The TRUTH about WLTP Range and why you should ignore it !

Comments

26 responses to “The TRUTH about WLTP Range and why you should ignore it !”

1. 

   @francoisg3500

   March 3, 2025

   Evening all! Hope everyone is doing well and have a nice week.

   Reply
   1. 

      @PetrolPed

      March 3, 2025

      You too!

      Reply
2. 

   @ChickieBakerer

   March 3, 2025

   A second ago I thought I had it under control, and now I’m laughing until I cry. This video is a masterpiece

   Reply
3. 

   @SDK2006b

   March 3, 2025

   Yes, WLTP is meant to be used to compare range of cars with each other. It isn’t supposed to be a range drivers can get in the real world, in any conditions across all driving styles. Once you understand this it makes sense.

   Reply
   1. 

      @rogerfinch7651

      March 3, 2025

      Exactly this. It’s the perfect maximum to set a top level for comparison to other cars. That’s all. Just knock 10-20% off and you’ll get a reasonable number. Another 10-20% off for winter. Much like ICE cars and their MPG.

      Reply
4. 

   @garrymatthews4430

   March 3, 2025

   Evening all as well!!. Another great one Pete getting to the point and being clear about the issues

   Reply
   1. 

      @PetrolPed

      March 3, 2025

      Thanks

      Reply
5. 

   @shakesnbake

   March 3, 2025

   Thank you! That was so comprehensive and useful!

   Reply
   1. 

      @PetrolPed

      March 3, 2025

      Glad it was helpful!

      Reply
6. 

   @ivormacadam

   March 3, 2025

   You can also run Diesels on vegetable oils – they were originally designed to run on peanut oil – so they really are “renewables” as you can always grow some more peanuts.

   Reply
7. 

   @simoningate2056

   March 3, 2025

   Car companies need to say what the reliable achievable ranges are. If they say our car will reliably make 300 miles then it needs to do so – otherwise it is a false claim (and you should be able to sue them).

   Reply
   1. 

      @johnnodge4327

      March 3, 2025

      300 miles up hill while driving like a mad man is very different to driving 300 miles downhill driving like Miss Daisy is in the back.
      Do ICE car manufacturers vehicles do the MPG quoted in all conditions? Of course not, yet nobody is wanting to sue them for it.

      Reply
8. 

   @johnbrown3951

   March 3, 2025

   Another very interesting film on a subject that gets right up my goat. It’s funny though how we get all disappointed when an EV gives us nothing like the range quoted mind you 150 miles from an i-Pace quoted nearer 300 but it was sub Zero in a Scottish winter on 22″ wheels but seem to just accept that a petrol car gets what it gets (I guess my right foot was a bit heavier on that journey today) and a diesel always surprises us how far it goes. I took a new diesel Evoque to Kent and back from Scotland last summer and got in excess of 50mpg which impressed me greatly.

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9. 

   @andrewnicholls5082

   March 3, 2025

   Combined WLTP for my Cupra Born is stated as 3.98 miles / kWh. Long term actual after 18 months is 3.7 miles / kWh. In summer over 4 miles / kWh is easily achievable without trying.

   Reply
10. 

    @Chester-UK

    March 3, 2025

    Sorry Ped, what you said at 19:28 in your video is EXACTLY on point. I used to lose about 6-8 MPG in my 130i on my 9 mile commute between Winter and Summer. Percentage wise I lose less in my Jag (EV). They ARE comparable in my view. I realise that some EVs are impacted more but that’s because the meat behind the wheel likes to stay warm, and smaller EVs have resistive heating which is ‘expensive’. Heat pumps in cars are a must have because the load on the battery for the same comfort level (cabin temperature) is far less.

    Reply
11. 

    @keithwells7892

    March 3, 2025

    Excellent video as always Pete Just taken delivery of my third Mini EV, so after 5 years of EV ownership I think I can confidently say it is a very rare thing indeed to get anywhere near the claimed range! My first 2 cars had the same battery and drivetrain and Mini claimed a WLTP of 144 miles. I typically saw about 110 to 120 in summer and 90 to 100 in winter… So your guess of winter mileage being perhaps 40% less than WLTP is spot on! I DID manage to get over the claimed WLTP range on a couple of occasions, driving in “green plus” mode (no aircon or heating) in warm U.K. summer temperatures (27/28C) on rural roads with modest speeds and very careful driving….. real world? No way!
    Another thing with EV’s that needs pointing out I think is that your batteries are never fully “flat” when you plug in, so you cannot assume you will run for the full available kW rate…. Unlike an ICE car you cannot refuel almost down to when it’s running on air, that does not happen in an EV… get below 10% left and the panic sets it!
    I run about 15-18,000 miles a year, so I certainly use them, but it’s almost all city/short run use… range is still nowhere near good enough for serious motorway mile crunching (at least none that I can afford anyway!) My new Mini has a claimed WLTP of 244 miles…. I’m expecting around 180 to 200 ish. Currently getting an average of around 3.6 miles per kW. Having said all that EV works for me….! and I love the feel of the drive, instant torque etc. You must have home charging (forget ridiculously priced ultra-fast chargers…. double the cost of petrol! Unreliable connectivity and, in some parts of the country, as rare as hens teeth!) Not for everyone, but EV’s work for me

    Reply
    1. 

       @frankbergin772

       March 3, 2025

       Well summarised! My experience exactly with my Citroen eC4.The cold weather degradation on range and the impossibility of re-charging at anything near the maximum quoted rate (as the car has no facility to battery pre-condition) were my major shocks.
       For any serious distance BEV motoring in cold weather conditions, a large capacity battery is absolutely essential …of the order of 80kWh +

       Reply
12. 

    @SusanClarke-o5q

    March 3, 2025

    What we really need to know is how far can you go at 70mph. Nobody is worried about how far they can get on a single charge driving around town in traffic. The miles per KWh at lower speed is important in terms of running costs.

    Reply
13. 

    @johnnodge4327

    March 3, 2025

    In the summer, on favourable roads and favourable road conditions, our Ioniq 5 does exceed it’s 301 miles WLTP, by quite a margin. For this to happen, it needs to be about 20°C outside, the maximum speed needs to be kept below 50 MPH, acceleration needs to be modest, and the road needs to be dry and reasonably flat. We have seen 330 miles with 10% remaining, so would have exceed 350 miles before the battery went into to protection mode.
    We’re not the only Ioniq 5 owners to exceed the WLTP range either, so it’s not just a fluke for us.

    On the flip side, in winter on the motorway at 70, when it’s wet, cold, with a strong headwind, the range can plummet to 240 miles or just under.
    However it’s not really an issue, as most of our winter driving is shorter journeys, well within the battery range, and charging from home is very cheap.
    Even with the lost range in winter, our I-5 is miles cheaper to drive than any other vehicle in its class.
    Our average energy consumption per year has been 3.7 m/kWh, which isn’t bad for a large vehicle. In summer we can see over 4.8 m/kWh on those favourable journeys, and about 3.3 m/kWh through the winter.

    Reply
14. 

    @nicko6707

    March 3, 2025

    Interesting video. It always seemed to me that the biggest influence on mpg/efficiency was the person’s right foot. Clearly each powertrain will have its characteristics and parameters but this is probably the single biggest factor.

    Reply
15. 

    @michaelanderson3771

    March 3, 2025

    Great Video Pete
    Few people realise the basis of the WLTP and the previously used quoterd range tests.
    The rolling road consumption tests at 23 degrees C and a set speed curve has far less accurate consumption compared to the average results that drivers experience.
    Primarily as no two drivers actually drive a car the same.
    Put three drivers in the same car for a week and I guarantee they all see different results but 20-30% worse off than the Stated figures stated by WLTP.
    As you said weather conditions wind effect and drag , rolling resistance to the road surface and type of tires fitted all affect efficiency.
    The only use that WLTP test can do is compare vehicles under like conditions. but you then need to account for Coefficient of Drag . As that then effects the WLTP result for wind resistance bases on vehicle shape.

    Reply
16. 

    @DM-MayBee

    March 3, 2025

    Excellent video ……….. Very informative and a very balanced insight. Full marks 10 out of 10 well done PP.

    Reply
17. 

    @JamesObrien-h8u

    March 3, 2025

    Tesla model 3 2022 single motor in the last 12 months has covered 10,385 miles using 2,571kWh which is exactly 4miles/kWh. Been impressed at the lack of dramatic drop off in winter; played a couple of games of chicken with the range on 230 mile drives and won. Can easily recommend it; saved a fortune at 7p/kWh. Shame about Elon tho obviously

    Reply
18. 

    @neilrwilliams218

    March 3, 2025

    Interesting video. Currently drive a Kia Soul EV with a WLTP Range of 280 miles. Last year in late April I did a 240 mile return trip to Alton Towers. When I got home I had 25 miles left on the range. At times it was looking like it might be 23 or 24 left which was the car’s point to start warning I might not get home unless I charged. In late September I did a similar 240 mile return trip to Winchester but this time I got home with 40 miles left. The highest I’ve seen suggested from a full charge is 321 miles. The lowest has been 255, but this winter it was 270. I’ll acknowledge that I’ve adapted my driving style to suit the car, I tend to limit myself to around 60mph most of the time and I’m easy on the accelerator as it has too much torque. At 22,000 miles I’m still on the original tyres. In the next two weeks I’m changing it to an EV3, so it’ll be interesting to see how that compares.
    Thinking about your point that getting 35mpg against a claimed 40mpg isn’t that bad, it’s a 12.5% drop. If an EV had a claimed 300 mile range, that same drop would mean 262.5 miles. Sometimes I think the difference between WLTP and real world range is slightly exaggerated because we’ve changed from looking at numbers around 40 to numbers around 300 so the difference is always going to look bigger.
    So how can we improve WLTP? The most obvious way is to run it at 8°C with the cabin temperature set to 21°C. Perhaps it needs to be run at three or four temperatures, and all four quoted with the mean average. Certainly the Soul’s efficiency drops under 10°C.

    Reply
19. 

    @williamthebutcherssonprodu227

    March 3, 2025

    Car manufacturers should test range on a worst case scenario basis, and advertise range as ‘starting at X miles’.
    Here is my plan for a worst case scenario test:
    S – Stuff rugby forwards into the car
    C – Charge the EV fully
    R – Ramp up the heater
    U – Unload the battery by driving hard
    M – Measure the mileage when it dies

    Reply
20. 

    @ricardo-iw9sq

    March 3, 2025

    The biggest issue is a radical mind change, I have a 2.4L petrol auto and I can around town do 30 mpg and get 380 miles or 45 ish mpg on a run and get 450 miles and with either driving I can fill up in 10 mins, if I brought an ev and the wltp says 300 miles range but was only getting 250 miles at best then my mind set has gotten used to having the ability to drive 400 miles on a full tank regardless of conditions but the ev would need more thinking for recharging on a lesser distance and having to wait longer to charge up, what I’m getting at is we are used to what we are used to and change is the biggest hurdle and the fact the infrastructure is not there for the many of us as well as speed and cost.

    Reply