The range of electric cars is commonly specified according to the WLTP standard. But how far can you really get with one charge? The Norwegian Automobile Association NAF has now driven 21 electric cars. And drove. And drove. Until at some point the battery was completely empty. And for most of the candidates that was beyond the WLTP information!
Nothing was left to chance: all cars were driven on the same day, on the same route and with the same driving style. Even the air conditioning was set identically. The conditions: dry roads and an air temperature of 20 to 25 degrees. The cars were not preconditioned, neither the interior nor the battery. The route profile: city trips, country roads and motorways with speeds between 60 km / h and 110 km / h. Depending on the range 620 or 1000 meters difference in altitude.
Here is the list of candidates:
Audi e-tron GT, BMW iX3, Citroen e-C4, Fiat 500, Ford Mustang Mach-E (Long Range AWD and Long Range RWD), Honda e, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Hyundai Kona electric, Polestar 2, Mazda MX-30 , Mercedes-Benz EQA, Opel Mokka-e, Skoda Enyaq, Tesla Model 3 (Standard Range and Long Range), Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S and ID.4, Volvo XC40 Recharge, Xpeng G3.
A total of 18 vehicles got further than the WLTP indicated. Before reaching the respective brand, only Polestar 2, Citroen e-C4 and Xpeng G3 remained, although it was only three, five or twelve kilometers.
Tesla in front of Ford in front of VW
The Tesla Model 3 Long Range came the furthest and only had to be towed after 654.9 kilometers. NAF states that it was the updated model with a WLTP range of 614 instead of 580 kilometers.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E Long Range RWD came in second with 617.9 kilometers. Interesting side note: Tesla and Ford showed zero kilometers remaining after about 600 kilometers, but then drove a long way further. If you compare the all-wheel drive version of the Ford, the difference is clearer: The Mustang Mach-e AWD stopped after 551.6 km, well over 100 km before the Model 3 LR AWD where.
In third place was the VW ID.3 Pro S. With a range of 564 kilometers, it exceeded the standard by 25 kilometers.
The BMW iX3 exceeded its WLTP range the most: it covered 556.2 kilometers and thus 106 kilometers “too much”.
However, the actual range of an electric car depends extremely on the driving style and area of use. Every driver will have their own experiences here – depending on their own level of patience and relaxation in the right foot …