Which electric car performs best in cold weather?
- Published on 31/01/2026 12:08
Tested down to –31°C, the Lucid Air Grand Touring electric vehicle achieves the best winter range ever measured in real-world conditions.
The cold is undoubtedly the worst nightmare for electric cars. Between batteries losing efficiency, energy-consuming heating, and snowy roads, the range often diminishes faster than snow melts in the sun… well, almost. To distinguish between models, the Norges Automobil-Forbund (NAF) organizes the very serious NAF Winter Test every winter, also known as “El Prix”. And in 2026, one car clearly dominated the rankings: the Lucid Air Grand Touring.
This edition will go down in history. With temperatures dropping to –31°C, it is simply the coldest test ever conducted by the Norges Automobil-Forbund. No laboratory conditions here: the vehicles start fully charged at 100% and all follow the same route, combining urban traffic in Oslo, fast highways, mountain roads, and rural sections covered in snow.
The Queens of the Snow
In this polar context, the Lucid Air Grand Touring impressed by traveling 520 km on a single charge, marking the best performance of the group. To give an idea of the gap, the Mercedes-Benz CLA, second in the rankings, stopped at 421 km, leaving the American sedan nearly 100 km ahead. A difference that is far from trivial when every kilometer counts.
In total, 24 electric cars participated in this NAF Winter Test 2026, including the Tesla Model Y, credited with 359 km before needing a recharge. The last stretch of the course, between Hjerkinn and Rondane Gjestegård, is repeated until the cars can no longer maintain the required speed. Simple, effective… and formidable.
This winter success confirms Lucid’s consistency in terms of range. Already a record holder during the NAF Summer Test 2025 with 828.6 km, the Lucid Air Grand Touring also holds a Guinness World Record for having traveled 1,205 km on a single charge.
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Conclusion? When winter sets in and the thermometer drops, not all electric cars are created equal. And some, evidently, don’t even need a hat.
ALSO READ: Driving electric in winter: the tips that change everything
This page is translated from the original post "Quelle voiture électrique résiste le mieux au froid ?" in French.
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