The FIA tests 24 electric cars in the harsh cold... and exposes Tesla

The International Automobile Federation gathered 24 electric cars in Norway to confront them with the cold. The results are surprising.

Such rigorous tests, using the same protocol and with no financial interest in the outcomes, are quite rare. Yet, this is the exercise that the FIA, the prestigious International Automobile Federation, undertook in Norway in early January 2025.

The goal was to confront 24 electric cars with the reality of extreme cold, focusing on range and charging speed. And between promises and reality, there are often significant gaps. Some cars perform better than others.

THE SELECTED CARS

Tesla Model 3 Rear-wheel Drive
Audi Q6 e-tron
Porsche Taycan
KIA EV3
Polestar 3
Volkswagen ID.7 Station Wagon
Porsche Macan
Xpeng G6
Hyundai Ioniq 5
Hongqi EHS7
BYD Tang LR 4×4
Ford Explorer
Peugeot E-5008
Yoyah Dream
Volvo EX30
Mercedes G-Class
Smart #3
Mini Countryman
Peugeot E-3008
NIO EL8
BYD Sealion 7
BYD Seal U
Lotus Emeya S
BMW i5

RESULTS AND RANGE VARIATIONS

	Promised Range (KM)	Actual Range (KM)	Drop
Tesla Model 3 Rear-wheel Drive LR	702	531	-24.30%
Audi Q6 e-tron	616	481	-21.90%
Porsche Taycan	592	499	-15.70%
KIA EV3	590	499	-15.40%
Polestar 3	560	531	-5.10%
Volkswagen ID.7 Station Wagon	571	440	-22.90%
Porsche Macan	552	429	-22.20%
Xpeng G6	550	429	-22.00%
Hyundai Ioniq 5	546	436	-20.10%
Hongqi EHS7	540	452	-16.20%
BYD Tang LR 4×4	530	482	-9.00%
Ford Explorer	525	437	-16.70%
Peugeot E-5008	488	361	-26.00%
Yoyah Dream	482	344	-28.60%
Volvo EX30	472	371	-21.30%
Mercedes G-Class	443	381	-13.90%
Smart #3	415	346	-16.60%
Mini Countryman	399	355	-11.00%
Peugeot E-3008	510	347	-31.90%
NIO EL8	503	412	-18.00%
BYD Sealion 7	502	436	-13.10%
BYD Seal U	500	421	-15.80%
Lotus Emeya S	500	436	-12.80%
BMW i5	497	392	-21.10%

The initial lessons are quite surprising. First, we observe that the range of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range Rear-wheel Drive collapses the most among this comparison, with the highest percentage decrease. Another noteworthy point is the extremely poor performance of the Peugeot E-5008 and E-3008, with declines of nearly -32%! Even unknown Chinese manufacturers (Hongqi, Yoyah) do not perform that badly.

CHARGING SPEED RESULTS FROM 10% TO 80%

	Promised Charging Time (min)	Actual Charging Time (min)	Difference
Tesla Model 3 Rear-wheel Drive LR	32	32	=
Audi Q6 e-tron	21	22	+1 min
Porsche Taycan	18	19	+1 min
KIA EV3	31	31	=
Polestar 3	30	32	+2 min
Volkswagen ID.7 Station Wagon	26	26	=
Porsche Macan	21	21	=
Xpeng G6	20	20	=
Hyundai Ioniq 5	18	20	+2 min
Hongqi EHS7	25	25	=
BYD Tang LR 4×4	46	43	-3 min
Ford Explorer	26	25	-1 min
Peugeot E-5008	30	39	+9 min
Yoyah Dream	36	43	+7 min
Volvo EX30	26	28	+2 min
Mercedes G-Class	32	33	+1 min
Smart #3	30	31	+1 min
Mini Countryman	30	29	-1 min
Peugeot E-3008	30	47	+17 min
NIO EL8	20	21	+1 min
BYD Sealion 7	24	31	+7 min
BYD Seal U	43	42	-1 min
Lotus Emeya S	18	16	-2 min
BMW i5	30	33	+3 min

Once again, two groups are evident: vehicles that accurately meet their commercial promise, and those that perform lamentably. Peugeot, especially the E-3008, stands out with an +17-minute increase compared to the brochure… while the actual range afterward is one of the lowest. That’s quite significant…

On the other hand, the Lotus Emeya S is a charging speed champion, requiring only 16 minutes before being ready to go again for about 300 km. The Porsche Taycan is also quite good because its range is subsequently higher. With 32 minutes of stopping from 10% to 80%, the Tesla Model 3 is not among the fastest to recharge. Additionally, BYD vehicles generally recharge slowly in cold weather.