[MUSIC PLAYING] LAUREN MCCAY: What's up? I'm Lauren McCay. And this is our list of the top 10 best EVs with the longest range. No need for battery stress with these cars. They are the best of the best models we've tested to date.
The EPA comes up with their estimate for miles you'll get per gallon, or MPG. The same is done for electric vehicles, just a smidge different.
And then there's the Edmunds way of getting range numbers. To understand our list, you must first understand our process.
The EPA has standards they hold each manufacturer to. Those manufacturers then run their own tests to get an estimated range, which are based on miles that a vehicle can travel through the city and highway, splitting the time between both before needing to be recharged. To get at that, the EV is fully charged, parked overnight, and then driven the next day on a dynamometer.
To simplify, it's a treadmill for cars like those neat simulation rides. Basically, in the hands of these manufacturers, these cars live a lab rat's life.
Here at Edmunds, we're all about that real-world experience-- go ahead, little car, spread your wings-- testing a car's range the way a real person would by actually driving it on the road. We start with a full battery, and drive the car on the actual road, mixing in both highway and city streets, until the battery reads zero miles of range. The kilowatt hours used from charging are calculated with the miles traveled, and boom, our scientific method for a real-world range number. That was a long-winded way to say, we don't mess around with our rankings. It's rigorous, time-consuming, and it's a science. Also, we can bring you what's most applicable.
OK, that said, let's see who kicks us off at number 10.
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At number 10, it's the 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition, unique in that it's the first from the startup company's fleet, as well as it's the only electric truck made quite like this. In our testing, it beat out the EPA's estimate by three miles, with 317 miles total before needing to charge. It was tested with the standard battery, which is the biggest battery pack in this top 10 list.
Why we're so impressed, because it's a big old truck weighing more than 7,000 pounds, with four electric motors that'll make even diesel trucks cry with their torque. [GASP]
Even with horrendous efficiency, it makes our top 10 by brute force. For their very first EV truck, this automaker has proven they're one to beat in this space hands down.
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In at number nine is the Tesla Model Y Long Range, Elon Musk's way of making a car feel less like a car and more like a spaceship. The Y debuted for 2020 as a pioneer of the all-electric small SUV class. To its credit, Tesla has figured out how to generate plenty of social media buzz over cars that in the grand scheme of things few people buy.
That said, we couldn't turn a blind eye to the Model Y's range, as it has one of the smallest batteries on our list yet still delivers. In our testing, it's tied with the Rivian at 317 miles, which is pretty solid. That's a bit under Tesla's Model 3, which, spoiler alert, is on our list, but I'll get to that later.
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Sitting at number eight is the 2022 Kia EV6 Wind. It's a small crossover hatchback that is the first in Kia's lineup to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Given that EVs are usually heavier than gas cars because of those batteries, the Wind is considered a bit of a lightweight, not the kind that can't handle its mimosas at brunch--
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--but the one that won't weigh down the driving experience.
And its 19-range friendly wheels add a nice cherry on top. We tested it the Edmunds way, squeezing every bit of battery energy out like a lemon for lemonade. Just one more drop. [GRUNT] And we got 323 miles out of it, beating the EPA's estimate by 13 miles.
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Next on our list at number seven is the Porsche Taycan 4S with Performance Battery Plus. When Porsche first revealed they'd be making an all-electric sports car, we were a bit leery. But after driving this Taycan, we can officially say we're fans. Porsche knocked it out of the park. [CRACK OF THE BAT] And the crowd goes wild.
The Taycan provides the performance, style, and precision that you'd expect from the marquee, and its range matches its quality, outperforming the EPA's estimate by a whopping 120 miles. To get those numbers, we ran in it on more range-friendly settings in the real world, and we were shocked.
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Number six, it's the 2021 Mustang Mach-E, more specifically the California Route 1 with extended range battery. The Mach-E is the first Ford to be designed specifically as an electric vehicle. And an electric horse sounds pretty cool to me.
There will be no gas-powered version or even a hybrid. We've tested a bunch of Mach-E trims, and they all beat the EPA's range by as much as almost 15%. And this one is no exception. How far exactly? 344 miles, and beating the EPA's estimated range by 39 miles.
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Halfway through our list at number five is the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid, the second Tesla making our countdown. The Plaid, which gets its name from an obscure Spaceballs movie reference-- Lone Starr, I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate. Love that movie. The Schwartz!
Anyway, it has one more electric motor than the other trims for a total of three. This thing has 1,020 horsepower and can do zeo to 60 in just two seconds. But while that's impressive, the Plaid actually underperformed the EPA's estimate in our testing. But it's on our list because it's relatively lightweight for a luxury performance EV, and you can still get 345 miles more range than most.
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While we're on Tesla, the Model 3 Long Range takes the spot for number four. Yes, it's a Tesla still. And yes, I probably can come up with the same lame jokes that I just said. But there's significant differences we think set it apart enough to do its own thing on our countdown.
First, it's just like the Model Y, but it's smaller and more lightweight, so it gets better range. Actually, it's lighter than our top three by about 1,000 pounds. But, of course, I'm not going to reveal that now.
In our testing, we were able to squeeze out 345 miles. That's just a little less than the EPA estimate. But don't feel bad, Tesla fans.
And now we've hit the top three. And if you weren't impressed before, be ready to have your socks knocked off.
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If you wanted to take a trip from LA to, say, like Phoenix, Arizona, you'd be able to do that with the BMW iX xDrive50. It's been quite a while since we've gotten an all-new fully electric BMW. But the wait has definitely been worth it. Sporting two electric motors, one at each axle, the xDrive50 has a thumping 516 horsepower and can do zero to 60 in just four seconds.
But that's its sexy flex. It's number three on our list because it can deliver 377 miles. Remember, LA to Arizona. . It outperformed the EPA's range test by 62 miles, and that was on 22-inch wheels. Probably could have gotten even more rolling on [INAUDIBLE].
OK, I know what you're thinking. How could we have this list and not include a Mercedes? All right. I'm projecting. You probably weren't thinking that. But I did just give up the number two spot. It's the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+. The EQS is the first all- electric car from Mercedes. It's the equivalent to the gas-powered S-class sedan, which has set the luxury standard for decades. Like the S-class, the EQS features all of Mercedes latest luxury features, in-car tech and advanced driver aids.
But wait, there's more. It overpowered the EPA's range by 20%, able to give you 422 miles. Want to go to Napa Valley? Wine not. You could do that with this EQS and charge up while you sleep off those well-fermented grapes.
And before we move on to the number one pick, I just want to give an honorable mention to another Benz, the 580 4Matic, able to deliver 381 miles.
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It doesn't get any more exciting than this in the EV world, showing off American automotive innovation and doing a freaking stellar great job at it.
It's the 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition. Some might say it was created from a copycat company of Tesla-- not the mail guy, but the big chief, who also oversaw the engineering of the Model S. Got tired of Elon knocking his ideas and developed his own.
The Lucid Air has a massive battery capacity, the equivalent of about three standard Nissan Leaf battery packs. Second largest next to the Rivian. The Air is compatible with the super speedy fast charging stations. Hooking it up to one of those allows it to potentially regain up to 300 miles of range after just 20 minutes of charging. Now that's quick. Its consumption is shockingly good, too, considering it can make 900 horsepower.
Though it came in about 5% less than what the EPA estimated, it's our winner, because out of all the EVs, it can still bust out a whopping 505 miles without charging, which could get you from about halfway from LA to Seattle, where running out of energy is never an issue there. It's clear, we would have completely missed the mark if we slept on the range this dream can give.
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Well, there you have it, our best of the best in the EV world when it comes to getting out on the open road and not worrying about how much charge you have left. Sure, some may be bank breakers, but at least now you have standards. Like dating, you'll get anything if you're not particular about at least some things.
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Yeah. Exactly.
Did you know? We have a top 10 for every category. So check out Edmunds.com no matter what kind of car, truck, or SUV you're searching for.
