Which electric car has the longest range?

If you value driving range above all else, the Mercedes EQS currently occupies the No.1 position as the electric car with the longest range in 2022. It has an all-electric range of up to 453 miles – the EQS has a large 107.8kWh battery pack – so it’s more than capable of managing lengthy journeys, and when it does need recharging, it does so in around 31 minutes at a rapid charging station. This is definitely one very impressive electric car, though it’s not only the driving range that’s large – the EQS has an On The Road (OTR) starting price from £105,610.

Long considered the market leaders for electric cars, Tesla vehicles have always been known for their substantial driving ranges, although as we can see from this list, there’s now plenty of increasing competition for that crown – not just from Mercedes, but from BMW and Ford, too. The Tesla Model S Plaid’s variant has a range of up to 396 miles, and if you want performance, it really delivers with a top speed of up to 200mph and 0-60mph acceleration in 1.99 seconds. Don’t get too excited though – the Tesla S Plaid might be one of the longest range electric car models on the market, but it’s not yet available in the UK.

With a maximum driving range of up to 384 miles, the Mercedes EQE might fall short of the EQS but it’s another electric car with a substantial driving range. It’s kinder on the budget front than the EQS too, with an OTR starting price from £73,450 perhaps making it more affordable – in the context of new class-leading electric cars, at least. Again, charging is fast, at approximately 32 minutes using a rapid charging station.

BMW has an excellent range of electric cars, which includes the iX, the Sports Activity Vehicle with an all-wheel drive system. The BMW iX is available in a choice of trims, but the ixDrive 50 is the longest range electric car available. The M Sport Edition has a range of up to 380 miles, and the 107.5kWh battery size is one of the largest to be fitted in an EV. With a top speed of 124mph and 0-62mph acceleration in 4.6 seconds, it’s pretty fast, too.

Using rapid charging, it takes just ten minutes to top the range up by 93 miles – more than enough time to power up for the last leg of a long-distance journey, if you need to, while you stop for coffee.

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Think the Tesla Model 3 has been a common sight on UK roads over the last 12 months or so? Well, there’s a reason for that. It was, actually, the second best selling car in the UK in 2021, with 34,783 registrations – just straight-up No.2 overall, not just EVs – beaten only by the Vauxhall Corsa (40,194). The Tesla Model 3 is available in three trims. The longest range electric car is the imaginatively-titled Tesla Model 3 Long Range, which has a maximum driving range of up to 374 miles.

6. Ford Mustang Mach-E - 372 miles

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is the manufacturer’s first all-electric SUV, and depending on the model trim buyers opt for, pushes the BMW iX close in terms of driving range. The Mach-E range includes the GT, Select, Premium AWD and Premium RWD and it’s the latter with the longer range – Ford’s official figures putting it as a maximum of 372 miles. It has a lower price than the BMW iX, starting from £50,830 – the top model in the range starts from £59,830 – compared to £77,305, but slower acceleration and a slower charging time.

There’s been a lot of excitement about the BMW i4 since its introduction to the EV market, and it’s easy to see the appeal of the model. BMW’s first all-electric Gran Coupé, it’s equipped with 5th generation e-Drive technology and is available as the BMW i4 eDrive40 and BMW i4 M50. The latter has two electric motors, providing power output of 537bhp and 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds – but if you’re shopping for a long range electric car, the i4 eDrive40 is better for you, with a range of up to 365 miles.

It comes with a reasonable price tag, too – OTR from £53,480.

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The third Tesla in the top ten is the Model X. Available in two variants, the Model X Plaid has been hailed – by Tesla – as the ‘highest performing SUV ever built’, and with 0-60mph acceleration in just 2.3 seconds, that’s not without justification. But, while the Plaid has a driving range of up to 333 miles, the Model X goes further, with an estimated driving range of up to 348 miles. Hitting 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, it’s hardly sluggish, either.

9. Volkswagen ID 3 - 340 miles

The ID 3 is VW’s first all-electric car of its kind, so it’s something of a flagship model for Volkswagen. There are five trim levels – Life, Style, Family, Max and Tour – and it’s the Tour that has the longest driving range. Fitted with a 77 kWh battery and 150 kW electric motor, the Volkswagen ID 3 Tour Pro S has an official range of up to 340 miles. For a smaller family car, that more than holds its own.

Just edging out the Polestar 2 (341 miles) in the top ten is the CURPA Born, which has had a very strong year – it was named Best Electric Family Car of 2022 by WhatCar? Available in three different trim levels. If you prioritise range, the trim you need is the V2 230PS e-Boost, which is fitted with a 77 kWh battery. Charge time with AC charging to 100% is seven hours 30 minutes, or just 36 minutes to get to 80% using DC charging of 135kW.

Will we see an EV with a range of 500 miles?

What will the future hold for electric cars and range? Will the longest range electric car reach the 500 mile mark? Well, it might already be here. The Lucid Air electric saloon has an estimated driving range of up to 520 miles, which would make it the electric car with the longest range in the world. It’s expected to be available to UK buyers at some point in 2023.

Beyond that, there have even been further reports that, by 2025, we’ll see long range electric cars reaching 600 miles. That’s only a few years away.

Until then, there are lots of electric car models available that, while not qualifying for the top ten list in this guide, have ranges of 250-300 miles – more than enough to keep you driving for hours, even days and weeks, depending on your motoring needs, without charging.

To find your dream electric car, explore models from BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover, MINI and Porsche.

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*Range figures are taken from official manufacturer websites, and accurate at the time of writing, October 2022.