Most people don’t expect electric cars to match their official range figures, let alone exceed them. WLTP numbers — like the EPA ratings in the U.S. — are often seen as optimistic at best. But a recent test in Norway tells a different story. The Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF) recently ran its annual El Prix comparison, sending 27 electric vehicles on a long-distance drive through the country to see how they perform in real-world conditions. Among them was the BMW iX xDrive60, with an official WLTP range of 668 kilometers (415 miles) in the tested spec.
The result? The iX managed 691 kilometers (429 miles) — 23 kilometers more than the WLTP figure. That’s a 3.4 percent improvement, and a rare case of an EV going further than advertised without special preparation or ideal conditions. As a fun fact, why is WLTP different than EPA? The WLTP is a lab-based test that estimates EV range using a fixed driving cycle on a dynamometer. It doesn’t account for real-world factors like hills, weather, traffic, or driving style — which is why actual range often differs.
Not Just a One-Off
The iX wasn’t alone. Several EVs in the test beat their WLTP range, with the Tesla Model Y leading the way at 11.3 percent over its official number. The Model Y had a range of 652 km. Chinese models like the Zeekr 007 (593 km), BYD Tang (572 km), and MG S5 (492 km) also went further than claimed, showing just how far EV efficiency has come. Not all results were positive, though. The Lucid Air fell short by 13.7 percent, one of the bigger misses in the group.
Charging Still Has Room to Improve
While the iX did well on range, its charging performance was more average. It charged from 10 to 80 percent in 36 minutes — just one minute off BMW’s official claim — with an average charging speed of 145 kW. That’s not bad, but others were significantly quicker. The Lotus Emeya R, for example, managed the same charge in just 15 minutes thanks to its 800-volt system and higher peak charging rates.
The iX’s performance shows that some WLTP figures are actually achievable, and even beatable, in the real world. For drivers worried about inflated range numbers, this result adds confidence — at least in the case of BMW’s large electric SUV. The BMW iX xDrive60 offers noticeably more range than the iX xDrive50, thanks to a slightly larger battery and improved efficiency. While the xDrive50 is rated for around 309 miles (EPA) in America, the xDrive60 stretches that to about 364 miles—an 18% increase.
If nearly 700 km sounds impressive, then the upcoming BMW iX3 will take things even further. The BMW iX3 50 is expected to deliver around 800 km of range on the WLTP cycle, while other iX3 models could go even further. More on that very soon!
[Source: NAF.no via BimmerToday]
