How far can an electric car really go?

22 September 2026 · 5 minute read

Less than the badge says, and further than you need. Most electric cars sold today are rated at 350 to 550 km, get 250 to 450 km in real driving, and lose a fifth of that in winter. This guide is about the gap between the rating and the road, and why, once you plan around the real figure, it stops mattering.

Rated range and real range

The range on the badge comes from a test cycle: a set drive on a rolling road at moderate speeds with the heating off. WLTP, used in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, is the more generous; EPA, used in the US and Canada, is closer to real driving and runs 10 to 15% lower for the same car. Neither is a highway in winter.

On a long drive at highway speed, plan on 70 to 80% of the WLTP figure, or 80 to 90% of the EPA one. Around town, where speeds are low and braking recovers energy, many cars meet or beat their rating.

What takes range off

Speed. The big one. Air resistance grows with the square of speed, so 120 km/h uses about a third more energy per kilometre than 100. Slowing down 10 km/h on a long leg buys real range.
Cold. The battery gives less when cold and the cabin needs heating. Expect 15 to 30% off near freezing, less with a heat pump. See electric cars in cold weather.
Heat. Air conditioning costs a few percent; a car parked in the sun and cooled from hot costs more.
Load and roof boxes. A roof box costs 10 to 20% at highway speed; a bike rack less. Towing halves the range.
Hills. Climbing costs, descending gives most of it back. A net climb costs; a mountain pass and back is nearly free.
Rain and wind. Wet roads and a headwind each take a few percent. A strong headwind takes more than you expect.
Tyres and wheels. Big wheels and worn or underinflated tyres cost a few percent each.

Estimating yours

Your car's trip computer shows energy use as kWh per 100 km (or miles per kWh). Multiply the usable battery by 100 and divide by that figure: a 70 kWh car using 20 kWh/100 km goes 350 km. Watch the figure on your usual roads for a week and you will know your car better than any test.

Then put that figure into the trip planner, not the badge. The planner asks for range on a full battery and keeps a reserve below which it never plans a stop; a real figure and a 20% reserve is a plan you can drive in most weather.

The range estimate on the dash is based on recent driving. After a week in town it will be optimistic on the first highway leg. Trust the planner's reserve rather than the number on the dash.

Why it is far enough

Most people stop every two to three hours on a long drive. That is 200 to 300 km. A car with 300 km of real range does that with a reserve, and charging from 10% to 80% at each stop takes about as long as the break. More range means fewer stops, not no stops, and a 600 km car that charges slowly makes a worse road trip than a 350 km car that charges fast. The planning guide works through it, and the car guide says what to weigh range against.