Electric Cars
EV Range on the Highway vs City: What's Normal?
The car shows more range in the city and far less on the highway - is that normal?
What causes it
Yes. EVs are most efficient at low speed where regen recovers energy; drag rises with speed squared on highways.
The truth
- City (50 km/h): EVs shine - regen, no idle, best efficiency. Range often exceeds official figures.
- Highway (120 km/h): drag dominates - expect 20-30% LESS than official, more in winter or with a loaded car.
What to do
- Don't compare city and highway numbers - they're different worlds for an EV.
- Plan highway trips on ~70% of official range to be safe.
- Cruise at 100-110 km/h to cut consumption dramatically (each 10 km/h above 110 costs a lot).
- Use the car's efficiency screens - they teach you what actually wastes energy.
Rule of thumb
City: official × 1.0-1.1. Mixed: official × 0.8-0.9. Highway: official × 0.65-0.8. Use these when planning trips.