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How truthful is the electric vehicle (EV) range figure claim on the windscreen sticker?
If the latest round of data compiled in independent testing and released on June 17 is anything to go by, not very.
Conducted by the nation’s peak motoring body, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the assessment for EVs involves a 93km set course in and around the city of Geelong in Victoria.
Note that no EV tested matched – let alone exceeded – its maker’s official range figures as per the Australian government’s Australian Design Rule 81/02.
A distinction we’re making here is that we are comparing the AAA’s real-world testing (RWT) results against each manufacturer’s Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) numbers.
WLTP is more real-world representative than the more-lenient NEDC figures, which will no longer be accepted by the AAA for scrutiny from July 1 this year anyway.
Here, then, are the latest RWT versus WLTP laboratory-tested range scores for five popular EVs, mixed in with a handful of results from last year, thrown in for context.
–3.4% of WLTP
Made in China to keep it cost competitive, the Kia EV5 Air Long Range from $61,170 is a mid-sized SUV.
It came in with a AAA RWT number of 537km when scrutinised last year, which is in contrast to its WLTP rating of 555km, for a differential of just 3.4 per cent. That’s still very impressive real-world efficiency.
–4.9% of WLTP
The evergreen mid-sized SUV that kicked off BYD’s soaring fortunes in Australia remains impressively faithful to its WLTP claim of 345km, despite being one of the least-expensive electric SUVs on the market from $39,990 (before on-road costs).
The AAA’s RWT result of 328km represents a drop of just 4.9 per cent.
–5% of WLTP
A joint-venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely of China, the latter essentially engineered and built the German-designed small SUV, which has cues reminiscent of the Mercedes GLA inside and out.
The $57,900 entry-level #3 Pro+ also a fairly true to the WLTP range rating of 455km, posting a AAA RWT rating of 432km when tested last year.
–6.8% of WLTP
Assessed in higher-grade Premium guise from $36,990, the Chinese brand’s Dolphin small-car hatchback advertises its WLTP rating as 427km, but the AAA’s RWT saw that slide to 398km.
That’s not too bad at all, since the gap is a fairly reasonable 6.8 per cent, highlighting the advantages of lightweight engineering.
–7% of WLTP
Australia’s best-selling EV to date in 2026, the Tesla from America via China managed a AAA distance of 559km compared 600km WLTP.
That is a shortfall of seven per cent for the mid-spec medium-sized electric SUV starting from $68,900.
This particular Model Y grade joins just two other EVs to actually exceed the magic 500km mark in AAA’s RWT regime as conducted on previous occasions.
–11% of WLTP
The latest testing involving Kia ended up in a draw, from two very distinctively different models.
The mid-spec EV5 Earth AWD Long Range is a medium-sized SUV from China from a tad under $65,000, returning a AAA RWT range result of 446km versus the WLTP number of 500km.
Meanwhile, the striking EV9 might be the brand’s massive, full-sized three-row electric SUV flagship from South Korea, but the base Air RWD Standard Range as tested by the AAA uses a relatively small battery to keep the price relatively accessible (if you consider $97,000 that).
This explains its RWT figure of 395km versus the official 443km WLTP range.
–12.3% of WLTP
One of the most highly-regarded comparatively inexpensive EVs on the market, the Kia EV3 Air Long Range is a small SUV from South Korea starting from just over $53,300.
Tested last year, it came up with a AAA RWT of 537km, against a WLTP figure of 603km, representing a 12.3 per cent difference.
–14% of WLTP
Tested by the AAA in 2025, Tesla’s least-expensive electric sedan sold in Australia currently starts from $54,900.
Back then, the American branded four-door made in China fell short of its 513km WLTP range by 14 per cent, resulting in an RWT score of a still-robust 441km.
