A large-scale winter test involving 67 electric vehicles has revealed significant differences in how modern EVs perform in extreme cold, with China’s Xpeng emerging as the top performer while Tesla’s Model Y struggled.
The test, conducted by Chinese automotive publication Autohome in Mongolia, exposed vehicles from brands including Tesla Model Y, BYD, Geely, Zeekr, and Xpeng to temperatures as low as -25°C (-13°F).
Engineers evaluated vehicles across several categories, including driving range, battery performance, energy consumption, charging speed, cabin heating, emergency braking, acceleration, and off-road capability.
EV Battery Performance Under Extreme Cold
Cold weather remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry because low temperatures can reduce battery efficiency and slow charging speeds.
According to the test, all 67 vehicles experienced some loss of range and charging performance.
The strongest range retention came from the Xpeng P7, which maintained nearly 54 percent of its advertised range of 227 miles under the harsh conditions.
The BYD Yangwang U7 finished second with 51.8 percent range retention, while the Zeekr 001 placed third with 49.6 percent.
Fast Charging Infrastructure Faces Winter Challenge
The publication also measured how quickly vehicles could recharge from 30 percent to 80 percent.
The Avatar 07 delivered the fastest result, completing the charging session in just 15 minutes.
By contrast, the Tesla Model Y required 35 minutes to reach 80 percent charge.
The vehicle also recorded one of the weakest range performances in the test, retaining only 35 percent of its advertised driving range.
Chinese EV Brands Lead Cold-Weather Test
The results suggest that several Chinese manufacturers are making significant progress in battery performance and fast charging infrastructure technology.
While all vehicles survived the extreme conditions, Autohome’s findings showed that smaller and lighter vehicles generally consumed less energy than larger models.
Among the most efficient vehicles were the BYD Seagull and Geely Xingyuan, each consuming only 23.5kWh per 62 miles during testing.
The results highlight how cold-weather capability is becoming a major competitive battleground as global EV adoption continues to expand.
Read also: BYD, Xpeng, lead Chinese car brands taking over the global auto market in 2026
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