Electric vehicles can do a THIRD less mileage in winter

THE distance electric cars can travel in winter with a fully-charged battery is up to a third less than advertised, an investigation has found.

Tests by What Car? revealed differences between the actual and official manufacturer’s range can be almost 100km.

The magazine warned motorists the biggest discrepancy came from The Funky Cat First Edition model by Chinese carmaker Ora.

It did just 209km before stopping, some 33% below the stated figure of 310km.

Renault’s Megane E-Tech had the second largest difference at 32%.

The car that got closest to its advertised range was the Nissan Ariya, with a discrepancy of 16%.

The Tesla Model Y was in second place at 18%. What Car? tested a dozen electric vehicles in cold weather. All were fully charged and left outside overnight in temperatures ranging from 0C to 2C, before being driven at a test venue on different types of road until they stopped. Will Nightingale, who leads the test team for What Car?, said: ‘More and more people own or are considering electric cars, and it’s important that they understand the pros and cons of this technology, especially in terms of how far they are likely to go between charges.

‘While it’s common knowledge that cold weather negatively affects battery performance and efficiency – especially if the car’s heating system is in use – What Car?’s real range testing is designed to give car buyers the clearest possible understanding of how many miles they will typically be able to cover in wintry conditions.

‘Despite falling short of their official figures, it’s still clear that many electric cars have the advantage of being cheaper to run than petrol or diesel equivalents, assuming you can charge at home.’

Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the EU will be banned from 2035.

In January, 15% of all new cars licensed in Ireland for the first time were electric, compared with 11% in January 2022.