We all know cold weather kills EV range. But a new test shows blazing heat can be just as bad, if not worse.
What Car? took three popular EVs, the Citroën e-C3 Max, Kia EV3 Long Range, and Tesla Model 3 Long Range, on a 200+ mile road trip through Spain in temperatures topping 44°C. The results weren’t great.
The Citroën e-C3 Max managed 142 miles compared to its claimed 199, down 29 per cent. The Kia EV3 Long Range hit 246 miles compared to 362, down 32 per cent. The Tesla Model 3 Long Range only reached 244 miles compared to 436, a huge 44 per cent drop.
Even Tesla, designed in Texas where summers regularly hit 38°C, struggled badly.
So why does heat hit so hard? Official EV ranges are tested in comfy lab conditions at 23°C, with no air-con running. In real life, heatwaves turn your car into a greenhouse, forcing the air-con to work overtime and draining the battery quickly. Cars with large glass roofs, like Teslas, suffer even more.
The What Car? team also noticed charging took longer in extreme heat. For example, topping up the Citroën e-C3 from 3 per cent to 80 per cent should have taken 48 minutes but dragged on for over an hour.
And while the UK doesn’t often hit 40°C, heatwaves are becoming more common. This summer alone saw multiple scorching days across the country.
What Car? summed it up by saying that in their test, the three EVs averaged 35 per cent less range than official figures in extreme heat, which is even worse than their winter results.
The takeaway is simple. If you’re driving an EV in a heatwave, expect to stop for a charge sooner than you think.
