Tesla’s range estimates are questioned in new independent tests by Edmunds, showing that Tesla vehicles do not meet EPA estimates.
Reach estimates
There are no good range estimates for electric vehicles. There are only the bad ones, and some are not as bad as others.
To be fair, this is also the case for gasoline powered vehicles, but range has been more of a focus for electric vehicles due to the fact that they have a shorter range, especially at the beginning of the transition.
The range is based on the energy capacity within the vehicle and its efficiency.
However, efficiency can be affected by a number of different factors, including speed, temperature, altitude and more.
The EPA’s range estimate is considered to be the most accurate, but it is not the same for all electric vehicles, as manufacturers have the option to play around with the numbers a little, depending on how conservative or aggressive they want to be.
Tesla’s reach estimates vs. other automakers
Tesla is a notorious leader in the EV industry when it comes to reach and efficiency based on EPA figures.
However, it is known that the automaker plays a little with the numbers and, in recent years, some owners have complained about not being able to reach the estimate in real world conditions.
Edmunds tried to compare the EPA ratings of 15 electric vehicles, including five Tesla vehicles, with the real-world range, and here are the results:
| Vehicle | EPA estimated |
Edmunds tested |
EPA estimated |
Edmunds tested |
Environment temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Audi e-tron sportback |
218 miles | 238 miles * (+ 9.2%) |
44 kWh / 100 mi |
38.2 kWh / 100 mi (+ 13.2%) |
71 ° |
| Chevrolet 2020 Screw |
259 miles | 277 miles (+ 6.9%) |
29 kWh / 100 mi |
25.7 kWh / 100 mi (+ 11.4%) |
60 ° |
| 2021 Ford Reach Ext Mustang Mach-E AWD |
270 miles | 304 miles (+ 12.6%) |
37 kWh / 100 mi |
33.1 kWh / 100 mi (+ 10.5%) |
62 ° |
| 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Electric |
170 miles | 202 miles (+ 18.9%) |
25 kWh / 100 mi |
20.8 kWh / 100 mi (+ 16.8%) |
70 ° |
| 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric |
258 miles | 315 miles (+ 21.9%) |
28 kWh / 100 mi |
22.3 kWh / 100 mi (+ 20.4%) |
61 ° |
| 2020 Kia Niro EV |
239 miles | 285 miles (+ 19.2%) |
30 kWh / 100 mi |
25.3 kWh / 100 mi (+ 15.7%) |
67 ° |
| 2020 MINI Cooper SE |
110 miles | 150 miles (+ 36.5%) |
31 kWh / 100 mi |
21.8 kWh / 100 mi (+ 29.7%) |
62 ° |
| Nissan 2020 Leaf Plus SL |
215 miles | 237 miles (+ 10.2%) |
32 kWh / 100 mi |
27.1 kWh / 100 mi (+ 15.3%) |
67 ° |
| 2021 Polestar 2 Performance |
233 miles | 228 miles * (-2.1%) |
37 kWh / 100 mi |
35.2 kWh / 100 mi (+ 4.9%) |
67 ° |
| 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S |
203 miles | 323 miles * (+ 59.3%) |
49 kWh / 100 mi |
32.3 kWh / 100 mi (+ 34.1%) |
73 ° |
| 2020 Tesla Model S performance |
326 miles | 318 miles * (-2.5%) |
35 kWh / 100 mi |
32.6 kWh / 100 mi (+ 6.9%) |
60 ° |
| 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance |
310 miles | 256 miles * (-17.4%) |
29 kWh / 100 mi |
30.1 kWh / 100 mi (-3.8%) |
61 ° |
| 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus |
250 miles | 232 miles * (-7.2%) |
24 kWh / 100 mi |
23.0 kWh / 100 mi (+ 4.2%) |
67 ° |
| 2020 Tesla Long Range X Model |
328 miles | 294 miles * (-10.4%) |
35 kWh / 100 mi |
35.0 kWh / 100 mi 0.0% |
60 ° |
| 2020 Tesla Model Y performance |
291 miles | 263 miles * (-9.6%) |
30 kWh / 100 mi |
29.6 kWh / 100 mi (+ 1.3%) |
65 ° |
As you can see, Edmunds was unable to reach the EPA range on any of the Tesla vehicles, while they surpassed the EPA range by some decent margins on other electric vehicles.
Electrek’s Take
Again, no range test is perfect, but I think the comparison here is what most people would experience and what I experienced myself, having driven almost every vehicle on that list.
Tesla is more aggressive in its announced range, while other automakers tend to be more conservative.
Now, let me be clear: you can still achieve EPA’s reach on Tesla vehicles, and that doesn’t mean Tesla is lying. It is permitted to play within a margin (a multiplier) in the EPA classification.
These are just different strategies that are being adopted by different automakers. Ideally, you want more consistency in the industry, but this is what is happening now.
EPA ratings are better than nothing, but I like this tendency for automakers to be more conservative, as I think it is better for anxiety to reach a precise or conservative displayed variation than to have a long announced variation.
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