Data

Real vs WLTP range: how much do manufacturers overstate?

Physics-based real-world range for every popular used EV in the UK, compared to the official WLTP claim. Ranked by the gap between what the sticker says and what you actually get.

WLTP is a laboratory test. Cars are driven at gentle speeds, in mild temperatures, with no headwind, no rain, and no passengers. That's useful for comparing cars against each other in controlled conditions, but it doesn't tell you how far you'll actually get on a real road in real weather. Real range depends on your actual speed, the outside temperature, and how much the battery has degraded since the car was new.

The table below shows physics-computed range for each car at three real driving conditions, mild suburban, cold winter, and motorway cruise, compared to the official WLTP claim. The “Gap vs WLTP” column tells you how much the sticker overstates reality under mild real-world conditions: a gentle 50 mph cruise at 15°C with typical battery age for a used example.

All data is computed live from the HonestRange physics model using actual vehicle parameters: mass, aerodynamic drag, battery chemistry, thermal management, and drivetrain efficiency. Each car assumes typical age and mileage for a used example (year of introduction to 2026, at 8,000 miles per year).

CarWLTP (mi)Mild (mi)Winter (mi)Motorway (mi)Gap vs WLTP
Renault Zoe ZE50 (52 kWh)2452381901513%
Kia Soul EV 64 kWh280281226176-1%
Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh300303243194-1%
Kia e-Niro 64 kWh282285230181-1%
BMW i3 42.2 kWh (120 Ah)188191151118-1%
Nissan Leaf 40 kWh168178129112-6%
Vauxhall Corsa-e 50 kWh222235188150-6%
Peugeot e-208 50 kWh217231185148-7%
Volkswagen ID.3 Pro 58 kWh260279206179-7%
Nissan Leaf e+ 62 kWh239259205160-8%
Tesla Model 3 Long Range360396322269-10%
Volkswagen e-Golf 35.8 kWh144160116102-11%
Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus267298240199-12%
MG ZS EV 44.5 kWh163191140117-17%
MG MG5 EV Long Range 61 kWh250294214186-18%

What this means

Cars with the biggest gap between WLTP and real-world range tend to have high WLTP figures inflated by gentle lab speeds that don't reflect how people actually drive. The lab rewards low rolling resistance and efficient powertrains, but it barely penalises aerodynamic drag, which only really bites at higher speeds.

Large, heavy SUVs with big frontal areas suffer most at real motorway speeds. Their WLTP figures look competitive in the brochure, but the gap opens up dramatically once you're doing 70 mph on the M1 in February.

Aerodynamically efficient cars, the Tesla Model 3 and the Hyundai Ioniq, hold up best. Their slippery shapes mean real-world range stays closer to the official figure, even at motorway speeds and in cold weather.

For the full details on how these numbers are calculated, see the methodology page.

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Set your own age, mileage, and driving conditions to see what range you'll really get.

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