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TESTED: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Beats EPA Range Estimate

But the other Mach-Es we've tested did even better

  • The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance is the sportiest version of the Mach-E.
  • In Edmunds' real-world EV range testing, the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance covered 272 miles, exceeding its 260-mile EPA range estimate.
  • Both the Mustang Mach-E CA Route 1 Edition and the Mustang Mach-E AWD with the extended range battery did significantly better in our testing.

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance is the sportiest version yet of Ford's all-electric SUV. We've already tested the Mustang Mach-E at our test facility, recording a zero to 60 mph time of just 3.8 seconds, though we weren't exactly smitten with its performance on the whole. But that's only half the story. Like every EV we test, we ran the Mach-E GT Performance on our EV testing route to see how accurate the EPA's estimates are in the real world. Here's how the hopped-up Mach-E handled it.

Real-world range of the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance

Edmunds tests every new electric vehicle on a standardized drive route to see just how far each vehicle can travel in the real world on a single charge. Check out our EV leaderboard (updated regularly) to see all of the other EVs Edmunds has tested. In our testing, most EVs tend to exceed their EPA estimates (with some notable exceptions), though the margin can vary greatly from car to car.

All Mustang Mach-E GT models include the 88-kWh extended-range battery pack, all-wheel drive, a sport-tuned suspension, and a handful of interior and exterior design changes. The standard Mach-E GT has the same 270-mile EPA range estimate as the Mach-E AWD Extended Range. Models with the GT Performance package like our test car also get an adaptive suspension and Pirelli summer performance tires. While those Pirellis are great for grip, they're not as efficient as the regular GT's all-season tires, cutting the EPA range estimate to 260 miles.

Of the three Mach-Es we've tested to date, the GT Performance's go-fast equipment makes it the heaviest of the trio. On our scales, the GT Performance weighed in at 4,997 pounds compared to 4,526 pounds for the rear-wheel-drive California Route 1 Edition and 4,822 pounds for the AWD Extended Range model. All three cars have the same 88-kWh battery pack, so the GT's extra pounds aren't offset by any battery advantages.

At the end of a full day of driving with an average ambient air temperature of 68 degrees, we had racked up 272 miles behind the wheel of the Mach-E GT Performance, outpacing the EPA estimate by 12 miles. That's well short of both the 304 miles we saw in the Mach-E AWD Extended Range (34 miles better than the EPA estimate) and the outstanding 344-mile showing of the Mach-E California Route 1 Edition (39 miles better than EPA). But it's good enough to put the Mach-E GT Performance smack in the middle of our leaderboard, ahead of vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y Performance and the Volvo XC40 Recharge.

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What did those 272 miles cost?

That of course depends on the cost of electricity, which — like gasoline or diesel — varies from state to state. Driving range is what ends up getting talked about the most when new EVs are announced, but there are two sides to this coin. The unit of measurement for electric consumption, the kilowatt-hour, can be thought of as the EV equivalent of a gallon of gasoline. The more you use, of course, the more it costs, so the question isn't just how far the car will go, but how much it'll cost you in the process.

Here's what you can expect to pay to drive a Mustang Mach-E GT Performance to empty on a full charge. For comparison's sake, we'll use Washington and Hawaii. As of this writing, those states have the lowest and highest residential electricity costs in the nation at 10 cents and 34 cents per kWh, respectively. The current average cost of fuel, meanwhile, is $3.87 per gallon in Washington and $4.33 per gallon in Hawaii.

After charging overnight on a Level 2 charger, we measured our Ford's consumption at 37.4 kWh/100 mi, 8.8% better than the 41 kWh/100 miles that the EPA estimates. That means that In Washington, our 272-mile drive would have cost $10.17 in electricity. In Hawaii, that jumps to $34.59.

A comparable gasoline-powered SUV like the BMW X3 or Mercedes-Benz GLC gets around 23 mpg. A 272-mile trip at 23 mpg would cost $45.77 in Washington and $51.21 in Hawaii. Over 10,000 miles, driving the Mach-E GT Performance would save about $1,300 in Washington and $600 in Hawaii. It's worth noting that if you wanted to get a high-performance version of the X3 or GLC to match the Mach-E GT's acceleration, your fuel costs would increase precipitously, making the Ford even more of a bargain by comparison.

To learn more about Edmunds' EV testing, check out our Real World vs. EPA testing page, which includes both our EV range leaderboard and a table with detailed test results. Our EV range leaderboard is embeddable and will automatically update every time we add a new vehicle.

Edmunds says

As with the other Mach-Es that Edmunds has tested, the GT Performance edition exceeded its EPA estimates, but by a smaller margin. Just like the regular gas-powered Mustang, the Mustang Mach-E GT gives up efficiency in favor of increased performance, though it's still impressively efficient given how much power it packs.

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