Britain’s leading consumer champion calls for a more realistic official test procedure, which shows both summer and winter ranges

Official testing of electric car ranges is completely unrepresentative of real-world conditions, potentially leaving drivers disappointed and with insufficient mileage, according to the latest research by What Car?, Britain’s leading consumer champion and new car deals platform. 

The official Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), which is used to measure range, was found to be particularly unrealistic in cold conditions, where the shortfall reached almost 40% for some cars. 

Comparing a selection of 12 new fully electric vehicles (EVs), the latest What Car? winter range test found that none of the cars could get within 20% of the official figures, which manufacturers are legally required to publish. 

This is because the official tests subject EVs to unrealistically gentle acceleration and are conducted in a laboratory at an ambient temperature of 23deg C, instead of at colder temperatures where batteries are less efficient. Indeed, What Car?’s real-world testing shows an average drop in range of 18% in winter versus summer conditions. 

What Car? is calling for a more balanced, holistic testing regime which provides drivers with realistic range estimates for both summer and winter conditions, to ensure buyers aren’t left disappointed and put off electric cars. However, in the absence of this, the What Car? Real Range testing provides drivers with figures that are in line with what they can expect to achieve on the road. 

To find out how far the 12 EVs could really go on a full charge in winter, What Car? took them to a private test centre and drove them until their batteries were flat.

The 12 cars were charged to 100%, before being left out in the open overnight, for roughly 14 hours in 6-10deg C ambient conditions. Then the following morning they were plugged in again to check they were still fully charged, plus their tyre pressures were checked to ensure these were at the recommended levels, the climate control systems were set to 21deg C and the headlights were switched to dipped beam. 

Eco (or the closest equivalent) driving mode was selected, and the cars were left in their default regenerative braking setting – or if an ‘automatic’ or ‘adaptive’ mode was available, this was selected. 

For the tests themselves, the What Car? test team followed a route of roughly 15 miles, which included 2.6 miles of simulated stop-start urban driving, four miles at a steady 50mph and eight miles at a constant 70mph. At the end of each loop, there was a driver swap and a change in running order so that no car was at a disadvantage. 

Two of the EVs tested got very close to, or reached, 300 miles on a full charge: the Mercedes-Benz EQE 300 Sport Edition managed exactly 300 miles, while the Tesla Model 3 Long Range achieved 293 miles. In addition, the EQE got closest to its official range (it fell 21% short). 

By contrast, the driving conditions (10-11deg C) proved most challenging for the two Lexus models tested, with the RZ 450e Takumi falling 36.7% short of its official range, and the UX 300e Takumi down by 37.9%. 

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford, said: “It is clear that the results obtained using WLTP methods are unsuitable. We need a new system that provides achievable summer and winter figures so that prospective EV buyers can be confident the car they’re looking at will suit their needs. Providing a single, overly optimistic figure doesn’t help anyone.” 

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WINTER RANGE TEST 2024: CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS 

Tested cars ranked from smallest to biggest shortall in real-world test range

Make and model	Price	Official range	Test Range	Shortfall
Mercedes-Benz EQE 300 Sport Edition	£68,810	380 miles	300 miles	21.0%
Tesla Model 3 Long Range	£49,990	390 miles	293 miles	24.8%
BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro	£77,105	338 miles	253 miles	25.1%
BYD Seal Design	£45,695	354 miles	255 miles	28.0%
BYD Dolphin Design	£31,695	265 miles	188 miles	29.1%
Volkwagen ID 7 Pro Match (with heat pump)	£52,600	381 miles	268 miles	29.6%
MG 4 Extended Range Trophy	£36,495	323 miles	227 miles	29.7%
Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin Motor Plus	£55,527	331 miles	252 miles	29.9%
Jeep Avenger Electric Summit	£38,700	244 miles	163 miles	33.1%
Volkwagen ID 7 Pro Match (without heat pump)	£51,550	383 miles	254 miles	33.6%
Lexus RZ 450e Takumi	£74,000	251 miles	159 miles	36.7%
Lexus UX 300e Takumi	£57,095	273 miles	170 miles	37.9%

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Notes to Editors 

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