For all their many strengths—including better performance, zero emissions, no drivetrain maintenance and the ability to charge at home—electric vehicles come with some unique tradeoffs when temperatures drop.
Granted, gas-powered cars don’t exactly thrive in freezing temperatures, either. Engines can struggle to start, 12-volt battery performance suffers and fuel economy can drop significantly. They also lose less efficient in winter because they are so much less efficient in general: The vast majority of the energy a gas car consumes is turned into waste heat, even during summer.
But since EVs face diminished range and charging performance in cold temperatures, there are things owners should know if they’re about to stare down a major winter storm—including the ways their EV might perform better than a gas car, too.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
As an EV owner who’s been dealing with a particularly brutal New York winter as of late, here are some things I’d recommend prospective and current electric drivers keep in mind when the cold hits hard.
You Will Get Less Range—Here’s Why
I’ll start with the bad news. Almost certainly, your EV’s range will drop when temperatures do.
Some cars, like my own 2024 Kia EV6 pictured here, will adjust their range estimates to compensate for colder weather. I see, at most, around 220 to 240 miles of indicated range on a full charge when temperatures are between 0 and 30 degrees F. In temperate weather, the EV6 will deliver between 280 and 300 miles of range when the battery is at 100%. That’s a sizable hit, but at least my car tells me what to expect. Meanwhile, other EVs display an estimate based on EPA-rated range, even if their actual efficiency drops to where they won’t be able to hit those numbers.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test Photo by: Patrick George
It all comes down to science—specifically, physics and chemistry. For all kinds of cars, cold air is denser, so it impacts aerodynamics, tire pressure and the flow of energy. It also means your cabin heater has to work much harder to keep you warm inside the vehicle (more on that in a bit). But for EVs, colder temperatures slow down the chemical reaction inside the battery that generates power.
“Running the cabin heater, seat heaters, defroster, and other accessories that combat the cold weather inside the car all sap range,” as Consumer Reports puts it. “In our tests, we found that the range starts to drop at 40° F… In our winter testing at about 16 degrees, we found that cold weather depletes about 25 percent of range when cruising at 70 mph compared with driving in the same conditions during mild weather in the mid-60s.”
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
You can see the real impact by checking your efficiency rating. When the weather is nice, my EV6 delivers about 3 to 4 miles per kilowatt-hour—that is, the number of miles a car can travel using 1 kWh of electricity—but that drops to around 2 miles per kWh or less in the 20s and teens. (By the way, I recently test a plug-in hybrid and it showed the exact same result when it ran on battery power; it’s just what happens.)
Is it a dealbreaker? Not if you know how to handle it.
Charge It To 100% When You Need To (It’s Fine)
Generally, automakers and EV experts alike recommend you only charge your battery to around 80% for daily use, and especially during DC fast-charging. Lithium-ion batteries experience higher chemical stress, heat, and strain when consistently filled to capacity, so aiming for 80% most of the time is a good way to maintain long-term battery health and minimize degradation.
But here’s the thing: it’s fine to do this sometimes. I usually charge my EV to 100% if I have a long drive ahead of me. It’s best not to overdo this, but it doesn’t need to be avoided completely. Many cars also include a hidden safety buffer, so that “100%” on your dash probably isn’t using the entire battery, either.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
In the winter months, if you really need to offset those efficiency losses or pull off a road trip, go ahead and charge it to 100% when you need to. Just be realistic in how often you need it—I don’t set it that high all of the time in winter. Most of my daily driving doesn’t require it.
Leave It Plugged In (Also Fine)
Most of the time, I actually don’t plug in our EV every single night, since it has enough range to cover several days of routine driving. But in the winter months, many drivers—and many owner’s manuals—recommend leaving the car plugged in more frequently to maintain optimal battery levels. Modern EVs will heat and cool their battery to avoid exposing it to extreme temperatures even while parked, which can lead to the car losing charge even when you’re not using it.
Precondition Your Car While It’s Plugged In
Here’s an even better tip: leave the car plugged in, and then remotely start it and pre-set the cabin temperature (if your car is equipped to do this). Often, this can be done via the car’s connected smartphone app or even its key fob.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test Photo by: Patrick George
This way, it’ll warm up the cabin with the energy from your plug, not the battery. This step can nearly eliminate the big issue with short trips in cold EVs; they use so, so much energy warming things up. But once that’s done, you’ll have a lot more energy to use for actual driving.
Precondition Your Battery For Better Charging Performance
When fast-charging, you should generally always precondition your EV’s battery for faster speeds, unless you like sitting on the plug forever. On some cars, this can be done manually; on others, it triggers automatically when you set a DC fast charger as the destination in your navigation system.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
I’d say it’s especially important in the winter, because charging performance generally suffers in the cold. In our testing at InsideEVs, we don’t often see a car or plug’s maximum allowable charging speeds in deep winter, though some do better than others. Always preconditioning helps your chances of getting on the road more quickly.
Clean Any Snow And Debris From Your Sensors
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
Frankly, this is a good tip for any modern car, no matter what powers it. If you want to make full use of your backup camera, emergency front braking system, radar cruise control, automated driving assistance systems or other functions, make sure your camera and radar units are clean. Many modern cars (mine included) will tell you when they’re blocked by snow, mud, road salt or other debris.
And obviously, an EV is just as vulnerable to rust from road salt as a gas car would be. Make sure to keep yours clean in the winter, just as I have done, which you can obviously see in these photos.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
Also, if you’re new to owning your EV, find out if it has a “Car Wash Mode” or not.
Some EVs have this setting, especially if they use a power-operated charging port door. This mode is often used to keep the port door from opening automatically due to the pressure of a car wash, because you don’t want water getting dumped into that.
Use Your Heated Seats And Steering Wheel, If You Have Them
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
I’d be willing to bet that if you’ve been dealing with single-digit temperatures for months, as I have, you’re already using these functions regularly. (If your EV has them, and for your sake, I hope it does.) But heated seats and heated steering wheels are especially useful on an electric car.
Basically, they use a fraction of the energy to keep you warm than your heating and A/C system does. The climate controls are a tremendous energy hog on a good day and that’s even worse in colder weather. Sure, a heat pump should help if your car has one, but running the heater when the temperatures are low is a great way to blow through electric range.
I recommend heating the cabin to a reasonable level (which, again, you can do when it’s on the plug before you set off) and then relying on your heated seats to stay extra warm without draining too much of the battery.
Use Eco Mode If You Have It—Or Snow Mode
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
“Driving modes” always felt a bit silly to me on gas-powered cars. Most of the time, you can hardly notice a difference between the various settings. But they’re genuinely useful on an EV, if your car has them.
On my EV6, Eco Mode deactivates the front motor and reduces power somewhat to prioritize efficiency. It’s a fantastic way to help stretch your range, especially during highway driving or in colder weather. Snow Mode is even better here. That setting optimizes traction for slippery conditions by reducing throttle response, managing the all-wheel-drive torque delivery for smoother acceleration, and limiting regenerative braking to prevent wheelspin and improve overall stability.
Remember That EV Traction Is Great, But Snow Tires Are Best
I have been consistently impressed with the winter and deep-snow traction performance of the various EVs I’ve tested in upstate New York winters. In December 2024, I saw firsthand how a Honda Prologue on all-season tires could power through winter storms that left gas cars parked on the side of the highway, waiting for it to pass. My colleague Kevin Williams in Ohio came to the same conclusion recently with a Hyundai Ioniq 5.
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
Both of us have been consistently impressed with the superior traction and acceleration of EVs in the snow, even single-motor models. The way they put down power is so instant and so responsive to the accelerator pedal that they present immediate, palpable advantages over gas-powered cars. It’s why I still run all-season tires on my EV6.
I’d be derelict in my duty as a journalist, however—and perhaps even legally culpable—if I didn’t give you my standard disclaimer: EV traction is great. But it’s no replacement for true snow tires, or even the relatively new segment of all-weather/snow-rated all-seasons. I use those on my gas Mazda, and they do a wonderful job. But if you have any doubts about winter safety at all, nothing beats a good set of Blizzaks or similarly well-rated snow tires.
Conclusion: Winter Isn’t A Dealbreaker For EVs, But Be Careful Out There
2024 Kia EV6 Winter Test
Photo by: Patrick George
At InsideEVs, we always try to offer a realistic view of the EV market and the EV ownership experience. While I can’t say that I’m always thrilled about winter range losses, they broadly haven’t been an issue for about 99% of my driving. Some people may consider winter performance to be a dealbreaker, but I think they do far better in the cold than most critics realize. And the superior traction advantage in the snow alone makes these cars worth it.
If you do find yourself driving an EV in heavy winter, then plan ahead, try and prepare before things get too bad, and don’t drive above your abilities. Not much different from a gas car, really.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
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