A WARNING has been issued to electric car drivers as their range can be up to 100 miles less than advertised.
Motorists have been told to take ranges with a “pinch of salt” due to the varying distances that they can actually do.
The Volkswagen ID 4 GTX (2021) for example has an official range of 300 miles, but managed to do only 193 miles when a test was conducted.
The consumer group Which? tested 60 vehicles from large SUVs to smaller cars.
They found that the vehicles had an average range of 192 miles, compared to the 238 miles found under the manufacturers’ tests.
The data will likely fuel “range anxiety”, which is when drivers fear their electric cars running out of energy. This is believed to be a key concern of those considering buying electric cars.
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And with a ban on petrol and diesel cars set to come into place in 2030, drivers will want guarantees that their motors can go the distance.
Along with the Volkswagen ID 4 GTX, other cars were found to fall short on their advertised range.
The recently updated Polestar 2 dual-motor managed 247 miles, 55 miles less than its official range.
Meanwhile Volkswagen’s e-Golf (2014 to 2020) managed 125 miles but had an official range of 186.
Other models fared better during the tests by Which?
The BMW iX (2021) managed to reverse the trend, managing two miles further than its official range of 380 miles. The Audi E-Tron (2021) had an official range of 241 miles and managed 227 miles in the test.
The Mercedes-Benz EQV (2020) also did quite well, managing 202 miles with its official range of 213 miles.
Manufactures have to by law test all electric cars to the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and publish these results.
But Which? said it believes that the test had a “strong tendency to overstate the efficiency and subsequent range of electric vehicles (EVs), when compared to our own tests – and that figure can vary significantly.”
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders industry group, said: “The WLTP test is regulated by government authorities and it is these results – and only these results – that manufacturers are required by law to publish.
“There will, however, always be a difference between lab tests and real-world use as well as between official and non-official tests where the parameters and methodology may differ.”
BMW said: “The published range figures for BMW iX, and all cars sold in the UK, are based on the laboratory-based WLTP test and the real-world range will depend on many factors.”
Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi and Polestar have all been contacted for comment.
