All Ford F-150 trims now feature automatic emergency braking as standard equipment

Enlarge Image

No matter which 2020 Ford F-150 you're sizing up, it will have automatic emergency braking.

The Car Connection reported Thursday Ford expanded the active safety technology to even the base F-150 XL. Before, buyers had to step into the F-150 Lariat trim at a minimum to nab AEB. A Ford spokesperson confirmed the feature to Roadshow.

As the original report points out, the move makes Ford the first American automaker to make AEB standard on its light-duty pickup trucks. The F-Series Super Duty still only provides the feature as an option for the base truck, though it's standard on all other trims for the beefier rig.

In fact, Ford received a hypothetical "most improved" award for expanding AEB across its vehicle lineup earlier this year. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found the Blue Oval and Hyundai were two automakers that dramatically increased the number of cars they equip with AEB. Today, 65% of Ford's vehicles boast the technology, while 78% of Hyundai vehicles do.

The figures will only continue to climb. In 2016, 20 automakers signed onto a voluntary deal to make AEB standard on every vehicle sold by 2022. By 2025, the deal will expand to medium-duty trucks, too. Automakers that are part of the voluntary pact include Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

As the tech continues to trickle into more vehicles, evidence continues to grow that simple active safety systems create a major impact. Specifically, if AEB, lane-departure warning and blind-spot warning systems were standard on all cars, the IIHS estimates the US would see 11,000 fewer traffic deaths per year, a fall of nearly a third.