Which EVs Lose the Most Range in Winter?

How Cold Weather Impacts Electric Car Range

One of the most common questions about electric cars is how much cold weather affects range. It’s true that temperature can have an effect on the performance of EV batteries – just like our mobile phones and other electronic devices. It’s also true that all cars, no matter what they are powered by, won’t go as far in cold weather. But reduced winter range is more noticeable in an electric car, primarily because an electric car takes longer to “fill up” than a gasoline vehicle, potentially making the reduction more of an inconvenience.

Why do EVs lose range in the winter? Like in all batteries, chemical reactions occur more slowly in cold temperatures. Lower temps inhibit chemical reactions, and act as increased electrical resistance. This slows down physical processes, so you need more electricity to perform the same amount of “work” like accelerating the car.

EVs Make Their Own Heat

Also, electric vehicles have to generate their own heat. A gasoline vehicle bleeds off excess heat that is generated by the internal combustion engine to help warm the cabin (this is how inefficient gasoline vehicles are) and you essentially get heat “for free.”  

Want to learn more about how EV batteries work? Check out our easy-to-understand b.

On the other hand, the much more efficient electric motor in an EV doesn’t generate nearly as much heat, so the heater in an electric car actually has to draw additional power from the battery to warm the cabin. In some conditions, battery power must be used to heat the battery itself, to maintain performance. All of this reduces the amount of available battery power left for actual driving.

Winter weather definitely affects the amount of range you get from an EV. But do some models perform better than others in the cold? Data from EV-industry watcher Recurrent Auto helps give car shoppers in colder climates some guidance. They analyzed several popular EV models from the last few years to check out range loss in different driving conditions. The cool thing is, the study used aggregated data from thousands of vehicles across the U.S., providing a real-world picture of range loss in cold weather.

Which EVs Performed Best in Winter?

The top EV range performers in winter were all high-end crossovers with relatively large batteries. Tied for third place were the mid-size Tesla Model Y Long Range and the larger Tesla Model X 75D, both of which lost 15 percent of their range in winter conditions (20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit) versus regular conditions (70 degrees Fahrenheit).

In second place was the Audi e-tron, which is now sold as the Q8 e-tron. It lost just eight percent of its range. The top spot for best winter performance went to the  Jaguar i-Pace, which is no longer available, though you can buy one used. The Jag was remarkable for only dropping three percent of its range in cold conditions. New all-electric Jags are coming by the end of 2026.

Why did crossover EVs with all-wheel drive and large batteries perform well? For one thing, their driving behavior in cold, slippery conditions and on dry roads is similar. Unlike two-wheel drive EVs, their twin-motor setups doesn’t have to work that much harder in the winter. But more importantly, a larger battery suffers less on a percentage basis when some electricity is bled off to heat the cabin. The impact of a few kWh of usage is far less on a 100-kWh battery than on a 50-kWh battery.

All three of the top performers also use a device called a heat pump to warm the cabin without imposing as much of a drain on the high-voltage battery. Heat pumps recapture and store waste heat from the motor and the environment around them in warmer conditions. All of the top performers also have energy-efficient standard heated seats, which warm driver and passenger bodies faster and more effectively than warming the air in the cabin.

Which EVs Lose the Most Range?

Which electric cars lost the most range in the winter? In third place was the BMW i3. It’s a compact, rear-wheel drive city car. With a small 42-kWh battery and no heat pump, it lost 24 percent of its range in winter compared to more temperate conditions. Tied for second-worst were early versions of the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Both of these vehicles, tested in the wild, did not originally come with a standard heat pump, and lost 30 percent of their range in the winter. It’s worth noting that the 2025 model year and newer variants of the ID.4 and Mustang Mach-E now come with a standard heat pump and should lose much less range than earlier versions.

The worst performer was the Chevy Bolt, which is also no longer available for purchase as a new vehicle. The Bolt has a relatively small 60-kWh battery and no heat pump. Its winter range was 32 percent below its summer range.

Recurrent’s study says that the Bolt is highly sensitive to temperatures, and the available range can drop significantly even in relatively mild conditions. On the other hand, the Bolt’s EPA-rated range of 250 miles is one of the best in its class, so even with the degradation, it is one of the longest-range small cars.

The replacement for the Bolt is the excellent Chevrolet Equinox EV, a sleek electric crossover with much improved range. It gets up to EPA estimated 319 miles on a charge for the most economical front-wheel drive model. Plus, there’s a standard heat pump, meaning less range loss in winter. Unfortunately, because it’s so new, Recurrent doesn’t have enough data to estimate cold-weather performance.

Practical Tips to Maximize EV Range in Winter

If you’ve decided on an electric car and live in a colder climate, Recurrent’s range data can help you choose the right car. But there are good driving practices that will help you extend the range of any vehicle.

By adjusting your driving style – accelerating more gradually, and easing off the accelerator when you see traffic bunching up ahead – you can eke out many more miles from every change. Slowing down your cruising speed by even a couple of miles per hour will also help significantly.

Check that your tires are in good condition and at the correct pressure. Use the seat and steering wheel heaters, if installed, instead of the cabin heater, and you can find a few more miles as well.

Further EV Winter Driving Resources