Electric vehicle range – how far can I drive in an EV?

An EV with a lower range leaves long distance drivers more reliant on the UK’s electric car public charging infrastructure, which is improving all the time but still not perfect. However, is ‘range anxiety’ actually a concern for the average motorist?

Here’s the thing: did you consider how many miles you could get out of a tank of fuel before buying your current petrol or diesel car?

Probably not, because most car buyers look at the miles per gallon (mpg) figure when comparing different models. As EV battery technology improves range should become less of an issue, with the actual cost-per-mile mattering more.

Yet many people still believe the average range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) needs to increase before they will choose one over a petrol or diesel car.

According to the SMMT, the average range of an electric car is 236 miles, which is three times the average distance driven in a week. Yet drives surveyed in the 2024 RAC Report on Motoring claim they need an EV to travel almost 400 miles on one charge – more than the distance from London to Edinburgh – before they’d consider buying one. That rules out the majority of EVs on sale.

Maybe a shift in expectations is required. The RAC tracks the UK's progress on the road to electric. Government statistics and RAC black box data show the average UK journey is around 10 miles, so most electric vehicles would be able to complete an entire week’s worth of commuting before needing to be plugged in.

Regardless, questions around EV range are still central to choosing whether to go for one as your next vehicle. Here’s some advice and simple facts to help you make sense of it all.

Only a few years ago an electric car capable of 150 miles on a charge was considered pretty good, but things have moved on a lot. 

Nowadays, most new electric cars can achieve between 200 and 350 miles before needing to plug in.

It’s worth looking at a few of the most popular electric vehicles in the UK to give you an idea of the range you can expect to get right now.

The Tesla Model Y (above) was Britain's most popular new electric car inn2023, with over 35,000 sold. Today, even the cheapest version available manages up to 373 miles on a charge according to official tests.

At the more affordable end of the scale, the popular MG 4 offers around 280 miles of range for under £30,000. 

Bookending the EV market are cars like the Dacia Spring (137 miles of range) and the Mercedes-Benz EQS (481 miles of range). 

Range anxiety is the fear that an electric vehicle has insufficient range on a fully-charged battery for motorists to complete their journey.

Although in the past it may have been a legitimate concern, it’s becoming less of a problem as UK charging infrastructure catches up with demand and battery technology improves.

Chargepoint mapping service Zap-Map reports that there are around 70,000 charging connectors at 35,800 locations (October 2024) in the UK, so charging on the move needn’t be an issue.

Crucially, the number of rapid or ultra rapid chargers is growing all the time – there are around 14,000 chargers at 5,850 locations, enabling an electric car to be recharged in the time it takes to enjoy a coffee or a light lunch.

Put it this way: travelling a distance of 210 miles at 70mph should take three hours, although some leeway is required to take account of reduced range when driving at motorway speeds.

The point is, most drivers need a break after driving for three hours anyway. Rule 91 of the Highway Code states that a break of at least 15 minutes should be taken every two hours, so you may as well recharge while you stretch your legs at the services.          

The other thing to consider is that two-thirds of UK households have access to off-street parking, so range will be less of a factor if drivers can charge overnight. This is by far the cheapest and most convenient way to recharge an electric vehicle, costing as little as a few quid for a full charge. 

But what of the third of UK residents who live in properties where installing a domestic charger isn’t an option?

One enterprising scheme enables those with chargers to share them with neighbours who don’t. The Co Charger app means that a motorist living in a flat can arrange to charge their EV by effectively renting their neighbour’s driveway and charger.

You’re unlikely to achieve the full electric range quoted by manufacturers in regular real-world driving, particularly in cold weather.

Although the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle gives more accurate range estimations than ever, a number of factors will affect the actual range you'll achieve.

Does the age of an electric vehicle's battery affect range?

The range is a measure of battery capacity relative to when it was new. In the same way the battery life of a smartphone diminishes over time, an electric car will offer a shorter range as it gets older.

An American study found that the average decline in energy storage is 2.3 percent per year. That means an electric vehicle with a range of 150 miles will lose 17 miles of accessible range after five years. The rate of decline slows down in later years.

How does driving style and external factors affect the range of an electric vehicle (EV)?

Most manufacturers are pretty upfront when it comes to claimed range estimates. Renault even provides a handy range charge simulator tool to assess the impact of speed, driving style, topography, weather conditions and the use of the heater in the electric Megane E-Tech.

At a speed of 30mph, a temperature of 20 degrees C, the Megane should deliver 299 miles of electric range. This drops to 207 miles if you increase the speed to 60 mph, and 187 miles if the temperature drops to five degrees.

The range falls even further if the temperature drops below freezing. It’s why EV drivers find that they can’t travel as far in the winter. That, and the increased reliance on the blowers, heater and accessories like heated seats. More and more electric cars are fitted with heat pumps which more efficiently heat the cabin than traditional heaters. 

Here's how to save a few miles on your way:

How does the size of the battery affect the range of an electric vehicle (EV)?

As a basic rule of thumb, the larger the size of the battery (measured in kWh), the further you’ll be able to travel. It’s like having a larger fuel tank. That said, a bigger battery means extra weight, which is why small cars like the Honda e and MINI Electric are fitted with smaller batteries.

Range is, and always will be, something to consider when buying an electric vehicle, but there are many other factors to take into account. The miles per kWh, price and charging time are just three examples. Range anxiety should become a thing of the past, long before the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

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• Electric car charging - how it works and how much it costs

Assessing an electric vehicle purely on the strength of its range is a little like using the size of the fuel tank as the determining factor when buying a petrol or diesel car.

Miles per kilowatt-hour (Miles per kWh) is the electric vehicle equivalent of miles per gallon (mpg) and is used to measure the efficiency of an EV. The higher the figure the more efficient the car. It might be displayed as kilowatt hours per 100 miles (kWh/100 miles).

Achieving more than 350 miles between charges is now easier than ever.

As our list of the longest range electric vehicles reveals, there are plenty of models which can go the distance on electric power alone.

The RAC is leading the way when it comes to supporting drivers in the switch to electric vehicles.

An ever-increasing number of our patrol vans have built-in emergency mobile charging systems capable of giving an out-of-charge electric car enough power to be driven a short distance home or to a working chargepoint, while our All-Wheels-Up recovery system allows our patrols to safely rescue electric cars with no need for a flatbed.

Find out more about the RAC’s electric car breakdown cover.

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How far is your commute? Could it be achieved in an electric car? Do you still have range anxiety? Let us know by leaving a comment.