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  • Some of the latest electric vehicles can nearly match their official range figures in real world driving, according to new research by What Car? 
  • Porsche’s Taycan 4S achieved 281 miles of range in a controlled real-world test conducted by What Car?, just 3% shy of its 290-mile WLTP range 
  • As part of its Electric Car of the Year Awards 2021, What Car? put 10 current electric vehicles through a real-world maximum range test
  • On average, the EVs tested fell 14.8% short of their quoted range figures
  • The second annual What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards name winners across 12 categories from small cars to luxury SUVs
  • To read the full feature, and find the winning vehicles at the What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards 2021, visit: www.whatcar.com/awards/electric-car-awards 

New electric vehicles fall as little as 3% short of their quoted range in real world driving conditions, according to the latest research by Britain’s leading new car buying platform and consumer champion, What Car?. 

The Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus achieved 281 miles of range in real world driving conditions as part of a new What Car? range test, representing a 3% shortfall from its official 290-mile WLTP range. The Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus also took home the Best Electric Performance Car award at the annual What Car? Electric Car Awards in association with ONTO. 

As part of the What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards 2021, What Car? tested how close 10 current electric vehicles could get to their quoted WLTP range figures. The test was conducted on a closed vehicle proving ground, on a 15-mile route consisting of 2.6 miles of simulated stop-start urban traffic, four miles of steady 50mph driving and eight miles of driving at a constant speed of 70mph, to simulate motorway journeys. 

Each of the 10 vehicles was fully charged and left outside for 15 hours, before being fully charged again ahead of the test. The cars were then driven until they ran flat, with on-road position and driver changes at the end of each lap.

The Porsche Taycan 4S beat the Mazda MX-30 SE-L Lux into second place, with that falling just 7.1% short of its quoted 124-mile range. The Fiat 500 42kWh Icon was farthest away from its official range, falling 29.2% shy of its 198-mile WLTP figure. Meanwhile, the Ford Mach-E Extended Range RWD fell 20.2% short of its official figure, but achieved the highest outright test mileage, covering 379 miles before its battery ran out.

On average, the 10 vehicles tested achieved a shortfall of 14.8% from their quoted WLTP range. 

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “Range is one of the key criteria for new and used electric car buyers. Our real-world driving test shows that some electric vehicles can get incredibly close to their quoted figures in the real world, while others are farther behind, so it’s important buyers do their research and organise test drives when considering a new electric vehicle.”

The range test included all of the fully electric new car winners at the What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards 2021. The awards rated the best new and used fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles across key segments, from small cars to luxury SUVs. What Car?’s overall Electric Car of the Year will be revealed at its annual New Car Awards in early 2022.

What Car? Electric Car Awards 2021 winners included the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Performance Life, which was named Best Electric Family Car, while the Kia e-Niro 64kWh 2 – a previous What Car? Car of the Year –  was named Best Electric Small SUV. Kia also took home the Reader Award, for the EV6, with this title going to the upcoming electric vehicle that What Car? readers are most excited about. 

The big-selling Tesla Model 3 took home the Best Electric Executive Car title, while BMW’s 330e M Sport was named Best Hybrid Executive Car. Skoda’s Enyaq 60 Lodge won Best Electric Large SUV. 

Huntingford added: “As part of the second-annual What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards, we’ve rated the best new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles across 13 categories to make it easier for new car buyers to narrow their shortlist. We’ve done the same across eight categories for used buyers, ensuring there is an award-winning vehicle to meet all needs and budgets.” 

To read the full Electric Car of the Year Awards feature and range test, visit: www.whatcar.com/awards/electric-car-awards 

What Car? Electric Vehicle Range Test Results 

Make / Model Usable battery size(kWh)Official (WLTP) range(Miles)Test range (Miles)ShortfallMiles per kWh*
Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus83.72902813.0%3.4
Mazda MX-30 SE-L Lux30.01241157.1%3.8
Kia e-Niro 64kWh 364.02822578.5%4.0
Renault Zoe R135 GT Line52.023820812.4%4.0
Audi Q4 e-tron 40 S line77.030826613.6%3.5
Volkswagen ID.3 58kWh Pro Performance Life58.026422614.2%3.9
Skoda Enyaq 6058.025420718.3%3.6
Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD 88.037930220.2%3.4
Tesla Model 3 Long Range70.036028421.1%4.1
Fiat 500 42kWh Icon37.319814029.2%3.8

What Car? Electric Car of the Year winners 

Electric Small CarFiat 500 42kWh Icon
Electric Family CarVolkswagen ID.3 Pro Performance Life
Hybrid Family CarAudi A3 40 TFSIe Sport
Hybrid Estate CarSkoda Octavia iV Estate
Electric Small SUVKia e-Niro 64kWh 2
Hybrid Small SUVVolvo XC40 T4 R Design
Electric Large SUVSkoda Enyaq 60 Lodge
Hybrid Large SUVFord Kuga 2.5 PHEV ST-Line
Electric Executive CarTesla Model 3 Long Range
Hybrid Executive CarBMW 330e M Sport
Hybrid Luxury SUVBMW X5 xDrive45e
Electric Performance CarPorsche Taycan 4S
Hybrid Performance CarPorsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid

What Car? Electric Car of the Year used car winners 

Used Electric Small CarRenault Zoe
Used Electric Family CarNissan Leaf
Used Hybrid Family CarHyundai Ioniq
Used Hybrid Estate CarVolkswagen Passat GTE Estate
Used Electric Small SUVMG ZS EV
Used Hybrid Small SUVMini Countryman PHEV
Used Electric Luxury SUVJaguar I-Pace
Used Hybrid Luxury SUVVolvo XC90 T8

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