Ford BlueCruise Will Come as a Standard Free Trial Subscription on All New Vehicles

Those familiar with Ford BlueCruise can take advantage of the hardware’s hands-free driving technology on the highway. It is part of a subscription service that allows customers additional access to extra features on their vehicles, and Ford has announced in a press release that all new vehicles will have the BlueCruise hardware installed from the factory as “standard.” This means that customers who purchase a new Ford will be able to activate their BlueCruise subscription at any time.

Standard Hardware, But Not Standard Feature

In addition, new Ford customers will receive a complimentary free trial of the service, should they choose not to activate it at the point of purchase. The Ford BlueCruise hardware is projected to be installed on 500,000 new vehicles for the 2024 model year in North America alone across the Ford and Lincoln lineups, which includes both gas-powered and electric vehicles. This could also be good news for V8 lovers, as both Ford and GM have made plans to not discontinue to beloved ICE engine anytime soon.

“BlueCruise is an experience-it-to-believe-it technology, and people are amazed at how BlueCruise can help make driving less stressful and more enjoyable – especially in traffic or on long drives,” says Ashley Lambrix, Head of Commercial Acceleration. “We believe in this technology and how it can help transform the highway driving experience and want to allow more customers to try it and provide flexibility for them to activate it when they want to use it.” 

How Much Does Ford BlueCruise Cost?

Approximately 59% of Americans pay for at least one monthly subscription service, ranging from online video streaming, music streaming, food deliveries, shopping, software, news, and premium utility apps.

So with the Ford BlueCruise, customers have the option of paying $2,100 for a three-year subscription at the time of the order or purchase of a new vehicle. If they choose to not activate the subscription after their complimentary trial, they can sign up at any time for an annual plan at $800, or a monthly plan at $75. Given that Ford remains one of the most popular car brands in the U.S., the company stands to make quite a lot of money from this service by customers willing to pay for it.

But for those who choose to opt out of Ford BlueCruise, they will still be able to utilize their vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control, which allows them to select a cruising speed and distance from the vehicle in front of them. This feature also works in stop-and-go traffic.