What is a car's range?

A car's range is a measure of how far it can travel on a full tank of fuel or full electric charge. The term is mainly used when referring to electric vehicles. 

Range seems like a simple measurement on the surface, but it’s important to understand what types of driving will affect how far your EV can drive. Just like a fuel-powered car’s mpg figure, an EV’s range can vary dramatically depending on how and where you drive. 

Unlike most fuel-powered cars, which achieve their best efficiency figures on longer motorway runs, EVs often achieve the best range results in city and suburban settings. Here, the stop-start nature of traffic has less of an impact on an electric motor, which only uses power when it needs to, and the lower average speeds require less overall power from the battery. 

For EV owners, there are two scenarios that will have a significant impact on your range figure. The first is at motorway speeds, where the greater air and rolling resistance can see range quickly drop if you stray too far above the speed limit. The other is during cold and winter months where the low temperature acts as a drag on the chemical reactions taking place inside your battery pack, limiting range and slowing recharge times.