Which electric vehicle maintains its range best in winter?

The Car Guide was invited to take part in the Virée électrique organized by CAA Québec and their counterparts in other Canadian provinces. During the test, a number of journalists and CAA employees evaluated 13 electric vehicles to find out which best retained their charge during winter use.

Of the electric cars, vans and trucks we evaluated, the majority are among the most popular with Quebec buyers.

To keep the results comparable, all vehicles were driven calmly, without sudden acceleration, and within the speed limits (5 km/h overtaking allowed). All interiors were set to a temperature of 21° (without heated seats or steering wheel) and ventilation adjusted to half capacity.

All vehicles left a parking lot heated to 19°, and set off from Ottawa towards Hawkesbury. The convoy then made its way to Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci before heading for Mont-Tremblant. The outside temperature was -6° in the morning, then dropped to -10° in the Laurentians.

The route chosen was around 330 kilometers, and each vehicle was driven to battery failure. However, some of the models tested were unable to cover this distance. Here are the results compiled by CAA Québec to find out which vehicle can cover the most kilometers in winter. The rankings go from worst to best. A comparison table is also available at the end of this article.

13th position

Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin Motor

Claimed range: 409 km
Actual range: 248 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -39%.

12th position

Toyota bZ4X LE FWD

Claimed range: 406 km
Actual range: 255 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -37%.

11th position

Kia Niro EV Wave

Claimed range: 407 km
Actual range: 285 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -30%.

10th position

Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat Ext. Range

Advertised range: 515 km
Actual range: 296 km*
Gap between advertised and actual range: -35%.
*Actual distance covered, adjustments were made using calculations, as the truck was initially rated at 89% range.

9th position

Hyundai Ioniq 5 Preferred AWD

Claimed range: 410 km
Actual range: 307 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -25%.

8th position

Honda Prologue Touring

Claimed range: 439 km
Actual range: 334 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -24%.

7th position

Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium Ext. Range AWD

Claimed range: 483 km
Actual range: 334 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -31%.

6th position

Chevrolet Equinox EV RS FWD

Advertised range: 513 km
Actual range: 337 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -34%.

5th position

Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S AWD

Claimed range: 423 km
Actual range: 338 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -20%.

4th position

Kia EV9 Land AWD GT-Line

Claimed range: 435 km
Actual range: 350 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -20%.

3rd position

Polestar 2 Dual Motor AWD

Claimed range: 444 km
Actual range: 384 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -14%.

2nd position

Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD

Claimed range: 584 km
Actual range: 410 km
Gap between advertised and actual range: -29%.

1st position

Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT

Advertised range: 724 km
Actual range: 456 km*
Difference between advertised and actual range: -14%.
*Actual distance covered, adjustments were made using calculations, as the truck was initially rated at 73% range.

Summary table of results

*Calculations have been adjusted to take into account that the Chevrolet Silverado EV started the test at 73% charge, and the Ford F-150 Lightning, at 89% charge.