Electric Vehicle Driving Range Guide

Electric driving range is how far your Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) can travel on battery power alone on a single charge. Factors such as battery size and type, temperature, weather, driving style, and road conditions can all influence how much range you can achieve.

How can I make my charge go further?

When it comes to your electric driving range, knowledge is power. Follow these simple steps to extend your electric driving range and the life of your battery.

Tune your temperature

Heating and cooling draw power from the same battery that runs the vehicle, so your mindful usage of climate control will help with overall range. Use Auto and Eco air-conditioning modes to help maintain a steady temperature. Pre-heating or cooling your cabin while your vehicle is charging at home will also preserve battery by using electricity from your home, rather than your vehicle.

Drive efficiently

Your driving style can impact the range of your vehicle. Avoid harsh acceleration as it uses more power consumption. Similarly, hard braking reduces the effectiveness of the regenerative braking function. This function is designed to put more energy back into the batteries and minimise wear and tear on the brake pads.

Charge regularly

Maximise your available range by making a habit of charging regularly, just like you would your smart phone. Topping up provides peace of mind for the day ahead, and depending on the distance you travel each day, you may only need to charge every few days.

Travel light

Excess weight in the car or suboptimal tyre pressure can reduce the cruising range of your vehicle, so it’s helpful to remove unnecessary loads like roof or bike racks when not in use, empty any non-essential items from your boot and check your tyres regularly.

What’s the difference between Battery Electric and Plug-in Hybrid driving range?

The difference comes down to how they use electricity and petrol. BEVs offer longer electric-only range but rely entirely on charging, while PHEVs offer shorter electric-only range, with petrol as a backup.

Battery Electric driving range

BEVs provide electric-only driving range. They run purely on electricity that is stored in a large battery. Once the charge is depleted, it must be recharged before driving again.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric driving range

A Plug-in Hybrid pairs a petrol engine with advanced batteries and electric motors. When charged, you can drive all-electric for shorter trips. When the battery runs low, it automatically switches to Hybrid mode, using the petrol engine as a backup for your longer drives.

FAQs

What factors can impact electric driving range?

Several factors can affect electric driving range by influencing how much energy your vehicle consumes:

Driving style: rapid acceleration and harsh braking use more energy and reduce the opportunity to recover energy through regenerative braking.
Terrain: frequent driving uphill or on rough, uneven terrain requires more power and can shorten range compared to driving on smoother roads.
Vehicle speed: more energy is used at higher speeds, with less opportunity to recover energy through regenerative braking, therefore range will be reduced if travelling at constant high speeds (on a freeway, for example).
Weather conditions: extreme hot or cold temperatures, or harsh winds, require your vehicle to use additional energy, reducing your range.
Climate control: heating and cooling draw power from the same battery that runs the vehicle so the use of this system can reduce your vehicle’s range.
Battery age: as a battery naturally ages, its capacity and efficiency gradually decrease, leading to a shorter driving range. Learn more about Toyota’s battery warranties here.

What does WLTP and NEDC range mean? Can I expect to achieve these ranges in real-world driving?

The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) is a global standard test procedure for Electrified vehicles. It measures factors like emissions, fuel consumption, and electric driving range in a controlled, laboratory environment.

The NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) is a laboratory test that assesses the fuel economy, electricity consumption and CO₂ tailpipe emission production of factory-new vehicles. It tests the vehicle with simulated environmental conditions to ensure it can handle Australian roads and conditions.

The drive range results from the WLTP and NEDC laboratory tests will vary depending on the Toyota model. Not all Toyota Electrified models have been tested using both WLTP and NEDC measurements.

The actual driving range is likely to be lower than what a WLTP or NEDC laboratory test cycle would produce. This is because unlike in a laboratory, the range of your electric vehicle will be impacted by real-life driving conditions such as road surface quality, driving style, weather, temperatures, and several other nuanced factors.

What does the range that appears on my vehicle's Multi-Information Display (MID) mean? Is this the range I can expect to achieve when driving my vehicle?

The range that appears on your vehicle's Multi-Information Display (MID) is a prediction only. It's based on your previous driving style and charging habits as well as the active use of climate control and the outside temperature. This range is not a guarantee, it will vary depending on changes during your trips such as road surface quality, driving style, weather and temperatures.

View all FAQs