2021 Ford EcoSport Is Both Cheaper And More Expensive Than Before

Last year, Ford slashed the price of the entry-level EcoBoost by $490 to just under $20,000 before destination, matching the crossover’s starting price for the 2019 model year. Now, for 2021, some of the trim levels are up to $200 more expensive and oddly enough, the automaker says the price increase is "to keep the Ford brand competitive and aggressively positioned." More importantly, there’s a generous discount ahead of Presidents' Day but we’ll get to that in a minute.

First, the MSRP sticker. A letter sent recently to dealers and obtained by CarsDirect shows the base 2021 EcoSport S continues to cost $21,240 with destination, matching the entry-level price tag for 2020. If you opt for the SE model though, it’ll set you back $105 more than before. The SES and Titanium grades are respectively $160 and $200 more expensive than before.

However, until the end of March, the 2021 EcoSport will be sold with incentives of up to $3,750 depending on the state. If you are fine with getting the previous model year - and there’s literally no reason not to be - you can get savings of up to $6,250, representing a 25 percent discount from the MSRP in some states. CarsDirect reports that the cheapest EcoSports can be found for as low as $15,000 before taxes and fees.

With 60,545 deliveries in the United States last year, the EcoSport is nowhere near the country’s best-selling models. The 2020 results were 6 percent lower than what the crossover registered in 2019 and put the EcoSport at sixth place in the subcompact SUV segment behind the Subaru Crosstrek, Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, and Jeep Renegade. According to data from CarSalesBase, the first month of 2021 is looking good for the model with 4,382 deliveries versus 3,363 in January 2019.