Ford captivated the attention of numerous prospective car buyers when it announced an enticing-sounding discount on new vehicles. The long-running auto manufacturer proclaimed it’s launched a “handshake deal for America” by offering employee pricing to all new car purchases.
A representative for the Jess Ford Group (@jessfordgroup) hopped on social media in order to break down what this means for consumers. In a viral video that’s garnered over 36,000 views, she posted what shoppers can expect to pay for a specific vehicle in Ford’s lineup.
The employee pricing incentives, according to Ford’s press release, ultimately result in an instant discount on cars. Meaning you won’t have to go into a dealership and argue to get an offer below MSRP.
Jess begins her video while seated in a brand new Ford pickup.
“I am in a 2025 F-150 XLT,” she says. “And with this Ford employee pricing going on. Meaning you can pay what employees pay. I wanted to run some numbers to see how much saving you’d be doing.”
The numbers
Next, the employee’s video transitions to her holding up a sheet of paper to the camera. There’s a small portion of text that’s highlighted in yellow marker.
“So right here I have our invoice. Jess Ford’s invoice,” she continues. “2025 F-150 XLT. MSRP is $62,770 and employee pricing, are you ready? $56,492.”
Jess gives a slight pause while looking into the camera. Following this, she goes on to call the slashed price a “fantastic” deal for consumers.
“Let us know if you have any questions or you want to see numbers on another model,” she concludes.
In a follow-up video, she shared another “employee pricing” figure for a different Ford model, a 2024 Maverick XLT. She says folks can get one of these “brand new” pickup trucks for “under 30 grand.” That’s because workers for the auto giant are expected to shell out $29,920.72.”
A good deal?
For the 2025 XLT in question, the employee pricing discount appended to the vehicle is just under 11% off of MSRP. However, some car buying experts have argued that this is par for the course for vehicles sitting on dealership lots.
In fact, this one vehicle purchasing consultant stated they’ve facilitated sales on numerous Toyota models at even greater markdowns. Their Spring 2025 rundown of the legendarily reliable Japanese automaker indicates that he’s been able to get buyers up to 20% off MSRP.
Furthermore, he explained that simple economic principles of supply and demand apply to car purchases. In order for consumers to have a more successful negotiation, they should find an area with a particular vehicle surplus. Some parts of the country have more allegiance to specific auto manufacturers or car types.
For instance, you probably won’t be able to knock that much money off a Subaru in Portland, Oregon. Or a Toyota Tacoma in certain parts of Texas where many residents work labor-intensive jobs necessitating a truck. However, in this same aforementioned region, nabbing a deal on a new Prius might be an easier prospect.
Marketing stunt?
Some have speculated that Ford’s employee pricing initiative is a way to get folks to buy vehicles from the manufacturer. Q1 of 2025 saw a 1 percent sales dip in Ford vehicles. This could be attributed to the fact that analytics have shown that the U.S. auto manufacturer is the “‘least trusted’ vehicle brand.”
A pejorative acronym has been attributed to the company that auto enthusiasts may know well: “Found on the Road Dead.” 2024 didn’t do much to help ameliorate this image, either. Ford recalled approximately 4.8 million cars in 2024. What’s more is that the number of individually recalled cars isn’t the only troubling statistic.
The number of recalls for separate issues on Ford cars has been publicized as well. Ford carried out recalls for at least 34 independent manufacturing problems across its fleet. So, perhaps a combination of lowered faith in the brand, coupled with this one percent sales dip, may have inspired the “employee pricing” incentive.
Additionally, the discount could very well be the type of initiative dealerships would have to offer on cars fewer consumers want. CarEdge reports that new car stockpiles are increasing across the board in the United States.
This means that lots are being filled with more and more cars each day. And fewer customers are venturing to showrooms to purchase them. So, to get shoppers to actually put themselves in these rides, businesses will have to make it worth their while.
@jessfordgroup Ford’s discount on an F-150?? #ford #jessford #discount #sale #f150 #fordf150 #fordtruck #fyp #yt #trucktok #trucksoftiktok #discounttruck #employeepricing #salesevent #travel ♬ original sound – Jess Ford Group
Not everyone’s on board
Numerous folks who replied to Jess Ford’s video expressed that they didn’t necessarily think the discount was all that impressive.
“That’s certainly not a fantastic price,” one person penned.
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “Ford employees can’t afford Ford cars.”
One person also remarked that even with employee pricing, the F-150 truck referenced in Jess Ford’s video was not worth it: “$56k for an XLT?? — nope.”
Another speculated employee pricing is akin to Black Friday pricing scams. I.e., the initial “base” cost of an item is artificially jacked up and then “discounted” to a normal price. “Those were $48-52k last fall with rebates,” they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ford and Jess Ford group via email for further information.
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The post ‘For an XLT??’: Expert says Ford F-150s are going for $56,00 with employee pricing. Here’s how you can get it appeared first on The Daily Dot.