Want an EV (electric vehicle) with the flexibility to travel long distances? You’ll want to read our guide of the longest-range electric cars on the market.
The pace of change in the electric car market is rapid, particularly when it comes to the distance they’ll now manage on a charge.
Only a few years ago the average EV could barely manage a return trip on the famous London to Brighton run without a charging stop. Now, there are electric cars on sale that can go there and back three times over without seeing a charger.
Despite the advancements the car industry has made there are still a huge number of drivers who aren’t being convinced to go electric. As the 2024 RAC Report on Motoring outlines, 51% of those surveyed worry the cars won’t have enough battery range to travel long journeys as easily as petrol or diesel cars.
So to help those sitting on the fence, we’ve compiled a list of the ten longest range electric cars on sale today.
Our list is based on the quoted combined range figure taken from the WLTP ‘standard’ testing cycle, which you may not quite manage in regular real-world driving but serves as an accurate comparison between cars. It includes a variety of EVs at varying price points: long range is no longer purely the reserve of luxury car buyers.
Longest range electric cars on sale in the UK: shortlist
- Mercedes-Benz EQS – 481 miles
- Audi A6 e-tron – 463 miles
- Polestar 3 –438 miles
- Volkswagen ID.7 – 437 miles
- Tesla Model 3 – 436 miles
- Peugeot E-3008: 435 miles
- Mercedes-Benz EQE: 429 miles
- Porsche Taycan: 421 miles
- Peugeot E-5008: 415 miles
- Polestar 2: 408 miles
1: Mercedes-Benz EQS
Range: 481 miles
It’s going to take some effort from rival brands to beat the all-conquering Mercedes-Benz EQS luxury saloon, which boasts the longest range of any electric car on sale by a considerable margin. Mostly that’s down to its enormous 118kWh battery pack, but it’s also helped by it being the most aerodynamically efficient car on sale today.
To get the headline 481 miles of range you’ll need the EQS 450+, which is the mid-range version with a price-tag of well over £100,000. You’ll also need ideal conditions and a light right-foot, which is the case with all the cars in this list. Interestingly, there’s an even more expensive version, the £160,000+ EQS 53 AMG model, but that sacrifices range in the pursuit of performance.
2: Audi A6 e-tron
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Range: 463 miles
Audi’s best hope for a long-range EV was, up until recently, the Q6 e-tron, which has now lost its place at the bottom of this list. It’s been bumped out by this, the lower, sleeker and (slightly) lighter A6 e-tron. And what a challenger the new saloon is, shooting right up towards the much pricier Mercedes-Benz EQS (and trumping the similarly-sized EQE) with a storming quoted range of up to 463 miles.
For that peak range figure you’lll need the A6 e-tron Performance, with a 95kWh usable battery and a single 367hp electric motor. That’s probably the best outright blend of performance, cost and range anyway, while the A6 also has quiet cruising manners, a big boot and a slick interior.
3. Polestar 3
Range: 438 miles
Polestar’s latest offering might not take the top spot in its list, but it’s still capable of driving from London to Edinburgh with charge in the battery spare for exploring.
The Polestar 3 is a cutting-edge new premium SUV from a forward-thinking Swedish brand, and the cheapest Long Range Single motor model absolutely trounces rivals like the Tesla Model Y for outright range (although it’s a preliminary figure for now. With rapid charging at up to 250kW, LiDAR sensors for autonomous driving functions and the promising of a sporting drive, it’s a desirable choice.
4: Volkswagen ID.7
Range: 437 miles
Just one mile of range separates the Volkswagen ID.7 the next car in this list, but it’s considerably cheaper to buy or lease and manages to eke its 437-mile range from a much smaller 86kWh battery pack. That means it’s more efficient, proving a long range doesn’t have to mean high running costs.
You can consider the ID.7 as a bit of a new-age electric Volkswagen Passat. It’s comfortable, quiet and ideal for long motorway jaunts, with plenty of space and technology. You can also have it as an estate model, called the ID.7 Tourer, although you sacrifice a few miles of quoted range for that extra boot space.
5. Tesla Model 3
Range: 436 miles
The Tesla Model 3 is no longer the new kid on the block. In fact, it lost its crown as the world’s most popular electric car to its big brother, the Model Y. But it’s still Tesla’s big-hitter when it comes to range in the UK, promising an extremely competitive 436 miles on a charge in Long Range Rear Wheel Drive form.
With Tesla’s world-beating EV expertise, it manages to eke out such an impressive range from the smallest battery in this list, at just 78kWh. That promises efficiency not far of five miles per kWh, which is what you’d usually expect from a small hatchback. Even in this form you still get sports car performance, dazzling tech features and access to Tesla’s unrivalled Supercharger network, too.
