None of the electric cars reached as far as their official WLTP range states in "El Prix", the world’s largest electric car test.
American Tesla Model 3 came furthest: 521 km. But Chinese BYT Tang lost the least range, just 11 percent compared to the car's official WLTP range.
The Norwegian Automobile Federation took 31 electric cars to the roads to find out how they perform in winter conditions. The cars competed primarily against themselves and the range their manufacturer states in their marketing.
The temperatures during the test varied from zero to minus ten degrees celsius, quite moderate winter temperatures in Norway.
All the cars in the test deviated more than ten percent from their WLTP range and some lost more than an third of their official range.
How far does an electic car go i winter?
In 2021, sales of new electric cars passed 80 percent of the consumer market in Norway. Range is important to many buyers. Consumer information is key, and our mission is to provide the best, most comprehensive test of EVs to give our members the insight they need before choosing an electric car. This is what we cover:
- The actual driving range in winter conditions
- What happens when the EVs run completely out of battery
- How quickly the cars charge from 10 to 80 percent
You can find more coverage and news (in Norwegian) on motor.no or join the discussion on our Facebook page. In this article (in Norwegian) you will find links to all the cars we tested this January.
Electric cars in winter conditions
From previous tests, we know that EVs drop between 4 and 30 percent of their range in even mild winter conditions. The charging speed is also affected by colder temperatures. By testing the cars in realistic driving conditions, we gain more insight than the standardized WLTP range tests – important knowledge for anyone considering an EV.
Read more about our previous tests here (in Norwegian).
Working for better consumer information
NAF is working to establish an industry standard for how manufacturers and dealers state the range and charging speed of electric cars. A separate range for winter conditions should be included in such a standard.
Cars sold in Norway may differ from other European markets. Some cars are sold with winter edition equipment, such as heat pump, battery insulation and enabled preheating. Although preheating was not used in this test, other differences in equipment might affect the winter range.
