Ford Will Knock Up to $10,000 Off an Explorer if You Trade In Your Escape

As the Ford Escape exits the stage, the automaker is working hard to keep existing owners from looking elsewhere. Current Escape customers can qualify for private incentives worth up to $10,000 when moving into a new Ford Explorer, effectively shrinking the price difference between the two SUVs.

The strategy is aimed at retaining loyal buyers after production of the Escape officially ended. The final example rolled off the line at Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant on December 17, 2025, as the company prepares the facility for future electric vehicle production. No direct replacement for the compact crossover is planned.

That has left Ford searching for ways to steer former Escape shoppers toward another model in its lineup, and the Explorer has become the primary target. Combined with employee pricing programs available through participating dealerships, the incentives can bring the cost of an entry-level Explorer Active close to the price range where many Escape buyers were shopping.

The Explorer has been around since the early 1990s, originally arriving as a 1991 model to replace the aging Bronco II. Over six generations, it has evolved from a body-on-frame SUV into the three-row crossover Americans know today. The current generation debuted for the 2020 model year and rides on a rear-wheel-drive-based platform with available four-wheel drive. An all-new generation isn't expected until 2029.

Despite being six years into its lifecycle, the Explorer is enjoying renewed momentum. Sales are up 18% compared with the same period in 2025, helped in part by customers trading in their Escapes.

Without those aggressive incentives, many buyers likely would have gravitated toward the Bronco Sport, which occupies a similar segment. Instead, Ford has managed to funnel many of those shoppers into the larger Explorer. Meanwhile, Bronco Sport sales have slipped 1.5%, while the Maverick has seen deliveries decline by 12%.

"It fits with both the demographics and what the customers are looking for. They want something that makes sense to take to Home Depot, but also to a nice dinner or a show downtown, to deer camp for hunting. It can be a chameleon," Ford Utility Marketing Manager Craig Patterson said.

Patterson added that another advantage for the Explorer is familiarity. Buyers aren't being asked to take a chance on something completely new, but rather a vehicle that has already established itself as one of Ford's best-known nameplates.

For Ford, keeping Escape owners within the brand may be just as important as winning over new customers, and the company appears willing to spend heavily to make that happen.