Electric Car Batteries Hold Up Really Well — These Are “The Best”

A new look at electric car batteries suggests the worry about them wearing out is mostly overblown. Aviloo, a company that tests EV battery health, ran more than 500,000 tests on 20 popular electric car models, checking how much range capacity they retained after 50,000, 100,000, and 150,000 kilometers (roughly 31,000, 62,000, and 93,000 miles). The tests were done across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia between 2022 and 2026.

Most models still had about 95 percent of their original range after 50,000 km, and were typically still in the low 90s percent after 150,000 km. Some lost only a few percent even at the highest mileage, while a smaller number dropped around 20 percent, in some cases by 100,000 km. The standout models — meaning they held onto the most range over time — were the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Hyundai Kona EV, Mercedes-Benz EQA, BMW i4, Volvo XC40 Recharge, Polestar 2, and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

For anyone weighing an electric car for their household, the takeaway is that battery degradation on today's models is small enough that it rarely changes daily driving in a meaningful way. Even a car that loses 15 or 20 percent of its range still has far more range than electric cars sold a decade ago, since batteries and range have improved several times over in that time.