25 EVs Were Range-Tested In Extreme Cold. It Didn’t Go Well

• The latest edition of Norway’s El Prix winter range test had a big surprise: extreme cold.
• 25 EVs hit the road with a full battery, to see how far they would go before needing a flatbed truck.
• None of the cars could reach their advertised range figures, but there were plenty of surprises.

Norway’s El Prix winter range test is one of the most grueling experiments modern electric cars can face. Motor.no’s editors take dozens of new EVs on a predetermined route to see how far they can make it in the freezing cold of the Scandinavian Peninsula. 

And this year was no different, with 25 new EVs taking on the challenge. It was an interesting edition, though, where none of the participants managed to set a new range record, despite the very high WLTP figures of some of the cars. The Lucid Air, for instance, is rated for 596 miles (960 kilometers) under ideal conditions–the highest of the group–but its real-world performance shows how big of an impact extreme cold can have on a car and just how unrealistic the WLTP procedure is.

The Lucid Air came out on top, driving the longest distance, but it was at the bottom of the list when it came to the deviation from the official range figure. The same goes for the Volvo EX90, Opel Grandland and Suzuki eVitara.

The idea is simple: see how big the difference between the official range and the real-world range is, so that potential owners can get a sense of what to expect from their new car when the temperatures drop. And this year, the temperatures recorded during El Prix reached new record lows, going as far as -24°F (-31°C), a huge difference from previous editions, where it rarely went below 14°F (-10°C).

Despite heavyweights like the Tesla Model Y, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Hyundai Ioniq 9 being part of the test, none of these cars finished at the top. Instead, the surprises came from China.

The MG 6S, a little-known Chinese-made electric crossover, exhibited the lowest difference between its real-world range and WLTP estimate–29%. That’s still a big number, but it’s a lot better than the 46% recorded by the Lucid Air and Opel Grandland. In a close second came the tiny Hyundai Inster, with a 29% difference in range, followed by another Chinese EV, the MG IM6 sedan, with a 30% difference.

However, when range is all that matters, the Lucid Air, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Audi A6, BMW iX and Volvo EX90 can still deliver more than enough range on a full charge in extremely low temperatures, but owners should expect a big drop from the official figures.

Motor.no’s El Prix range test is run once every six months with all the new EVs that are relevant for Norway’s car market. There’s a summer edition and a winter edition, and in both of them, drivers follow a predetermined route and drive until the cars can no longer sustain the speed limit.

The winter edition’s record holder is the Tesla Model S, which managed to squeeze out 330 miles (530 km) from a full charge in 2023. This year, the Lucid Air got close, driving 323 miles (520 km), but the much lower temperatures likely prevented it from setting a new record.

All cars suffer in extreme cold, not just EVs. It’s well known that combustion engines burn more fuel when the temperature drops, so a full tank of gas won’t get you as far in the winter as it does in the summer.

El Prix Winter Range Test 2026