A team of Consumer Reports reviewers has checked 22 different electric vehicles sold in the United States to see whether their range ratings were accurate in real-world conditions. Almost every second EV fell short of its EPA rating, with some pleasant surprises at the opposite end of the spectrum.
The test drives were performed at a constant speed of 70 miles per hour, or 112 km/h, and the cars were not stopped even after their on-board electronics reported zero percent charge remaining.
The popular Ford F-150 Lightning truck (watch the video for a reminder) has proven the worst of all with an actual mileage of just 270 miles (434 km) instead of the claimed 320 mi (515 km). The Tesla Model S didn’t impress either, running out of charge 39 mi (63 km) ahead of the expected range. The Lucid Air fared about as well, losing all power nearly 65 km (40 miles) earlier than advertised.
Similar discrepancies have been observed in the Audi Q4 E-tron, Genesis Electrified GV70, Ioniq 6 and Kia Niro, but none of these cars has misreported its actual range by more than 15 miles (25 km).
There were some overachievers as well, going farther than their manufacturers and the EPA promised. The winning place goes to the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350, which has managed 332 miles (534 km) on a charge instead of the factory-rated 260 mi (418 km). The Mercedеs-Benz EQS sedan and SUV, the Rivian R1T, The Volkswagen ID.4, and the BMW i4 and iX have all exceeded their ratings. The BMW iX in particular surprised the research team by going on for some 30 miles (50 km) after reporting a dead battery.
