The 2026 Ford F-150 is seeing a change that will see its twin-turbo engines produce less power and add some complexity. You can order you 2026 Ford F-150 now, but you will get less horsepower from the top of the line 3.5L Ecoboost twin-turbo V6 engines. Here is what’s going on. Let’s dig in!
The main reason for the power rating change is the introduction of the Gasoline Particulate Filter (GPF) to the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 pickup truck engines. The issue is related to the particulate emissions (or soot emissions) regulations. These regulations are primarily driven by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
We currently do not have an official statement from Ford that relates specifically to this, but we have consulted with several industry experts on this matter. There is another precedent for this within Ford’s vehicle lineup. The 2025 Ford Maverick started to use a GPF with its 2.0L EcoBoost I4 turbocharged engine.
A total of 17 states currently follow the CARB emissions regulations. This includes the following in alphabetical order: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington (along with the District of Columbia). The total population in these states represents close to 44% of the total United States population. These regulations cannot be ignored if you plan to sell vehicles there and sell them without penalties.
The introduction of the GPF also means that this particulate filter will have to be cleaned out via a regeneration process (or regen). This is very similar to what turbo-diesel pickup trucks have been doing since 2007 or 2008. The GPF regen process should be seamless to the driver, just like it for a Ford Super Duty turbo-diesel driver. The truck will use some additional fuel to heat the filter and burn any collected particulates.
This GPF change does not apply for any 2026 F-150 Raptor trucks. It does not affect the F-150 trucks with the 2.7L EcoBoost V6 engines. The 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine was first introduced to the F-150 lineup in 2011. This most recent generation of the engine was rated at 400 horsepower and it came out in the 2021 F-150 trucks. The EcoBoost V6 is the o.g. in the segment. Toyota’s twin-turbo V6 came out in the 2022 Tundra. Ram’s twin-turbo I6 came out in 2025 Ram 1500 trucks.
This change does not affect Ford’s maximum towing capacity. The 2026 Ford F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 and a maximum towing package is still rated to tow up to 13,500 lbs.
Here is how the latest GPF-equipped 3.5L F-150 compares to some of the other twin-turbo 6-cylinder full-size pickup trucks.
| Turbocharged 1/2-Ton | Horsepower | Torque |
| 2026 Ford F-150 (3.5L TT V6) | 382 hp @ 6,000 (-18 hp) | 500 lb-ft @ 3,100 |
| 2026 Ram 1500 (3.0L TT I6) | 420 hp @ 5,200 | 469 lb-ft @ 3,500 |
| 2026 Toyota Tundra (3.4L TT V6) | 389 hp @ 5,200 | 479 lb-ft @ 2,400 |
This change also affects the gas/electric F-150 PowerBoost hybrids. Here is how it compares to the Tundra hybrid.
| Hybrid 1/2-Ton | Horsepower | Torque |
| 2026 Ford F-150 (3.5L TT V6 H) | 420 hp @ 6,000 (-10 hp) | 570 lb-ft |
| 2026 Toyota Tundra (3.4L TT V6 H) | 437 hp @ 5,200 | 583 lb-ft |
You can the latest power specification at Ford.com (see below).
Please let us know what you think about this F-150 change in the comments below. You can also email us at ask@tfltruck.com with comments or any additional information.
