Bad news for EV owners who are afraid of range: half of electric cars don't even go as far as their makers claim.
A field test of 22 of the most popular electric cars found that ten did not stay within their advertised range.
The largest difference between stated and actual range was seen in a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat Extended Range, which starts at around $70,000.
The battery ran out after traveling 170 highway miles, 50 miles short of the EPA estimate of 320 miles, according to a tested by Consumer Reports.
When a manufacturer sells an electric car in the US, the range it advertises is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and applies to a combination of city and highway driving.
Photo shows the six electric vehicles that fell furthest behind the EPA estimates quoted by manufacturers to sell cars
A 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat Extended Range traveled 50 miles less than the Environmental Protection Agency estimate
The second worst at achieving estimated range was the 2023 Lucid Air Touring, which costs almost $100,000. It traveled 40 miles less than the estimated 384 mile estimate.
Right behind it was a 2021 Tesla Model S. It traveled 39 miles less than the claimed 405 EPA range.
Range anxiety occurs when EV owners worry that they won't reach their destination before needing to charge. Taking long journeys in an electric car can cause arguments between partners, as Daisy Goodwin discovered in Italy.
Overall, the best performing vehicles in terms of range came from German manufacturers Mercedes and BMW, which were all in the top five together.
A 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 traveled 70 miles further than the EPA estimate.
Audi, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Nissan, Subaru and Volkswagen cars were all within about 20 miles of their advertised range.
“Real-world comparison testing is critical to understanding whether an electric car is right for you,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of Consumer Report's automotive testing center.
“That's why we buy our vehicles like a consumer would and drive them at highway speeds like a consumer would on a road trip.”
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Some manufacturers say their electric cars can travel more than 400 miles on a single charge. And Toyota claims its 'Tesla killer' will eventually be able to travel more than 700 miles.
All cars in the Consumer Reports test were traveling at a steady speed of about 75 mph on the highway until they completely ran out of fuel and came to a stop.
Each of the 22 cars had between 2,000 and 5,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the test, to ensure the battery was of similar quality.
For traditional internal combustion cars and hybrid cars, separate gas mileage estimates are typically provided for both city and highway driving.
An internal combustion engine vehicle typically has better efficiency on highways than city roads due to the inefficiency in stopping and starting.
Gasoline engines also tend to be most fuel efficient when the revs are higher and the car is traveling at highway speeds.
However, the EV ranges listed are different because the estimates combine city and highway driving in accordance with EPA standards.
A 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 traveled 70 miles further than the EPA estimate
The Tesla Model S traveled 39 miles less than the EPA estimate and was the third worst-performing electric car in Consumer Reports' test of 22 popular electric cars
Interestingly, electric cars and trucks tend to have longer range in cities, thanks in part to regenerative braking, which means that when the car slows down, instead of losing all its energy, some of it is used to charge the battery .
Consumer Reports noted that it is asking the EPA to add a highway speed range test and make that data available to consumers.
“EPA's testing procedures date back to the early days of electric cars, and what's on the window sticker is determined in part by laws written decades ago for gasoline cars,” said Chris Harto, senior energy policy analyst at Consumer Reports.
“CR has asked EPA to begin the process of modernizing these regulations to provide more useful consumer information about today's electric vehicles, including highway range.”
While EVs fell short, gas-powered vehicles tend to meet or exceed EPA fuel economy ratings.