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EV Model Compare

Compare electric cars side by side

By , editorUpdated How we work out these numbers

Pick two to four cars. Every row is a published figure with its source attached, and the better value in each row is marked. Switch between metric and imperial to see the market figures that actually apply to you.

What actually differs

  • On the EPA highway cycle – the one that decides a long drive – Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology is rated 92 km further than the Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD.
  • At home Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD accepts 1 kW more, so it refills faster overnight than the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology.
  • Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD carries 11 kWh more usable battery than the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology.
  • Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD has 2 more years of battery warranty than the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology.
  • Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology is 560 kg lighter than the Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD.

Every line above is computed from the table below, not written: a difference is only stated where both cars carry that figure from a named source. Not compared, because at least one car has no sourced value: price, observed range.

Specification comparison: Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology, Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD
Specification Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology Mercedes-Benz Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD Kia
Market & identity
Curb weight 4,553 lb 5,787 lb
Battery
Cell chemistry LFP tolerates daily charging to 100% and is the most thermally stable; NMC and NCA pack more energy per kilogram. NMC NMC
Usable capacity The figure every range and cost calculation on this site is based on. 85.0 kWh 96.0 kWh
Thermal management Active liquid or direct-refrigerant cooling is the strongest single predictor of slow degradation and repeatable fast charging. — liquid-active
Pack voltage 800 V architectures hold high charging power for longer and waste less energy as heat. — 552 V
Capacity loss per year Rate for this vehicle class from published fleet datasets, not a measurement of this model and not a manufacturer claim. 2.0% / year est 2.7% / year est
Projected state of health at 8 years Modelled from the observed degradation rate at average annual mileage. An estimate, not a measurement. 84% est 78% est
Range & efficiency
EPA range US EPA combined cycle, the most conservative of the three official tests. 317 mi 283 mi
EPA range, city The city half of the EPA combined rating. Usually the higher of the two for an electric car. 327 mi 311 mi
EPA range, highway The highway half of the EPA combined rating, and the figure to plan a long drive around. 306 mi 249 mi
WLTP range European combined cycle, typically 15 to 25 percent more optimistic than EPA for the same car. — 324 mi
Observed real-world range Mixed-conditions figure from independent testing. This is the number that matters on a road trip. — 270 mi
EPA consumption 31.0 kWh/100 mi 40.0 kWh/100 mi
Real-world consumption — 356 Wh/mi
Charging
Peak DC power Held briefly, often only inside a narrow state-of-charge window. 320 kW 209 kW
10 to 80 percent DC charge time The honest measure of fast-charging speed. 22 min 22 min
AC onboard charger Sets how fast the car fills up overnight at home. 10 kW 11 kW
DC connector (Europe) — CCS2
DC connector (US) The plug fitted to the car as sold in the United States. Blank where we have not sourced it for that market. — NACS
Performance
Peak power 200 kW 283 kW
0-60 mph — —
0-100 km/h — 6.0 s
Cost of ownership
Base MSRP (US) $47,950 $63,900
Base price (EU) — €68,990
Est. out-of-warranty pack replacement (US) — $15,800 est
Battery warranty 8 yr 10 yr
Est. 5-year residual value — —
Safety & risk
NHTSA overall rating — 5/5
Euro NCAP overall rating — —
Battery or high-voltage recalls 0 6
Battery safety score
Composite score Our own composite of thermal management, cell chemistry, crash rating and recall record. Formula — 6.5 / 10

highlighted marks the better figure for that row. Where a car is not sold in a market, its price and official range for that market are blank rather than converted. est marks a modelled value, explained on the methodology page.

How to read this table

EPA and WLTP are not the same test

The same car will show a bigger number under WLTP than under EPA, usually by fifteen to twenty-five percent. That is not one of them lying; they are different drive cycles run at different speeds and temperatures. We show both as published and never convert one into the other, because a converted EPA figure is not a WLTP figure and presenting it as one would be misleading. If a car is sold in only one market, the other row is simply blank.

Real-world range is the row that matters

Official figures are useful for comparing cars to each other under identical conditions. They are not a promise about your commute. The observed real-world row is a mixed-conditions figure from independent testing, and it is usually the number that decides whether a journey needs a charging stop.

Peak charging power is close to meaningless on its own

A car advertised at 350 kW may hold that figure for ninety seconds inside a narrow state-of-charge window. The ten to eighty percent time is what you actually stand around for, and it is the row worth reading. Pack voltage is the useful supporting detail: an 800-volt architecture generally sustains high power for longer and wastes less of it as heat.

What the estimate tag means

Some values cannot be measured, only modelled: what a pack will cost to replace in eight years, what the car will be worth at five, what capacity it will hold at the end of your ownership. Those rows carry an estimate tag, and the methodology page sets out exactly how each one is calculated. Nothing on this site presents a model as a measurement.

Each two-car comparison has its own address, so a pairing can be linked to and returned to. Comparisons of three or four cars work the same way but are left out of search results, because the combinations multiply faster than anyone is searching for them.

Every pairing on this site

21 two-car comparisons, each one worked through on its own page with the same sourced figures as the table above.

SUVs and crossovers

Saloons and sedans

The same car, two trims

Across body styles