Last updated 28 September 2026. To compare electric car ranges fairly, put both cars on the same test cycle, compare the exact version you would buy, and then compare efficiency in kWh/100 km. Range alone hides the difference that matters: in the evstats.org catalog, a Tesla Model 3 RWD and a Hongqi E-HS9 are rated within 10 km of each other, and the Hongqi carries almost twice the battery to get there.
This guide is six checks, in the order that removes the biggest errors first. Each one uses an official source or a figure from the catalog, dated.
- Same test cycle (WLTP, EPA or CLTC).
- Same version: wheels, battery and drive.
- Efficiency next to range.
- What the battery figure means.
- Your speed and your winter.
- One table, same units.
1. Put both cars on the same test cycle
A range figure is the result of a test, and the three tests in use give different numbers for the same car.
WLTP is the European figure. The cycle lasts 30 minutes, covers about 23.25 km, averages 46.5 km/h and peaks at 131 km/h, with the test cell at 23 °C (WLTP facts, run by the European carmakers' association; the procedure itself is UN GTR No. 15). An average of 46.5 km/h is far slower than a motorway.
EPA is the US figure. The EPA says carmakers usually run a multi-cycle test of four city cycles, two highway cycles and two constant-speed cycles, and that "the most common approach is to use a factor of 0.7 to adjust all the test parameters, including range" (EPA, updated 1 July 2026).
CLTC is the Chinese figure and the most generous of the three.
The same car on two cycles:
| Car | Cycle | Rated range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Ioniq 6, 77.4 kWh, RWD, 18-inch wheels | WLTP | 614 km | Hyundai Europe, Oct 2022 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range RWD, 18-inch wheels (2024) | EPA | 361 mi (581 km) | fueleconomy.gov |
| BYD Seal 82.5 kWh RWD | WLTP | 570 km | BYD Europe, Apr 2023 |
| BYD Seal 82.5 kWh RWD | CLTC | 700 km | Chinese spec listings (Dongchedi, Autohome) |
For the Ioniq 6 the WLTP figure is about 6% above EPA; the model years differ, so read that as an example, not a conversion factor. For the Seal, CLTC is about 23% above WLTP. We found no official rule for converting one cycle into another. Compare like with like instead: WLTP with WLTP, EPA with EPA. Every range on evstats.org model pages is WLTP.
2. Compare the exact version, not the model name
A model name covers several batteries, motors and wheel sizes, and the range moves with each.
In the evstats.org catalog on 28 September 2026, 328 model lines have two or more versions on sale. The median gap between the shortest and longest WLTP range inside one line is 65 km, and 99 lines differ by 100 km or more. The Tesla Model X line spans 285 to 480 km.
Wheels alone can do it. The EPA rates the 2024 Ioniq 6 Long Range RWD at 361 miles on 18-inch wheels and 305 miles on 20-inch wheels, 16% less for the same battery (fueleconomy.gov side by side). Porsche quotes the Taycan 4S with Performance Battery Plus at 549 to 642 km WLTP, depending on equipment (Porsche data sheet, Feb 2024).
When a brochure gives a range "up to" a figure, that is the lightest trim on the smallest wheels. Check the figure for the configuration you would actually order.
3. Put efficiency next to range
Range tells you how far one charge goes. Efficiency tells you how much electricity each kilometre costs, which is also your running cost. The EPA makes the same point for fuel: expressing use as consumption per distance is more meaningful than distance per unit, which it calls the "MPG illusion" (fueleconomy.gov, EV label guide).
In the catalog, 140 cars on sale are rated between 440 and 460 km WLTP. Their efficiency runs from 135 to 246 Wh/km.
| Car (catalog, 28 Sep 2026) | WLTP range | Battery | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 RWD (Highland) | 445 km | 60 kWh | 13.5 kWh/100 km |
| Škoda Elroq 85 (MY27) | 450 km | 77 kWh | 17.1 kWh/100 km |
| Kia EV3 Long Range (MY27) | 455 km | 78 kWh | 17.1 kWh/100 km |
| Hongqi E-HS9 120 kWh | 455 km | 112 kWh | 24.6 kWh/100 km |
All four go roughly the same distance on paper. The Hongqi uses 82% more electricity per kilometre than the Tesla, needs 82% more energy from the charger for the same distance, and carries a battery almost twice the size. For two cars with similar range, the more efficient one is usually cheaper to run and adds more distance per kWh charged. The catalog median is 180 Wh/km; the most efficient tenth of cars on sale use 155 Wh/km or less, the least efficient tenth 226 Wh/km or more.
4. Check what the battery figure means
Carmakers quote battery size two ways. Gross (nominal) capacity is everything in the pack. Net (usable) capacity is what the car lets you use; the rest is a buffer. Porsche publishes both for the Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus: 105 kWh gross and 97 kWh net (Porsche data sheet). Volkswagen quotes the ID.3 Pro S as 77 kWh net (VW, May 2024).
If one brochure gives gross and another gives net, the kWh figures are not comparable. The evstats.org catalog stores a single battery figure per car: net where the source gives it, nominal otherwise. Treat a small kWh difference between two cars as noise and compare range and efficiency instead.
5. Adjust for your speed and your winter
WLTP averages 46.5 km/h at 23 °C. Motorway speed and cold both cut range, and they do not cut every car by the same share.
- Speed. Consumer Reports drove 22 EVs at a steady 70 mph (113 km/h); nearly half fell short of their EPA range. The F-150 Lightning managed 270 miles against 320 rated, while the BMW iX, BMW i4 and Mercedes EQE 350 beat their ratings by more than 40 miles (Consumer Reports, Dec 2023). At steady motorway speed, a bigger rating did not guarantee a longer drive.
- Cold. In the Norwegian automobile association's January 2025 winter test, at around freezing, 17 cars fell short of WLTP by 19.4% on average, from about 4% for the Polestar 3 to about 30% (NAF El Prix, Jan 2025). In the 2026 test, at −7 to −32 °C, 24 cars lost 38% on average (NAF, Feb 2026).
The spread is the useful part. Two cars rated the same can land more than 20 percentage points apart in the cold. If you drive long motorway distances or through real winters, give more weight to independent test results for the specific car than to the gap between two ratings. How speed changes a daily commute, with a sizing table, is in EV highway commuting. What cold does to the battery is in EV range in cold weather.
6. Put the cars in one table, in the same units
Once the cycle, the version and the units match, a side-by-side table does the rest. The evstats.org comparison tool puts up to four cars on one table with WLTP range, battery, DC peak and efficiency in the same units, straight from the catalog. If you do not have names yet, start from the EVs with the longest range and add the most efficient of those to the comparison.
A worked example with three family cars from the catalog (28 September 2026):
| Kia EV3 Long Range | Škoda Elroq 85 | Tesla Model 3 RWD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WLTP range | 455 km | 450 km | 445 km |
| Efficiency | 17.1 kWh/100 km | 17.1 kWh/100 km | 13.5 kWh/100 km |
| DC peak | 135 kW | 165 kW | 175 kW |
| Catalog price | €41,390 | €46,390 | €37,970 |
On range the three are a 10 km tie. The comparison is decided elsewhere: the Tesla uses about a fifth less electricity per kilometre, the Škoda and the Tesla add distance faster at a DC stop, and the body styles differ (two SUVs and a saloon). That is the pattern for most range comparisons: once the numbers are on the same basis, range stops being the deciding row.
Checklist
- Both ranges on the same cycle (WLTP with WLTP, EPA with EPA).
- The exact version: battery, drive and wheel size.
- Efficiency in kWh/100 km next to the range.
- Battery figures on the same basis, net or gross.
- An independent motorway or winter result, if that is how you drive.
- Price and charging speed for the versions that are left.