Winter range — why the number drops

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What the studies measured

• AAA (2019 laboratory test). At −6.7 °C (20 °F), an average of five EVs lost about 12% of range from cold alone, and about 41% when cabin heating was also on, versus a 75 °F baseline. Source: AAA Newsroom and the linked test report. Dated February 2019 — older cars, US test cycle; still the most-cited controlled figure.
• Recurrent Auto (real-world fleet). Analysis of tens of thousands of US EVs finds winter range retention around the high-70s percent of mild-weather range at freezing temperatures, with model-by-model variation; heat-pump cars generally retain more. See Recurrent’s winter range research. Figures are US fleet averages, not a UK WLTP promise.

What that means on a UK road

Expect less than the windscreen WLTP sticker in January, especially on motorways with the heater on. Cars with a heat pump (recent Model 3 / Model Y) usually spend less energy on cabin heat than older resistive heaters. Preconditioning while plugged in warms the battery and cabin from the wall, so you leave with a warmer pack and more usable range.

Practical habits

• Precondition on the driveway while still on charge before a cold commute.
• Use seat and steering-wheel heat before blasting cabin air.
• Plan DC stops with a buffer; cold packs charge slower until warm — navigate to a Supercharger so the car can precondition. Map: UK Superchargers.
• Compare efficiency on the running-cost calculator after a week of real winter mi/kWh.

More basics: New to electric cars? · Features: Tesla features explained.