Tesla Model S breaks winter range record

By Jack Mclean On Feb 2, 2023

Tesla Model S has broken the winter range record in a new wide-ranging cold weather range test conducted in Norway.

For years now, Norway has been conducting extensive range and efficiency tests in cold weather, which is a concern for many potential EV buyers living in regions with harsh winters.

This year’s test was the most extensive to date with 29 different EV models.

The Tesla Model S stole the show this year.

After not being sold in Europe for almost two years following a design refresh, The Model S joined the winter range test, and it did phenomenally.

The tests were conducted on this loop between Oslo and Hjerkinn at temperatures between -5C and -10C (via Norway’s Motor.no):

The Model S – which finished at 530km (329 miles), only 16.40% short of its advertised 634 km WLTP range – is the only vehicle on the list that passed 450 km (280 miles).

This is much better than most other vehicles tested, which saw their range affected closer to 20-30% by the cold weather.

The Mercedes EQE 300 is the closest competitor to the Tesla Model S that was tested, and it saw a massive 33% deviation from its advertised range.

Here are all the results for every EV model tested in the winter range test:

Model	WLTP range	Achieved range	Percentage deviation, range	500 km: consumption-battery-km left	450 km: consumption-battery-km left	400 km: consumption-battery-km left	350 km: consumption-battery-km left	300 km: consumption-battery-km left
Tesla Model S Standard	634	530	−16.40%	17.3 2 15	18 8 49	17.7 18 111	18.3 26 158	17.2 40 241
Mercedes EQE 300	614	409	−33.39%			21.6 0 0	22.4 4 25	20.9 24 132
BMW i7 xDrive60	595	424	−28.74%			23.5 1 6	24.5 10 36	22.9 29 121
NINE ET7	580	434	−25.17%			22.7 8 37	24.8 18 83	20.3 35 117
BMW i4 eDrive40	565	434	−23.19%			18.6 4 18	18.9 15 44	17.9 31 122
Tesla Model X Plaid	543	444	−18.23%			20.9 9 45	21.1 20 98	19.8 36 181
Nissan Ariya 2WD	533	400	−24.95%				20.1 10 37	18.8 30 119
Volkswagen ID.5 Pro	526	378	−28.14%				20.2 4 14	19.7 21 80
Bid Han	521	406	−22.07%			20.1 1 3	20.7 11 55	19 29 149
Hongqi E-HS9 prototype 120 kWt	515	389	−24.47%				28.1 7 23	26.7 24 96
Skoda Enyaq Coupe RS	510	338	−33.73%					21.1 13 46
Toyota BZ4X 2WD	503	323	−35.79%					19.1 3 0
Voyage Free	501	391	−21.96%				26.4 7 14	25.0 26 68
Hongqi E-HS9	465	303	−34.84%					29 0 0
Kia Niro EV	460	343	−25.43%					17.6 19 54
Tesla Model Y 2WD	455	337	−25.93%					16.9 11 42
Hyundai Ioniq 5 4WD	454	345	−24.01%					20.1 18 56
Mercedes EQB 250	452	334	−26.11%					19.2 11 37
MG ZS LR	440	352	-20.00%				18.2 2 6	18.7 18 45
JAC e-JS4	433	323	−25.40%					12.6 5 –
BMW iX1	428	337	−21.26%					18.3 8 27
Renault Megane	428	318	−25.70%					18.1 1 0
MG 4	425	338	−20.47%					17.7 14 38
Kia EV6 GT	424	349	−17.69%					20.8 17 50
BYD Atto 3	420	311	−25.95%					19.6 4 15
Volkswagen ID Buzz	408	310	−24.02%					24.8 0 0
MG 5	380	313	−17.63%					18.3 2 3
MG Marvel R	370	308	−16.76%					21.7 4 –
Maxus Euniq6	354	317	−10.45%					21.1 4 17

Electrek’s Take

These test results have come at a pretty good time for people in the Northeast in North America since we are expecting a massive cold front here in the coming days.

The results are what you should probably expect at -5C to -10C (14F), but this weekend we are going to experience -33C where I am in Shawinigan, Quebec. That’s -24F.

At these extreme cold temperature, you can expect closer to 40% drop in range – even in the latest Tesla Model S. But that’s not just an electric vehicle thing. Every car is less efficient in extreme cold.

Be careful out there this weekend. Frostbite is a real thing.

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