2025 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid

Efficient and affordable, the 2025 Ford Escape is a people’s compact SUV highlighted by handsome styling, plenty of cabin space, lots of standard technology, and better-than-average fuel economy. Up against compact SUVs like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and a host of others, the Escape hangs its hat on its budget-friendly price, passenger accommodations, and impressive fuel economy.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact SUVs, including the Ford Escape.

The 2025 Ford Escape carries over with no significant changes.

Although we could make a case for buying many of the Escape’s trim levels, our pick is the ST-Line with the Tech Pack 1 ($995), which adds Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist with its adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assistance, evasive steering assistance, rear parking assistance, and other goodies like a 13.3-inch touchscreen with navigation.

The Escape’s base price is a little above average for the compact SUV class. However, it also packs many standard features, making this model on a par with a mid-range version in many of its rivals. With comparable levels of equipment, the Escape’s pricing is similar to competitors like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Kia Sportage. If you have something larger in mind, we suggest the Ford Edge or Explorer.

Before buying a new Escape SUV, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Resale values are only a fraction below the class average. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

Regarding powertrain choices, the Escape offers a broad choice of four to choose from, two being hybrids. The easiest powertrain for us to recommend is the hybrid 4-cylinder engine with 192 horsepower and a combined fuel economy rating of up to 39 mpg. With more power and better fuel economy at a small price premium over the 3-cylinder, the hybrid is a no-brainer if it fits your budget. There’s also a 210-horsepower plug-in hybrid.

The Escape’s entry-level source of go is a 180-horsepower turbocharged 3-cylinder engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front- or all-wheel drive. In our testing, the base 3-cylinder engine proved adequate for urban errand-running, but struggles with passing on the highway. We also noticed it’s a bit noisy under hard acceleration. For reference, the base Honda CR-V has only a 10-horsepower advantage.

With all due respect to the hybrid, the enthusiast in us might reach for the available turbocharged 4-cylinder with 250 horsepower. It makes the Escape fun to hustle around without sacrificing comfort or practicality. Every Escape with this engine also has all-wheel drive.

No matter what’s under the hood, the Ford Escape is comfortable. It does a fine job of providing the utility of an SUV with the efficiency and easy driveability of a compact car.

Fuel Economy

The base 3-cylinder engine has a mixed city-and-highway fuel economy rating of up to 30 mpg with front-wheel drive and 28 mpg with all-wheel drive. That’s the same as a Honda CR-V with front-wheel drive and 1 mpg behind a CR-V with all-wheel drive. The turbocharged 4-cylinder engine has a slight fuel economy penalty, but doesn’t require premium gas.

The conventional hybrid powertrain tops both gasoline-only engines at 39 mpg, regardless of the number of driven wheels. The plug-in hybrid claims an all-electric range of up to 37 miles and returns 40 combined mpg in gas/electric hybrid operation.

We like the roomy and flexible interior of the Ford Escape. We found the front seats comfortable and supportive but noticed some cheap interior materials in the lower trims. However, it can get pretty fancy with options like ActiveX seat upholstery, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and a B&O premium audio system.

The SYNC 4 infotainment system is feature-rich and user-friendly. It has a standard 8-inch screen, and can be upgraded to a 13.2-inch screen with more features. Smartphone connectivity is effortless thanks to standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

We especially like the sliding second-row seats. These make it easy to optimize both passenger and cargo space, depending on requirements, and it’s an uncommon feature among compact SUVs.

We’re impressed that we didn’t hear any griping out of a 6-foot teenager relegated to the rear seat thanks to the Escape’s better-than-average 40.7-inch maximum rear legroom (extremely close to the Honda CR-V’s 41 inches). Cargo space is also above average, with 34.4 cubic feet of room behind the rear seats and up to 65.4 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down. The CR-V is more impressive here, though, with 39.3/76.5 cubic feet.

The Escape makes a compelling fashion statement from the curb. With a chiseled wrapper and seemingly wide stance, it presents an air of confidence and capability.

Power variety
Four powertrain options ensure something for almost everyone. Two turbocharged engines are available, plus a conventional hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. Sensible us would opt for the hybrid, but enthusiast us would pick the higher-performance turbo.

Efficient hybrids
The efficient Escape Hybrid gets a mixed fuel economy rating of 39 mpg with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. The plug-in hybrid is more powerful and efficient, and can travel up to 37 miles on electricity alone.

Ford Co-Pilot360
The standard Ford Co-Pilot360 safety tech array brings many driver assistance features. They include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, and automatic high beams. Additional optional features include adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assistance, speed sign recognition, and a 360-degree camera system. Two of those we miss when we don’t have them are the automatic high-beam function and adaptive cruise control. When it comes to parking, we find the surround-view camera nearly indispensable.

Sliding rear seats
Sliding rear seats are rare in this class, but come standard in the Ford Escape. We didn’t once need to apologize for sticking someone in the rear seat. You can slide them forward to create additional cargo space or back for more passenger legroom.

SYNC 4
The standard SYNC 4 infotainment system is loaded with features, notably wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You can upgrade the standard 8-inch screen to a 13.2-inch display and add more features like navigation.

B&O audio
The optional B&O 10-speaker premium audio system brings music to life, making the cabin of the Escape feel (and sound) like a more premium SUV.

The Escape offers an efficient and affordable turbo 3-cylinder with 180 horsepower, plus a stronger turbo 4-cylinder with 250 horsepower. For the fuel-conscious, there are also two hybrid options: a conventional hybrid with 192 horsepower and 39 combined mpg, or a 210-horsepower plug-in hybrid with a 37-mile all-electric range. Although the 4-cylinder turbo is a cut above the usual power range, overall, the Escape’s powertrain performance is about average with comparable rivals.

For most drivers, we’d recommend the conventional hybrid with its excellent balance of performance, efficiency, and value. And you still get all that back-seat room.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Ford Escape is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile (whichever happens first) basic bumper-to-bumper limited warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. This coverage is average for the class. Both hybrid models get an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty on hybrid components.

Safety

The Ford Escape has earned a 5-Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the top Good rating in all but one crashworthiness category designated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, and automatic high beams.