The first Ford Mustang Mach-E crossovers, the 2021 models that reached owners five years ago, still carry an average of 92% of their usable battery capacity, according to fleet data Ford released on November 9, 2026.
Kevin Vander Laan, Ford’s technical leader for high-voltage battery cells and systems, published the numbers on the company’s From The Road site.
The figures span about 36,000 Mach-Es sold to retail and fleet buyers in the United States and Canada, which together logged two billion miles, with each battery’s state of health taken from Ford’s connected-vehicle data as of August 2026.
“The number I look at closely is the spread,” Vander Laan wrote.
Ninety-five percent of the cars fall between 87% and 97% battery health.
Key Takeaways
- The average 2021 Mustang Mach-E has kept 92% of its usable battery capacity after an average 5.2 years of ownership, in Ford data covering about 36,000 cars and two billion miles in the U.S. and Canada.
- 95% of the cars sit between 87% and 97% battery health. Ford did not publish the lowest readings or a count of packs replaced under warranty.
- More than 2,000 cars past 100,000 miles average better than 91%, and more than 30 past 200,000 miles average 88%.
- Ford’s 2021 warranty treats capacity below 70% within 8 years or 100,000 miles as excessive loss, and the 100,000-mile group is more than 21 points above that line.
- At the fleet average, a 300-mile rear-drive Extended Range car works out to about 276 miles by my arithmetic on its EPA rating.
- Every car in the data uses an NCM battery. Standard Range Mach-Es built from partway through the 2023 model year use a CATL LFP pack, which the figures do not cover.
- Owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 car center on the high-voltage battery junction box and its contactors, the subject of three Ford recalls; I found none describing gradual capacity loss.
More Than 2,000 of the 2021 Cars Have Passed 100,000 Miles
More than 2,000 of the 2021 cars crossed 100,000 miles on their original battery and average better than 91% health. The 30-plus cars past 200,000 miles average 88%.
Ford’s warranty guide for the 2021 Mach-E covers the battery against “excessive capacity loss” for 8 years or 100,000 miles, and it defines excessive as a dealer reading below 70% of the pack’s beginning-of-life capacity. The 100,000-mile group clears that line by more than 21 points at the mileage where the coverage runs out.
Over the 5.2 years Ford gives as the average ownership period, a drop to 92% works out to about 1.5 points a year by my arithmetic. Geotab measured 2.3 points a year across 22,700 EVs from 21 models, a figure from my guide to how long EV batteries last.
Two billion miles across roughly 36,000 cars comes to about 55,000 miles for the average Mach-E in Ford’s data.
Ford’s post also points to David Blenkle’s 2022 Premium with the extended-range battery, which passed 400,000 miles on its original pack. It is a 2022, so it is outside the data set.
What 92% Means in Miles of Range
A battery’s usable capacity sets the car’s range, so I applied Ford’s average, the bottom of its 95% band and the warranty’s 70% line to the EPA rating of each 2021 version. The results are estimates, because Ford reports capacity and real range also moves with temperature, tires and speed.
| 2021 Mustang Mach-E version | EPA range new | At 92% (fleet average) | At 87% (low end of 95% band) | At 70% (warranty line) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Range RWD | 230 miles | 212 miles | 200 miles | 161 miles |
| Standard Range AWD | 211 miles | 194 miles | 184 miles | 148 miles |
| Extended Range RWD | 300 miles | 276 miles | 261 miles | 210 miles |
| Extended Range RWD California Route 1 | 305 miles | 281 miles | 265 miles | 214 miles |
| Extended Range AWD | 270 miles | 248 miles | 235 miles | 189 miles |
| GT | 270 miles | 248 miles | 235 miles | 189 miles |
| GT Performance Edition | 260 miles | 239 miles | 226 miles | 182 miles |
Every Car in Ford’s Data Uses an NCM Battery
Every 2021 Mach-E in the study has a nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) pack, in either the Standard Range or Extended Range size. Standard Range cars built from partway through the 2023 model year switched to a 78-kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack from CATL.
LFP batteries benefit from an occasional charge to 100% to keep the battery management system calibrated, according to Ford, while the NCM cars in the study do not need frequent full charges.
The results are not broken out by battery size, climate or how often owners used DC fast chargers, and the post omits a count of packs replaced under warranty and the lowest readings.
Ford also profiled four 2021 owners whose odometers read from 93,902 to 111,140 miles, among them a Los Angeles Standard Range car with more than 500 public fast-charging sessions and a Raleigh GT Performance Edition with more than 500 home charging sessions. Their cards list mileage and trim but no battery health figure.
Owner Complaints Point to the High-Voltage Junction Box
I read the 350 owner complaints NHTSA had on file for the 2021 Mach-E when the Reliability Database last pulled them, on October 8, 2026. One describes the range readout collapsing from 150 miles to 64 in less than a minute. None describes capacity fading over time.
The high-voltage battery junction box comes up in 54 of the complaints, at least 11 of them the same form letter, and 34 mention a loss of power or propulsion.
Ford has recalled the 2021 and 2022 Mach-E three times because the battery’s main contactors can overheat and cut drive power: a software update in 2022 (22V-412), a junction box replacement on Extended Range cars in 2023 (23V-687), and a 2025 campaign (25V-130) for cars whose first software fix was done incorrectly.
Three Standard Range owners filed complaints about junction box failures on cars the 2023 replacement leaves out, and two asked the agency to review whether Standard Range cars belong in the recall.
Ford’s Charging Advice for Mach-E Owners
Ford recommends Level 2 charging at home for daily driving, with DC fast charging saved “for the days you need it.” Its other suggestions are preconditioning the battery while the car is plugged in, parking in shade in summer when possible, and following the charge-level recommendations in the Ford app for the specific car.
Vander Laan wrote that Ford uses field data from its electric vehicles to inform programs including the Universal Electric Vehicle platform and the Fathom pickup.
The 2021 Mach-E’s Battery Five Years In
Ford’s data places the average 2021 Mustang Mach-E at 92% of its usable battery after 5.2 years and about 55,000 miles, with 95% of cars between 87% and 97% and the 100,000-mile group above 91%, more than 21 points clear of the warranty’s 70% line. The complaints owners have filed with NHTSA center on the junction box and contactors that Ford has recalled three times, and I found none about cells losing capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much battery capacity have 2021 Mustang Mach-Es lost?
Ford says the average 2021 Mustang Mach-E retains 92% of its usable battery capacity after an average 5.2 years of ownership, based on connected-vehicle data as of August 2026. Ninety-five percent of the cars fall between 87% and 97%.
How many cars were in Ford’s Mach-E battery study?
The data covers about 36,000 model-year 2021 Mach-Es sold to retail and fleet customers in the United States and Canada. Together they had driven two billion miles. Ford published the results on November 9, 2026.
What is the battery warranty on a 2021 Mustang Mach-E?
Ford covers the high-voltage battery for 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Within that period, Ford’s warranty guide treats capacity below 70% of the pack’s beginning-of-life capacity, as measured by an EV-certified Ford dealer, as excessive loss.
How healthy is a Mach-E battery at 100,000 miles?
Ford says more than 2,000 of the 2021 cars have passed 100,000 miles on their original battery and average better than 91% health. More than 30 cars past 200,000 miles average 88%.
How much range does a five-year-old Mustang Mach-E have?
Ford published capacity figures, so I applied the 92% average to EPA ratings. A 2021 rear-drive Extended Range car rated at 300 miles works out to about 276, and an all-wheel-drive Standard Range car rated at 211 to about 194. Temperature, tires and speed also change real-world range.
Does DC fast charging hurt a Mustang Mach-E battery?
Ford calls charging behavior one of the factors that can influence battery health and recommends Level 2 charging at home, with DC fast charging for days that need it. It did not publish results split by fast-charging use. One 2021 owner Ford profiled has made more than 500 public fast-charging sessions.
Does Ford’s data apply to newer Mach-Es with LFP batteries?
Ford’s figures cover only the 2021 cars, which all use NCM batteries. Standard Range Mach-Es built from partway through the 2023 model year use an LFP pack from CATL, and Ford says LFP batteries benefit from an occasional charge to 100%.
Has the Mustang Mach-E had battery recalls?
Ford has recalled 2021 and 2022 Mach-Es three times because the high-voltage battery’s main contactors can overheat and cut drive power: 22V-412 (software), 23V-687 (junction box replacement on Extended Range cars) and 25V-130 (cars repaired incorrectly under 22V-412). Those recalls concern the contactors that connect the battery to the rest of the car.
Has a Mustang Mach-E passed 400,000 miles on its original battery?
Ford says David Blenkle’s 2022 Mach-E Premium with the extended-range battery passed 400,000 miles on its original pack. At about 250,000 miles, Ford reported the car still provided around 290 miles on a full charge, against an EPA rating of 303 miles for that version.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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