past.
Another thing that immediately strikes me is the Wildtrak’s awesome B&O sound system (a relatively inexpensive optional extra), and some pre-match tunes get belted out.
After training, the wet balls and smelly bibs get lobbed straight into the Ranger’s load bed, far, far away from the cabin. No ‘teenager’s armpit’ aroma in here, then.
Day 2 - Familiarising myself
The very latest Ford Ranger arrived in the UK last year, growing in size and stature compared with previous models.
There are several different trims to go at, from the entry-level single cab ‘XL’ model, to the all-singing, all-dancing, performance Ranger Raptor.
We’ve got the Wildtrak model, which sits somewhere in the middle of the Ranger line-up between the cheaper ‘Tremor’ and more expensive ‘Wildtrak X’ grades. And it strikes a pretty perfect balance between ‘workhorse’ and ‘well-furnished’.
The Wildtrak Ranger can be leased with either a 2.0-litre diesel engine with power of 205 PS, or a 3.0-litre V6 unit with added oomph at 240 PS.
We’ve got the 2.0-litre mill, and while you wouldn’t describe it as rapid, it’s perfectly capable of keeping up with traffic while also being relatively frugal, with an official efficiency of 32.1 mpg.
Mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, the Ranger Wildtrak offers a relatively serene driving experience and the cabin is surprisingly quiet.
Our test model has a few added bells and whistles compared with the regular Wildtrak. Those extra options include a power roller shutter, which covers and uncovers the rear load bed at the touch of a button in the back, as well as the ‘Ice Feature Pack’, which unlocks the B&O stereo.
Our Ranger is also fitted with a ‘Technology Package’ that includes automatic cruise control, lane change warning and aid, advanced automatic parking, a 360-degree camera, and a collision mitigation system.
With all that kit fitted, it’s easy to assume you’re behind the wheel of a premium SUV and not a pick-up. And it’s important to remember that even the standard Wildtrak comes loaded with equipment, including heated driver and passenger seats, heated leather steering wheel, privacy glass, wheel arch moulding, a rear parking aid, and Ford’s ‘SYNCH 4’ infotainment system that features a massive 12-inch vertical central touchscreen and a 8.0-inch digital instrument panel.
The Wildtrak’s 4x4 and 2x4 selectable drive modes - 2H (general on-road driving), 4H (really rough terrain), 4A (auto, for varied road surfaces) and 4L (low traction 4x4) - are a doddle to use thanks to the handy dial next to your left hand.
Day 3 - The school run.
Radio found via the massive (and joyous) vertical touchscreen, heated seats engaged (again, via the touchscreen, which controls a lot of the gadgets and which works seamlessly without lag), it’s time to brave the school run.
The Wildtrak is big, and reversing it into tight spaces requires a bit of bravery. So, to avoid upsetting the Karens I’ve already pre-planned where I’m going to park it.
I slot into the very front of a long bay, and there’s a big kerb in front of me.
In my normal car, that kerb is going to cause problems when I eventually leave unless I don’t mind scuffing my front bumpers.
The Ranger Wildtrak, however, simply shrugs its shoulders and bounces over it.
And speaking about bouncing over things, I can’t help but chuckle as the pick-up gobbles-up even the biggest potholes to be found on the roads of rural Cheshire.
I can’t say the same when I’m driving my ageing MINI Cooper S, which seeks to rattle my teeth out on every run.
Day 4 - Road tax and insurance
I’m now settling into life with the big Wildtrak, and I’m enjoying it.
The cabin is as vast as it is comfortable, and rear occupants have acres of legroom. I’m arriving at destinations feeling fresh and destressed, while I’ve also spotted local landmarks I never knew existed because I’m sitting so high up.
There’s a slight judder and sway to the ride quality, but that’s common with all pick-ups built to carry heavy loads, and it’s still noticeably subdued in the Ranger compared with other rivals.
I’m now thinking about the practicalities of leasing and running a pick-up; will I get clobbered with tax? Are my insurance premiums going to be sky high?
We’re focusing here on leasing a pickup as a personal vehicle. It’s never going to see business use and it’s not being put through a business.
And there is good news. When it comes to general road tax, you basically pay a flat ‘van’ rate - even if the pick-up is for personal use - so long as it's a double cab with a payload in excess of 1,000kg. Our double-cab Ranger Wildtrak has a 1,037kg payload, so we’re laughing.
That fixed rate of road tax - the 'TC39' category for Light Commercial Vehicles - is currently set at £320 a year, with the usual minor increases per annum.
On balance, that £320 a year is pretty generous considering what you might pay for something like the Volvo XC90, where you’re looking at up to £570 a year.
And what about insurance? Can you get insurance on a pick-up when it’s a personal vehicle?
You can, yes, but premiums are generally a little higher than with a normal SUV. But a friend of Select recently got a quote on a Ranger Wildtrak for less than £500 - which is double what he pays for his family car, but not particularly frightening on the scale of things.
Day 5 - Ford Ranger: Chat Magnet
I can’t shake the feeling that driving a pick-up initiates you into some sort of secret club.
I get admiring glances from other pick-up drivers, particularly those behind the wheel of the VW Amarok - a car that’s very much based on the Ranger, thanks to a new collab between Ford and Volkswagen - and you can't help but feel slightly smug driving the Ranger.
You also find yourself engaging in conversations about pick-ups with other punters while learning plenty along the way.
Some other things to consider?
Many pick-up owners I spoke with have been caught out by the height restrictions in car parks. These things ride high, and you need to double check the limits of your local multi-storey before thundering in.
Planning to use your pick-up for family camping trips? Again, plan ahead, because some sites don’t allow ‘commercial vehicles’ - and your personal pick-up might still be regarded as one by the site owner. Better to check before you crop up.
When it comes to towing, our Wildtrak has a 750kg unbraked capacity, and 3,500kg braked, which should be more than ample for your caravan.
Day 6 - Mountain biking
While the Wildtrak’s load bed accepts my son’s bike with ease, I’ve got to take my front wheel off to get my own steed safely stowed for a trip to the local trail centre.
But you’ll see plenty of other pick-up owners with tailgate bike pads, which allows cycles to be secured with the front wheel hanging out of the rear end.
It’s muddy out there, but I care not a jot as I know I’ll be able to hose-down the load bed when I get back. I can’t say the same for the wife’s VW Golf, which we usually take.
We pop to the local supermarket afterwards for refreshments and, as you can see, tight parking spaces can give you pause for thought. At around 211 inches in length, the Wildtrak has a (rather comical) habit of sticking out like a sore thumb.
But our optional 360-degree camera system takes the headache out of manoeuvring in those spaces, and parking in general soon becomes second nature.
Day 7 - One last trip to the tip
The question we posed at the start of this journey was, essentially, ‘Why lease an SUV as your family car when you could have a pick-up instead?’
And after a week with a Ranger Wildtrak, the pick-up makes a compelling case for itself as an everyday, do-it-all family vehicle.
Sure, it’s not quite as sophisticated and refined as a premium SUV, and the handling is always going to be on the ‘agricultural’ side of things. But that's part of the charm. It’s still comfortable and agile, and when the UK’s roads resemble the surface of the moon, does it not make sense to run a vehicle that’s going to laugh in the face of any serious potholes?
When it comes to load-lugging abilities, no SUV can hold a candle to the Ranger. You’re looking at around 1,233 Litres of space volume. Compare that to the Skoda Superb estate - which has an enormous boot by any measure - and it’s tiny in comparison, at 690 litres.
If you really do lead an active lifestyle and you’re constantly lugging bikes, climbing kit, kayaks and camping gear across the UK and beyond, a pick-up like the Ford Ranger really does make a lot of sense, particularly when there are few financial hurdles to enjoying one - particularly when you lease.
Now, just time for one last trip to the tip before Ford comes to collect the keys...
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