7:55 am, September 3, 2025
Electric cars can lose as much as 44% from their claimed ranges when faced with extreme heat.
That is acording to a new study by What Car? which has been putting a trio of EVs through their paces in the soaring sun of southern Spain.
The consumer magazine recently tested the Citroen e-C3, Kia EV3 and Tesla Model 3 from Seville to Cordoba, with temperatures ranging from 32 to 44C.
The results found that the Tesla managed 244 miles between charges – a massive 44% short of its claimed range of 436 miles.
Meanwhile, the Kia completed 246 miles before running out of juice – a 32% drop on its claimed 362-mile range.
Finally, the Citroen managed just 142 miles on a single charge, 29% short of its claimed range of 199 miles.
Reacting to the findings, Will Nightingale, What Car? reviews editor, said: ‘Our extreme temperature test shows that range and efficiency plummet in very hot conditions.
‘The three EVs fell an average of 35 per cent short of their official figures, which is worse than the result we achieved in our most recent winter range test and more than double the discrepancy seen in the 2024 What Car? summer range test.
‘While extreme heat is still (thankfully) quite rare in the UK, the planet is undoubtedly heating up.
‘We’ve already seen temperatures of more than 40-degrees C in the south of England and multiple heatwaves have swept the country this summer.
‘So, hopefully, as technology advances, EVs will become better at coping with extreme temperatures.’
