How much range does an EV lose in winter?

Fleet data from 4,200 EVs (Geotab) puts real range at about 54 percent of the rated figure at minus 15 Celsius and at 100 percent or more between 10 and 31 Celsius, peaking near 115 percent at 21.5. Cabin heating is most of the cold loss: AAA's chamber test found a 41 percent drop at minus 7 Celsius with the heater running and 12 percent with it off. Preconditioning while plugged in recovers a large share.

How much does speed cost in range?

Air drag grows with the square of speed. A published constant-speed test of a Tesla Model Y measured 224.7 Wh per mile at 50 mph and 366.2 at 80 mph, a 63 percent increase. Normalised to mixed driving at or under 80 km/h, this tool's defaults give about 82 percent of rated range at a steady 100 km/h, 67 percent at 120 and 61 percent at 130.

What does a caravan do to EV range?

ADAC measured a Kia EV6 towing a large caravan: consumption rose 54 percent at 80 km/h, 79 percent at 90 and 103 percent at 100, so range roughly halves on the motorway. A rear-mounted bike rack added about 8 percent; bikes on the roof added 25 percent.

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EV Range Reality

The rated range was measured in a lab at a mild temperature and a gentle average speed. Today has a temperature, a motorway and maybe a roof box. This tool multiplies the rated figure by each of them, shows every multiplier, and lets you change any you disagree with.

Free forever No login Model, every factor shown Defaults sourced

Range reality · v1.0

rated × temperature × speed × load

Rated range (WLTP or EPA)

WLTP figures run optimistic; expect the low side of the band.

Outside temperature

°C

Cabin heat / AC

Driving

Roof and racks

Trailer

Multiplier tables (editable)

Temperature, share of rated range, cabin heat/AC on and off. Anchors from Geotab's fleet study (4,200 EVs: 115 % at 21.5 °C, 100 %+ from 10 to 31 °C, 54 % at −15 °C) split with AAA's 2019 chamber test (−7 °C: −41 % with heat, −12 % without; 35 °C: −17 % with AC, −4 % without, against a 24 °C baseline taken as 1.13 × rated). Straight lines between anchors; held flat outside them.

°C	Cabin on	Cabin off
−15
−7
10
21.5
31
35

Speed, share of rated range at a steady speed. Energy per km modelled as a + b·v², fitted to a published constant-speed test (Tesla Model Y RWD: 224.7 Wh/mi at 50 mph, 249.9 at 60, 302.2 at 70, 366.2 at 80; Carscoops, March 2026), then normalised so mixed driving at or under 80 km/h equals the rated figure.

90	100	110	120	130	140 km/h

Load, extra consumption in percent, from ADAC's Kia EV6 measurements: rear bike rack about 8 %, two bikes on the roof 25 % (used for roof boxes too; ADAC published no box-only figure), small trailer about 1 %, caravan 54 % at 80 km/h, 79 % at 90, 103 % at 100 and held there above.

Rear rack	Roof box / roof bikes	Small trailer	Caravan 80	Caravan 90	Caravan 100+

Sources: Geotab, temperature and EV range · AAA, 2019 range testing · Carscoops, speed vs efficiency test · ADAC, Mehrverbrauch durch Anbauten und Anhänger.

361km expected today

90 % of the rated figure

This is a model, not a measurement of your car. The temperature curve comes from fleet averages against EPA ratings; WLTP-rated cars usually land toward the low end of the band. Heat pumps, tyres, wind and hills are not modelled.

Where the range goes

Cold is mostly the heater. The battery itself loses some capability below freezing, but the larger effect is the energy spent warming a cabin from a battery that has no waste heat to give. That is why the tool splits the temperature curve into cabin on and cabin off: preconditioning while plugged in, a heat pump, or seat heaters instead of cabin heat move you from the low edge of the band toward the high one. At 21.5 °C the fleet data actually beats the rating, which is the one piece of good news in the table.

Speed is physics. Drag force rises with the square of speed, so the energy spent per kilometre pushing air does too. The rating cycles average well under motorway speed; a steady 130 km/h is a different car. The default curve is fitted to a published constant-speed test and normalised so that mixed driving equals the rated figure. If your car's own highway test is published, type its multiplier into the table.

Anything on the outside is drag. ADAC measured what owners suspect: a rear rack costs little, roof-mounted bikes cost a quarter, and a caravan on the motorway doubles consumption. The trailer multiplier follows the speed you select, because the caravan penalty grows faster than the car's own.

400 km rated	Factors	Expected
Spring, mixed roads	21.5 °C · ≤ 80 km/h	460 km
Winter commute, heater on	−7 °C · ≤ 80 km/h	268 km
Same, preconditioned, seat heaters	−7 °C · cabin off	396 km
Motorway holiday, roof box	21.5 °C · 130 km/h · box	224 km
Caravan to the coast	21.5 °C · 100 km/h · caravan	186 km

Tab.01 — the same car, five days; model defaults

FAQ

Fleet data from 4 200 EVs puts real range at about 54 % of the rated figure at −15 °C and at 100 % or more between 10 and 31 °C. Cabin heating is most of the cold loss: AAA's chamber test found a 41 % drop at −7 °C with the heater running and 12 % with it off. Preconditioning while plugged in recovers a large share.

Air drag grows with the square of speed. A published constant-speed test measured 224.7 Wh per mile at 50 mph and 366.2 at 80 mph, a 63 % increase. Normalised to mixed driving, the defaults give about 82 % of rated range at a steady 100 km/h, 67 % at 120 and 61 % at 130.

ADAC measured a Kia EV6 towing a large caravan: consumption rose 54 % at 80 km/h, 79 % at 90 and 103 % at 100, so range roughly halves on the motorway. A rear bike rack added about 8 %; bikes on the roof added 25 %.