Longest Range Electric Cars
The longest range electric cars are determined based on analyzing all electric vehicles and their maximum EPA estimated range.
One of the key factors to consider when purchasing a zero-emissions electric car is its long range capabilities. This is the maximum driving range an electric vehicle can go on a single charge. Although most of us won’t drive enough miles in a given day to use a full charge, no one wants the range anxiety that comes from experiencing a depleted battery pack with no option to re-charge it. The concern around this issue is such that the EPA includes an EV’s estimated total miles of range in its fuel economy evaluation, although what you achieve in real-world driving may vary.
The constant expansion of the charging network is making it easier to find a convenient charger. But EV drivers can face substantially different charging times between fast charging options like level 3 and Tesla Supercharger stations versus the more common level 2 public chargers. Drivers looking to get maximum range by fully charging their EV might wait between 30 minutes and several hours, depending on their car’s kWh battery capacity and state of charge. Thankfully, all modern electric vehicles include touchscreen infotainment systems with features that make it easy to track your range and locate a charging station.
Today there are dozens of electric vehicles to choose from with a wide spectrum of features and range, from minimalist models like the Nissan Leaf to luxurious EVs like the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 sedan and EQE SUV. High-performance EVs, like the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Plaid, offer some of the quickest zero-to-60 times you can get in a street-legal car.
Electric car powertrains include single-motor options with front-wheel drive, such as the Kia Niro, or rear-wheel drive and dual-motor options with all-wheel drive, like the BMW iX xDrive 50 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Some electric cars have three or four electric motors for more advanced AWD capability, which delivers improved handling over FWD or RWD models. These include the Tesla Model S, with three motors, and the Rivian R1T pickup truck and Rivian R1S SUV, both with four.
With so many automakers producing EVs today buyers can choose a luxury sedan, hatchback, crossover, entry-level compact car, or even a midsize or full-size truck. But while the Lucid Air Dream Edition is one of the longest-range EVs at over 500 miles, most electric vehicles offer between 200 and 300 miles.
For each electric vehicle segment below we break down the longest range electric cars you can buy, and rank them by their range specs.
How We Rank These Cars
The longest range electric car lists rank vehicles by their maximum EPA estimated EV ranges.
The maximum EV range (in miles) is the highest range across all trim levels for a given vehicle model. In the event there is a tie, we use iSeeCars proprietary rating of the overall quality of the car (iSeeCars Score) to break the tie.
The overall iSeeCars Score is an analysis of three factors: reliability, resale value and safety. It is calculated based on the latest research and analysis by our data science team. The data analysis comes from over 12 million new and used vehicles in our Longest-Lasting Cars and 5-Year Depreciation Studies, combined with NHTSA and IIHS Safety Ratings.
Vehicles are scored in three categories:
Reliability
The reliability score represents an analysis of iSeeCars' proprietary research on the longest-lasting vehicles.
Value Retention
The value retention score is based on our data science team's statistical analysis and prediction of 5-year depreciation from MSRP to determine which cars hold their value best, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to adjust for inflation.
Safety
The safety score is calculated based on the last five years of crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and incorporates the latest Top Safety Pick information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
