EV charging
EV real-world range: miles per kWh explained
Work out an electric car’s real-world range from battery size and miles per kWh, with summer, winter and motorway examples.
Range is battery × efficiency
Miles per kWh is the EV equivalent of mpg. Multiply usable battery capacity by miles per kWh and you have a range estimate. An illustrative 60 kWh battery at 3.5 mi/kWh gives 60 × 3.5 = 210 miles from full to empty.
Nobody drives from 100% to 0%, though. Using the everyday 20–80% window, you have 36 kWh available, which is 36 × 3.5 = 126 miles between comfortable charges.
Why the same car does different miles
Efficiency changes with conditions. On a cold winter day with the heater on, the same car might manage 2.8 mi/kWh, cutting full-battery range to 60 × 2.8 = 168 miles. Sustained motorway speed has a similar effect; gentle urban driving in mild weather can push efficiency above 4 mi/kWh, or 240 miles.
That 72-mile spread between winter and gentle summer driving is normal, not a fault. Plan longer trips on the lower figure.
Converting other efficiency units
Some cars and reviews quote kWh per 100 miles or Wh per km instead. 3.5 mi/kWh is about 28.6 kWh per 100 miles (100 ÷ 3.5). Use the efficiency converter to switch between them and the range calculator to test your own figures.
