• Lots of useful storage compartments
• Plenty of space for people front and rear
• Boot capacity isn’t the Explorer’s forte

How much space is there?

The Explorer punches above its size when it comes to passenger room – it’s similarly spacious to the Kuga SUV, despite only being a couple of centimetres longer than a Focus hatchback. Although it’s shorter overall than the related Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq, it’s the same length between the wheels so you don’t lose space for people.

A tall driver will easily slip behind the wheel thanks to ample adjustment for the steering wheel and seat. Long legs are accommodated easily and headroom is good even with a panoramic roof fitted. Thats thanks in part down to a seat that goes lower than in many electric SUVs.

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Rear passengers are similarly well catered for. The floor is virtually flat so there’s plenty of space for feet, and six-foot friends and family will have sufficient headroom regardless of roof type. At least there is if you stick to one of the outer seats, the raised centre perch puts you much closer to the headlining. There’s no slide or recline function, and we’d also point out a Renault Scenic has even more rear legroom.

Boot space and storage

It isn’t quite as practical as the Volkswagen ID.4, but that’s to be expected considering how much shorter it is. The Explorer has 470 litres of boot space, which is 73 litres behind the ID.4, and even further behind the Skoda Enyaq.

It is a useful space, though. There’s no loading lip to contend with, the boot is a good square shape, and there’s underfloor storage for your cables. That’s handy as there’s no storage compartment under the bonnet as with some rivals.

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If you need more space, the rear bench folds flat in a 60/40 split, and there’s also a load-through hatch for long, thin items such as skis or lengths of 2×4. With the rear bench folded, there’s no annoying step up from the boot floor to the back of the bench, making it easy to slide long items in.

Storage in the cabin does impress. The front door bins are big, and the cubby under the centre armrest is big enough to go potholing in. You can also move the infotainment system to reveal a usefully large cubby at its base that’s perfect for hiding your keys or other valuables.

Is it easy to park?

The Explorer’s relatively stumpy length should give you an advantage over other family-sized e-SUVs when it comes to finding parking spaces. All versions get front and rear parking sensors plus a rear-view camera, and the windows are large enough to give decent visibility.

If you need more help there’s the optional Driver Assistance pack. It’s not cheap, but does come with a useful 360-degree camera and a self-parking system amongst other goodies.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Advanced driver assistance optional
• Comprehensive suite of safety tech standard

Euro NCAP put the Explorer through its full suite of tests in 2024, awarding it five stars overall. You can get SUVs such as the Tesla Model Y that score even higher within certain categories like adult occupant protection, but the Explorer is similarly safe to recommendable rivals like the Renault Scenic E-Tech.

All models get key features such as automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, a speed limit warning and a cross traffic alert, too. The lane assist isn’t the most intrusive and is easy to turn off using a button on the steering wheel. You need to go into the touchscreen to disable speed limit alerts, with a mere two prods needed to get you into the driver assist menu.

The Driver Assistance pack adds active lane centring with lane change assist to give more assisted driving functionality, and a head-up display to keep your eyes on the road. There’s no front passenger seat Isofix mounts, just two on the outer rear seats. These are very easy to access and have plastic covers that hinge down rather than pull off, lessening the chances of you losing them.

Watch: Ford Explorer Euro NCAP safety test video