The EV Range Race

21 December 2020

 

• Tesla dominates in the race to Land’s End.
• Model S & X cross the line for joint 1st place with the Model 3 taking 3rd.
• Audi trumps Jaguar and BMW, but at a price.
• BMW i3 finishes nearly 30 minutes ahead of rivals.
• Renault Zoe finishes over an hour ahead of VW’s E-Golf.

With electric vehicles becoming more and more popular nowadays, it results in a bigger number of motorists wondering about their range and how far and/or long these vehicles are able to take them, especially on long haul journeys. So, in response, we’ve decided to put together a race of sorts to see which of the UK’s top EVs can get you the length of the nation in the shortest time possible and for the least amount of money.

The cars we’ve chosen are the UK’s most popular cars of 2020. These vary from Tesla’s range of EVs to Renault Zoe’s, Nissan Leaf’s and even a MG. All these cars come in different shapes and sizes and have a variety of different battery lives, so, who comes out on top and who’s left behind? Without further ado, here are the results!

The EV Range Race: John o’ Groats To Land’s End

As you can see from the map provided, we plotted a route from the tip of the UK at John o’ Groats, all the way down to the most southern point, Land’s End. The route totals a whopping 837 miles, far more than is possible today for an electric vehicle’s battery to achieve. This means that there’ll be stops along the way, and this is where it gets really interesting. It’s a bit like watching an F1 race. The most intriguing part is seeing who can gain the most time in the pits, only with our race, it’s at the charging stations. 

So, who were the winners and losers?

Tesla Smashes Time Trial
Tesla showed their dominance when it comes to EV excellence in this race, taking all three podium positions. The Model S and X shared 1st place finishing with a brilliant total time of 16 hours and 18 minutes, with their smaller sibling, the Model 3, slightly trailing behind but still showing fantastic range and charging speed, finishing over 40 minutes faster than the Audi E-Tron that came in 4th. 

However, Audi, despite finishing out of the podium positions will be delighted to pip Jaguar to the line, demonstrating the importance of a fast-charging battery, by taking more stops but getting back on the road in under 30 minutes, unlike the I-PACE's lengthy 45 minute recharge time.

As for the smaller cars, it was the BMW i3 that crossed the line well ahead of the rest, with a very respectable time of 18 hours and 48 minutes, beating its nearest competitor, the Renault Zoe, by around half an hour.

Zoe Zips To The Top For Cost

If we flip the race on its head and put the times to one side and focus on how much it would actually cost you to make this journey, surprisingly it’s the Renault Zoe that comes out on top, only costing a driver £53.61 to make the 837 mile trip.

In just behind the Renault, perhaps more unsurprisingly, come the three Teslas, but this time it’s the Model 3 that jumps ahead, totalling £58.40 for the trip, 30p cheaper than it’s bigger brothers.

E-Golf Slowest And Most Expensive With Audi’s E-Tron Quickest, But Pricey

At the other end of the table, we find, despite it’s quick time, the Audi E-Tron, where you need to pay out around £86.08 to make the journey from John o’ Groats to Land’s End. But the most expensive journey would be those taking the trip in VW’s E-Golf, costing £35 more than the winning Renault Zoe, with a total of £89.01.

Methodology
To create this race we took many factors into account. First came the route, which was planned out using The AA’s route planner.

After that we worked out the initial cost of charging the car’s batteries before making the journey. These were calculated using help from a report from Auto Express, which detailed the cost per kWh.

Then it was a case of plotting how far each car could go before needing to recharge, which was simply a case of looking at each car’s real-life range provided by the Electric Vehicle Database.

Once we had those figures we then took the fast charge times and miles from the Electric Vehicle Database and plotted these onto the map to see where each car would need to recharge again, which was repeated until the car crossed the finish line.

We then calculated how much each recharge would have cost with the use of Zap Map’s cost calculator tool and referring again to Auto Express, which detailed connection charge and cost per kWh.

All times and costs were then totalled up to give the final figures provided above.

It’s important to mention that while these figures have been calculated as accurately as possible, with the help from various online tools, they may differ slightly to actual times and costs.

If you like to learn more about Electric Vehicles you can find our helpful guides here, or browse our range of electric and car leasing deals.