Electric car drivers may feel they have been ripped-off after tests revealed that some vehicles have significantly shorter ranges than advertised.
Measurements taken by What Car? magazine found that some of the latest electric vehicles (EV) have up to a third less battery life when than official figures advertised in brochures and online suggest.
They found that when the cars are driven in real-world conditions, particularly in colder temperatures, their batteries go flat faster.
Some cars showed battery shortfalls of close to 40 per cent – or 100 miles – of what is advertised.
But which models showed the most significant shortages? And which ones performed the best?
MailOnline has ranked each EV below based on its performance in the real-world investigation.
Measurements taken by What Car? magazine found that some of the latest electric vehicles (EV) have up to a third less battery life when than official figures advertised in brochures and online suggest
Electric cars have up to a third less battery life than advertised when driven in real-life conditions, an investigation has found (stock photo)
The official figures provided by car manufacturers for how many miles an EV can drive on full charge are based on a standardised test done in warm conditions (stock photo)
On average, the range of the electric cars was 29.9 per cent less than advertised, with the £57,000 Lexus UX 300e Takumi recording the biggest shortfall – 100 miles less than its official 273-mile figure.
The most expensive electric car tested – a £74,000 Lexus RZ 450e Takumi – recorded a battery shortfall of 36.7 per cent, which is the second most significant of all twelve cars analysed, going flat after 159 miles when it is advertised to reach 251.
The Volkswagen ID 7 Pro Match, priced at £51,550, had a real-life range of 254 miles, 33.6 per cent less than claimed, and the third-highest shortfall overall.
However, the best-performing of the 12 cars tested was the £68,810 Mercedes-Benz EQE 300 Sport Edition. This model also had the biggest battery at 89.0 kWh.
The car’s battery went flat after 300 miles but this was still a 21 per cent shortfall on what was originally advertised.
Steve Huntingford, the editor of What Car? magazine, said the cars were driven continuously round a test route of roughly 15 miles, after being charged to 100 per cent and then left out overnight, for 14 hours, in temperatures of 6C to 10C.
The route also includes 2.6 miles of simulated stop-start urban driving, four miles at a steady 50mph and eight miles at a constant 70mph.
The cars climate control was set to 21C and their headlights were switched to dipped beam for the test drive, with driver changes and a switch in running order included at the end of each lap to ensure fairness.
The £57,000 Lexus UX 300e Takumi recorded the biggest shortfall – 100 miles less than its official 273-mile figure
Steve Huntingford, The editor of the magazine, claimed the experiment was a much better way to test the capacity of EVs than official methods.
Car manufacturers must lab test new electric vehicles under the worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure (WLTP).
These tests measure battery life travelling at an average speed of 28.8mph in 23C summer temperatures from 100 per cent charge to zero
Mr Huntingford stressed that the manufacturers were not conning people with these statements on their EV batteries.
Instead, he said the magazine’s tests highlighted ‘the inadequacies of the official test’ which are ‘unreflective of real-world conditions’.
His team now regularly check the range of EVs in ‘real-world’ driving environments and found there is an 18 per cent difference in battery life between winter and summer temperatures.
The car magazine editor believes the current test system needs overhauling so that drivers have ‘realistic information and won’t be left disappointed’ after buying an EV.
Mr Huntingford told The Times: ‘When they test the cars it’s quite warm, which is good for the battery.
‘At the same time, it’s also quite a weak test that doesn’t ask that much of the car. They don’t drive at a particularly high speed and they accelerate very slowly.
‘It’s the kind of acceleration that would get you in trouble if you drove that way on the road.’
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