Best 2015-18 Ford F-150 Electric Running Boards: Winter

Electric running boards for the 2015-2018 Ford F-150 are powered, door-triggered step bars that swing down automatically when you open a door and tuck back up when you close it — and in a Tampa winter cold-snap or a ski-trip to the mountains, that one feature is the difference between a confident step and a slip on an ice-glazed rocker panel. In our Tampa, FL shop we fit these on 13th-generation F-150 SuperCrew and SuperCab trucks all season long, and the clear winter leader is the AMP Research PowerStep XL: it drops lower and wider than any other board on this truck, carries AMP's 600 lb load rating, and retracts completely so you keep full ground clearance in snow and slush.

What Are Electric Running Boards for the F-150?

Electric running boards — also called power steps, powered running boards, or retractable step bars — are motorized step platforms that mount under the rocker of your 2015-2018 Ford F-150 and deploy automatically when any door opens, then retract flush under the body when the doors close. Unlike fixed nerf bars or static side steps that hang down permanently, a powered board is only in the way when you actually need it. That distinction matters most in winter: a fixed bar collects snow, ice, and salt slush and stays low in the deep stuff, while a powered board tucks up out of the weather and preserves the F-150's factory ground clearance for unplowed driveways and snow-covered trails.

The 13th-generation F-150 (2015-2020, Ford's aluminum-body P552 platform) sits tall, and the step-in height on a 4x4 SuperCrew can be close to 22 inches. For shorter drivers, kids, and anyone carrying gear with gloved hands, an auto-deploying step with an anti-slip tread and — on most kits — integrated LED lighting is a genuine cold-weather safety upgrade, not just a styling piece.

Why Do Electric Running Boards Matter for Winter Driving?

Electric running boards improve winter safety because they give you a wide, anti-slip, often LED-lit step exactly when the door is open, then get out of the way so they do not collect snow or kill your clearance. Three cold-weather problems they solve:

Icy entry and exit. The single biggest winter risk around a tall truck is slipping while climbing in or out onto a glazed rocker or a snow-packed fixed bar. A powered board presents a flat, treaded, roughly 6-inch-wide platform at a consistent height every time the door opens. The Go Rhino / VoltStep board in this guide adds automatic LED lighting that comes on with the step — valuable in the 5 p.m. darkness of a December evening.

Clearance in snow and slush. Because the board retracts fully against the body when the doors shut, you keep the F-150's stock ground clearance for unplowed driveways, snow banks, and forest-road snow. Fixed running boards and nerf bars stay down, where they pack with ice and plow snow on the way through a drift.

Cold-weather reliability. A winter step is only useful if the motor works at 10 degrees. AMP Research uses a sealed, all-weather motor and stainless hardware on the PowerStep line; Go Rhino runs dual motors on each E-Board and specifically markets them as reliable in extreme climates. Every board here includes an automatic safety stop and a manual override so an obstruction — or a frozen hinge — does not strand the mechanism.

The Best Electric Running Boards for the 2015-2018 F-150

We ranked these five powered boards the way a winter F-150 owner actually shops: step quality and reach first, then load rating, cold-weather hardware, fitment by cab, and price. Prices below run from around $1,400 to about $2,300. Confirm your cab style (SuperCrew, SuperCab, or Regular Cab) before ordering — powered boards are cab-specific.

The PowerStep XL is the standard AMP power step taken to its winter extreme: AMP extends the board noticeably lower and wider than the base PowerStep, which makes the step-in gentler on a 4x4 SuperCrew and gives gloved boots more treaded platform to land on. It carries AMP's 600 lb load rating, deploys in roughly one second as the door opens, and retracts flush for clearance. At around $2,300 it is the priciest board here, and it is SuperCrew-specific for 2015-2020 — but for an icy-climate daily driver it is the one we reach for first.

The PowerStep Xtreme is AMP's heavy-duty board: a larger, reinforced extrusion built for work trucks, trailer crews, and anyone who treats their F-150 like a tool. It holds the same 600 lb rating and the same one-second auto deploy, but the bigger step pad and burlier structure shrug off repeated winter boot-stomping and ice. Available for 2015-2019 across cab styles, it is the pick when durability outranks the XL's extra reach.

The Smart Series adds a phone app and OBD-II integration on top of the powered board, so you can change how and when the steps deploy — handy if you want them to stay out when a trailer is hitched or a plow is mounted. It keeps the 600 lb rating and installs for 2015-2020 across cab styles. At around $1,950 it is the mid-price AMP option and the pick for owners who want the most control over their step behavior.

The Plug N Play is the same powered PowerStep board, but it ships with a vehicle-specific, plug-and-play wiring harness so the install needs no wire splicing — you connect to the factory harness and mount. It is the value AMP pick at around $1,850, keeps the 600 lb rating, and is the smart choice if you are installing in a cold garage and want the fewest connections to fuss with.

Listed in our catalog as the Go Rhino / VoltStep electric board, this is the budget-friendly cross-brand option at around $1,400 (down from about $1,820). It deploys a 6-inch-wide anti-slip aluminum board, and its integrated LED lights turn on automatically when the step drops — a real win on dark winter mornings. Dual motors on each board are rated for extreme climates, magnetically-activated door switches leave your OBD port free, and it includes an automatic safety stop plus manual override. It fits 2015-2024 F-150 crew cabs, so it also suits later refresh trucks.

Electric Running Boards Compared: 2015-2018 F-150

Here is the quick side-by-side. All five are powered, door-triggered boards that retract for ground clearance; the differences come down to reach, toughness, control, install, and price.

How to Choose: XL vs Xtreme vs Smart Series vs Plug N Play

Choose by what your winter actually demands, not by price alone. If you have a lifted or leveled 4x4 SuperCrew and want the easiest, lowest step for family and gear, the PowerStep XL is worth its premium. If your F-150 is a daily work truck that lives on salted roads and job sites, the PowerStep Xtreme's heavier extrusion is the durability play. If you tow or plow and want to control when the boards deploy, the Smart Series app and OBD connection earn their keep. If you are doing the install yourself in a cold garage and want zero splicing, the Plug N Play harness is the path of least resistance.

And if you want the biggest winter-safety features — automatic LED lighting and dual all-weather motors — for the least money, the Go Rhino / VoltStep board delivers both at around $1,400. It is also the only option here that fits later crew-cab trucks through 2024, so it is the cross-year pick for a mixed F-150 fleet.

Installation and Winter Care Notes

Most F-150 power steps bolt to existing mounting points under the rocker and wire into the factory harness; AMP's Plug N Play and the Go Rhino / VoltStep both use plug-in connections that keep your OBD-II port free. Plan on roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours for a careful first-time install with basic hand tools, or drop by our Tampa, FL shop and we will handle it. A few winter-specific pointers from our bench:

Keep the deploy mechanism clear of packed ice and road-salt buildup — a frozen linkage is the most common cold-weather complaint, and all of these boards include a manual override and auto safety stop for exactly that reason. Rinse the underside after salty drives, the same way you would wash a truck's rockers and frame. Powered boards add roughly 70 to 100 lb to the truck and have moving parts, so they are an entry and lighting upgrade, not armor; if you want rock protection, look at rock sliders instead. Finally, confirm cab style and model year before you buy: the XL is SuperCrew-specific, the Xtreme and Plug N Play cover more cab styles, and the Go Rhino / VoltStep is crew-cab only.