Some electric cars fall short of claimed range by up to 23%, Australian motoring group finds

The Smart #3 had the closest ‘real world’ range compared with that advertised, with only a 5% shortfall, according to the Australian Automobile Association. Photograph: Australian Automobile Association

A government-funded program to test the true performance of vehicles has found the driving range of five popular electric cars is between 5% and 23% lower than results from laboratory testing.

The Australian Automobile Association tested vehicles from Tesla, BYD, Kia and Smart – the first EVs to be put through its four-year, federally funded Real World Testing Program to give consumers more accurate information on vehicle performance.