Will electric cars ever get 500 mile range width
The longest-range EVs on sale in 2024
Our experts rank the longest range electric cars Includes cars from Tesla, Mercedes and BMW All can travel more than 350 miles on a charge
For many, range is the most important consideration when buying an electric car. For good reason, too waiting for your car to charge at a motorway service station is boring and frustrating, especially when youre on a tight schedule.
Manufacturers are working tirelessly to give their EVs the ability to cover long distances as conveniently as a petrol-powered car. Theres still a lot of work to do, both in terms of battery technology and charging infrastructure but were making progress.
Now, the best electric cars you can buy in the UK can cover more than 350 miles on a single charge. However, there are electric vehicles coming down the pipeline (such as the Lucid Air) that can cover a scarcely believable 500 miles between charges.
The best longest-range EVs at a glance
If youre thinking about buying an electric car, but are being held back by their range capabilities, read on for our list of the best long-range EVs money can buy.
For the sake of consistency, weve ordered our round-up according to each cars WLTP range figures. Real world ranges vary wildly with differing driving conditions and climate. Still, all these cars will get you set to rack up some serious miles in elegant silence.
The top ten electric cars with the longest range
BMW i4 eDrive40 Sport
Best for those seeking a luxurious EV that still feels like a BMW
Pros: Performance, luxury, and advanced tech inside and outCons: Only the top-end trim is really engaging to drive
Range: 365 miles
The BMW i4 is essentially an electric version of BMWs 4 Series Gran Coupe and has a similar footprint to the 3 Series. Two versions were released when it was launched in the summer of 2021, the eDrive40 model and the performance-focused M50, which were later joined by an entry-level derivative called the eDrive35.
If youre looking for maximum range, youll want the i4 eDrive40 Sport. Its battery pack can power the car for up to 365 miles, while its single electric motor mounted on the rear axle produces 335bhp. Thats enough for a 062mph time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 118mph.
Buyers wanting something hotter could instead opt for the i4 M50. It does cost more, and it can only cover 318 miles, but the addition of a second motor hikes its power to a mighty 537bhp. That extra muscle cuts its 0-62mph time down to a supercar-rivalling 3.9 seconds. Its not as agile as the conventional M3 and M4, though, due to its hefty weight.
To find out more, read our full BMW i4 review
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV 450 4Matic
Best for those who want an EQS with even more space and presence
Pros: Luxury, performance, and advanced tech in a spacious packageCons: Ride quality less refined compared to competitors
Range: 366 miles
Looking for a premium SUV with seven seats? Heres another to put on your list: the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Its effectively a Range Rover competitor yes, an all-electric Range Rover is on its way but it also competes with the likes of the Tesla Model X and upcoming Volvo EX90. Its not cheap, though, but you do get a lot of quality and tech for your money.
Go for the EQS in 450 4Matic AMG Line Premium Plus specification and youll get a 355bhp SUV, with all-wheel drive, that can accelerate from 0-62mph in six seconds flat. More significantly, itll also be capable, on paper, of travelling up to 366 miles on a single charge. You also get standard-fit features such as heated and cooled front seats, heated second and third-row seats, an array of advanced driver assistance features, the Mercedes MBUX interior assistant, and a Burmester surround-sound system.
If you want something with a bit more muscle then youre in luck, because theres a more powerful version called the EQS 580, if you have the budget. It packs 536bhp and can accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, all while retaining a 365-mile range.
To find out more, read our full Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV review
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Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium RWD
Best for those who want an electric SUV with muscle car tendencies
Pros: Engaging driving dynamics, and impressive rangeCons: Poor infotainment system, and whys it called a Mustang?
Range: 372 miles
Ignore the contentious badge. We know its not what most would consider a Mustang. Instead, just focus on Fords effort in the EV space the company has managed to make an electric SUV that covers the same ground as some competitors that cost twice as much. Okay, it might fall behind in areas such as straight-line performance but, still, its an impressive accomplishment.
Prices for the Mustang Mach-E start from around 50,000 in the UK. For that, you get a battery with a 70kWh usable capacity, feeding a single electric motor, and a maximum range of 273 miles. Go for the Premium rear-wheel-drive model and that net capacity leaps to 91kWh, granting a superb claimed range of 372 miles.
An all-wheel-drive version is available, too, but its range is a lesser 341 miles. Theres also a flagship Mach-E GT, which has a range of 304 miles and can accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds. Itll set you back some 75,000, though, but that is less expensive than the likes of the BMW iX.
To find out more, read our full Ford Mustang Mach-E review
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Tesla Model 3 Long Range
Best for those looking for a popular advanced EV with impressive specs
Pros: Impressive battery range, a spacious cabin, driver-assistance techCons: Build quality and customer service concerns
Range: 374 miles
The Tesla Model 3 is somewhat of a sensation. It was the second best-selling car of 2021, lagging only behind the Vauxhall Corsa. Having sampled the whole range, we can agree with what everyone else is saying: it really is very good.
Even the entry-level single-motor version has a stout 305-mile range, as well as a similarly stout 0-60mph time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. At the time of publication, itll set you back 42,990 but, given Teslas propensity for changing its prices, thatll have probably changed by next week.
For the longest range, go for the dual-motor Long Range model, which costs just over 50,000. It has a claimed range of 374 miles and is also significantly swifter, dispatching the 0-60mph dash in 4.2 seconds. Want to accelerate quicker than a McLaren F1? Youll need the flagship Model 3 Performance, which also has a still-impressive 340-mile range
To find out more, read our full Tesla Model 3 review
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Polestar 3 Long range Dual motor
Best for those who want Volvo safety with more style and more performance
Pros: Strong infotainment, impressive range, potent performance and bags of space!Cons: The best stuff is on the options list
Range: 379 miles
Polestars range is growing pretty swiftly and the Polestar 3, which made its debut in October 2022, is now on sale and deliveries are earmarked to kick off towards the end of the year. And, given the quality of the Polestar 2, were expecting the Polestar 3 to be a compelling option for luxury SUV buyers.
Two models will be offered: the Long Range Dual motor, and the Long Range Dual motor with Performance pack. The standard model has a range of 379 miles and packs 483bhp, granting a 0-60mph time of 4.9 seconds. The Performance version has 510bhp and gets to sixty in 4.6 seconds, but its range falls to a lesser 479 miles.
As youd hope, given that the starting price is 79,900, you get a lot of equipment as standard for your money, too. Features include a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, triple-zone climate, Pilot Assist with adaptive cruise, heated wipers (yes), soft-close doors, a head-up display and a Bowers & Wilkins 25-speaker sound system.
To find out more, read our full Polestar 3 preview
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BMW iX xDrive50 M Sport
Best for driving and not looking at
Pros: Technically brilliant, surprisingly speedy, opulent interiorCons: Divisive exterior looks
Range: 382 miles
BMWs design language has been somewhat of a controversial topic of late and nowhere is that more evident than on the iX SUV. The combination of slim headlights and stout grille makes it look part ninja, part beaver and its hard to imagine that the same company conceived the i8 just a few years previously. But we digress.
Youll need the iX xDrive50 M Sport model if you want the longest range possible in the line-up; it costs just a shade over 100,000 but can cover up to 382 miles on a single charge. It also has all-wheel drive, 516bhp, a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds, and bags of clever technology. When alls said and done, its one of the best electric SUVs around.
And, when you need to stop, 195kW charging ability means you can add 93 miles of range in 10 minutes from a suitably powerful charger. That really is getting into splash n dash territory.
To find out more, read our full BMW iX electric SUV review
BMW i7 xDrive 60
Best for those who want the luxury of an S-class or 7-series with an EV powertrain
Pros: Impressive tech, good range, performance, luxuryCons: Looks handsome to some, awful to others
Range: 387 miles
In the market for a high-end luxury electric saloon? BMWs new i7 could be just what youre looking for. Yes, it costs north of 110,000, but it offers a sublime mix of driving dynamics, outright comfort, gratifying technology and a long range.
Go for the BMW i7 xDrive60 and youll potentially be able to cover up to 387 miles on a single charge. The big BMW is also capable of 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, thanks to its dual all-wheel-drive-enabling electric motors and combined system output of 536bhp.
Okay, the novelty of being able to ask the car to close your door for you might wear off pretty quickly. But, showstopping tech aside, the i7 has it where it counts when it comes to luxury saloons, in spades. Only the likes of Rolls-Royce can trump it.
To find out more, read our full BMW i7 review
Mercedes-Benz EQE 350
Best for Mercedes fans who want a more sorted car than the disappointing EQS
Pros: More refined than the EQS, better to drive, nice insideCons: Styling isnt to everyones tastes, AMG versions are more interesting
Range: 388 miles
The Mercedes-Benz EQE is a deeply impressive electric car. It has a comfortable interior, loads of technology, and the third-best maximum range of any new electric car you can buy in the UK today. In essence, its a pure-electric version of the traditional E-Class saloon and a slightly shrunken version of the companys flagship EQS saloon.
It isnt the most exciting car in the world to drive if youre looking for something sporty, consider the BMW i4 instead. But its easy to cover miles in and, when you do need to stop, charge times are rapid. Mercedes says itll take on 155 miles of range in just 15 minutes when connected to a 170kW DC charger.
The standard EQE 300 only has 242bhp, which means it isnt particularly fast, but the EQE 350 has 288bhp and can still cover 388 miles. However, Mercedes also offers an AMG 53 4Matic+ model with a whopping 616bhp and a 062mph time of 3.5 seconds. The downside? Prices for the quicker model start from 114,750. Ouch.
To find out more, read our full Mercedes-Benz EQE review
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Tesla Model S
Best for those wanting something different, (and Musk fans)
Pros: Still has impressive specs, solid interior, unusual lookCons: Build quality can be iffy, competition much tougher
Range: 405 miles
The Tesla Model S has long been the go-to choice for buyers wanting a long-range electric car. And, even though its been around since 2012, its still taking a place on the long-distance EV podium. There is a caveat though, as Teslas UK website still quotes US specs of an updated version of the EV that is still to be delivered. You can put down a small 100 deposit to secure one, though, and it is refundable.
The good news is that WLTP range estimates tend to be even longer than those produced by the stricter EPA test cycle, so that 405-mile figure could end up being higher once the revised Tesla Model S, in dual-motor all-wheel-drive specification, becomes available to UK buyers.
Tesla also offers the performance-focused Model S Plaid, which has an EPA range of 396 miles but, again, that figure could change once it passes through WLTP homologation. We suspect the more interesting figures for potential Plaid buyers are the performance ones, though, namely a 0-60mph time of just 1.99 seconds and a top speed of 200mph.
To find out more, read our full Tesla Model S review
Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+
Best for those who love interior tech, and dislike charging
Pros: Show-stopping interior, huge range, cabin spaceCons: Not quite the electric S-class its supposed to be
Range: 464 miles
The Mercedes-Benz EQS is the electric equivalent of the fabled S-Class and, as a luxury limousine, its target audience wouldnt be best impressed if they had to spend half their day parked up at a seedy service station waiting for the battery to recharge. Luckily, the EQS has a very long wheelbase, and Mercedes has filled that space with a whopping 108.4kWh battery.
That battery grants the EQS a maximum range of up to 464 miles on the WLTP test cycle, making it one of the longest range EVs you can buy. Its no slouch, either, dispatching the 0-62mph dash in 6.2 seconds despite a kerb weight of 2,480kg. The EQS is also very good to drive and its interior is exquisite, as youd hope for a car costing just over 100,000.
Mercedes-Benz also offers a higher-performance version called the EQS 53 4Matic+, which has 649bhp and a range of up to 347 miles. Thanks to all that power and all-wheel drive, the big Mercedes can dash to 62mph in 3.8 seconds. At the time of publication, though, the list price was a jaw-dropping 161,860.
To find out more, read our full Mercedes-Benz EQS Saloon review
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Lucid Air Grand Touring
The pinnacle of electric car technology right now
Pros: Efficiently packaged, beautifully assembled, great to driveCons: No word yet on whether well get a right-hand drive model
Range: 512 miles
We love the Lucid Air. In fact, we reckon Lucid is one of the most interesting electric car brands there is right now. Four of our road testers have driven the Air so far, and they all agree the brand is onto something special.
It has a top-notch engineering pedigree (the firm was built by Peter Rawlinson, whos engineered cars for Tesla, Jaguar and Lotus), an incredibly innovative design approach and the hardware to backup its frankly staggering efficiency claims. To put it into perspective, this super-sized luxury limo uses its electricity more efficiently than the humble Fiat 500e.
Plus, its rapid. The Grand Touring model has a ridiculous 808bhp and a 0-62mph time of 3.2 seconds. In fact, the only issue we have with the car is that its still not earmarked to be available in right-hand drive.
To find out more, read our full Lucid Air review
How can I maximise the driving range of my EV?
A study by Kia UK and Motiv8, an independent automotive training organisation, published results in December 2022 showing that, whatever model you drive, the way you drive can impact the range of your electric car significantly. So even if you dont have one of the longest range EVs shown here, you can still eek out a little more range.
David Taylor, director at Motiv8 International said, The results speak for themselves; by changing simple inputs, drivers can easily optimise their vehicles efficiency and go further on a charge, save on recharging costs and reducing their energy use.
Since the cost of public charging, particularly when using rapid chargers, is also getting more expensive, such methods are bound to be of interest to anyone looking to reduce the running costs of their electric cars.
With the average home charge costing around 3p/kWh and public rapid charging at around 7p/kWh, it is easy to see where savings can be made, said Taylor. If you take the average improvement in the Kia study and extrapolate that over the UK average of 9,435 electric miles a year, an EV driver could save between 220 and 500 per annum.
The study suggested the following techniques to maximise the range and benefits of an electric car:
Go easy with the accelerator: The torquey response of an EV might put a smile on your face, but it comes at the price of range.
Lighten the load: Unused roof boxes steal range. Dont forget to unload any unnecessary clutter.
Maintain momentum: Careful route planning to avoid jams will remove the start/stop nature of driving that congestion causes. Anticipating the road ahead also enables best regenerative braking opportunities.
Slow down: Cutting speed from 60 mph to 50 mph can improve efficiency by up to 15%.
Do you need a long range?
Whether or not drivers need a car that can travel hundreds of miles on a full battery is a different matter entirely. There are plenty of owners that only need small electric cars for pottering around their home town so they can get away with a short-range EV that can be easily charged up at home, such as the Honda E.
Which electric car has the longest range?
Many electric cars now offer a range of more than 300 miles in our book, thats plenty for the vast majority of drivers. Even on a long trip, that represents at least six hours of uninterrupted driving, at which point wed say an enforced stop for charging isnt necessarily a bad thing.
The longest-range model on sale in the UK is the Mercedes-Benz EQS saloon, which can travel up to 464 miles on a charge. Stateside, the Lucid Air claims more than 500 miles of range, but thats according to different official tests.
Do electric cars lose range over time?
Yes but dont worry about it. When EVs first started becoming mainstream, doom-mongers claimed that theyd be worthless in just a few years, with the original battery packs totally incapable of holding any charge. That proved to be false, and even some of the earliest Nissan Leafs which are more than a decade old still have at least 80% of their original battery capacity intact.
Of course, in a car that could only do 100 miles or so in the first place, even a small drop in range can be a problem, but for later models with bigger ranges this is less of a problem. And with better thermal management, electric car batteries look set to last longer than ever.
Every manufacturer warrants their electric car batteries against excessive loss of capacity. The typical plan is 80% of capacity warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles, but some are notably more generous.
Even if your EV goes out of warranty, there are garages training recruits on battery refurbishment, replacing individual cells rather than an entire pack. This should make repair costs for used EVs much more palatable.
Will electric cars ever offer 500 miles of range?
Next-generation electric cars are set to offer even longer ranges; Mercedes, for example, has already revealed the Vision EQXX concept car which drove more than 1,000km (621 miles) on a single charge in April 2022. Granted, its still a technical showcase rather than a proper production car, but it demonstrates that electric car range anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.
Luke Wilkinsonis a Senior Staff Writer for the Bauer Automotive Hub. He writes news, reviews, features and best of pages for both CAR magazine and our sister site, Parkers.
