EV terms, in plain English
EV efficiency — kWh/100 km
Range gets the headlines. Efficiency tells you how much electricity the car actually uses to travel.
EV efficiency is commonly shown as kWh/100 km — the amount of battery energy used to travel 100 kilometres.
Lower is better.
For example, an EV using 15 kWh/100 km is more efficient than one using 22 kWh/100 km.
Efficiency affects both range and running cost. A more efficient EV can travel further from the same-size battery and costs less to charge for the same distance.
Just like fuel consumption in a petrol car, the advertised figure isn’t guaranteed. Highway speed, temperature, hills, wind, tyres, passengers and driving style can all change consumption.
Why it matters: don’t compare EVs on battery size alone. A smaller, efficient EV can sometimes travel as far as a less-efficient vehicle with a significantly larger battery.
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