Buying
WLTP, NEDC or CLTC: how far an electric car really goes in Pakistan
Why two electric cars with the same range on paper go different distances: the WLTP, NEDC and CLTC tests explained, and the range to plan around in Pakistan.
Every electric car is sold with a range figure, and in Pakistan those figures come from three different laboratory tests. A car rated 500 km on one test and a car rated 500 km on another do not go the same distance. This guide explains the three tests, shows how far apart they are, and gives the distance to plan around for the cars on sale here.
The three tests
NEDC is the New European Driving Cycle, the oldest of the three. Europe stopped using it for new cars in 2018. It accelerates gently, averages about 34 km/h and touches 120 km/h only briefly. Several Chinese makers still quote it for cars they export, including some sold in Pakistan.
WLTP is the test Europe uses now. It runs for 30 minutes over about 23 km, averages about 46 km/h, reaches 131 km/h and accelerates harder. It is the closest of the three to ordinary driving, and it is still a laboratory.
CLTC is China's own test, built from Chinese city traffic. It averages about 29 km/h, tops out at 114 km/h and spends a lot of time stopped. An electric car is at its most efficient at low speed, so this test produces the biggest numbers of the three.
| Test | Average speed | Top speed | The number it gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| WLTP | about 46 km/h | 131 km/h | The most realistic of the three |
| NEDC | about 34 km/h | 120 km/h | Generous |
| CLTC | about 29 km/h | 114 km/h | The most generous |
A fourth test, the American EPA figure, is stricter than all three. It is rarely quoted for cars sold in Pakistan.
Why none of them is your range
All three are run indoors at a mild temperature, with the air-conditioning off and nobody in the back seat. A Pakistani motorway in June is none of those things. Three differences matter most.
- Speed. Air resistance rises with the square of speed. Cruising at 120 km/h costs far more energy per kilometre than the 30 to 46 km/h these tests average.
- Heat. The air-conditioning runs from the same battery as the motor, and the car also spends energy keeping the battery itself cool.
- Load. Five people and luggage are not what the test carried.
Around town the gap is smaller. At city speeds most electric cars get much closer to their rated figure.
How this site converts the brochure figure
Every range on Sarai is shown as a distance to plan around, not the brochure figure. It is worked out the same way for every car: the rated figure is scaled for the test it came from, and a tenth of the battery is kept in reserve so that you arrive with something left.
| Brochure figure | Scaled to | Then a tenth in reserve | Plan around |
|---|---|---|---|
| WLTP | 76 percent | yes | 68 percent of rated |
| NEDC | 65 percent | yes | 59 percent of rated |
| CLTC | 61 percent | yes | 55 percent of rated |
| No test named | 72 percent | yes | 65 percent of rated |
These are planning figures for a motorway trip with the air-conditioning on. They are not a measurement of each car, and a careful driver at 100 km/h will often do better. They are set low on purpose, because running short between two chargers costs far more than arriving with spare range.
What 500 km on the brochure means
| On the brochure | Plan around |
|---|---|
| 500 km WLTP | about 342 km |
| 500 km NEDC | about 293 km |
| 500 km CLTC | about 274 km |
That is a difference of about 68 km between two cars with the same number on the brochure. The range converter does this sum for any figure you type in.
The cars on sale, by test
Of the 71 fully electric cars on sale in Pakistan with a rated range, 31 quote WLTP, 8 quote NEDC and 13 quote CLTC. The other 19 are listed here with a range and no test named, which is common in local launch material.
These are the 12 that go furthest once every figure is put on the same footing:
| Car | Rated range | Test | Plan around | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audi A6 e-tron | 756 km | WLTP | about 520 km | PKR 2.885 crore to 3.385 crore |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE | 660 km | WLTP | about 454 km | PKR 5.46 crore |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV | 660 km | WLTP | about 454 km | PKR 8.5 crore |
| Audi Q6 e-tron | 625 km | WLTP | about 430 km | PKR 4.82 crore |
| BMW i7 | 625 km | WLTP | about 430 km | PKR 6.59 crore to 8.888 crore |
| Zeekr 7X | 615 km | WLTP | about 423 km | PKR 2.499 crore to 2.699 crore |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 614 km | WLTP | about 422 km | PKR 2.3 crore |
| Audi e-tron GT | 598 km | WLTP | about 411 km | PKR 5.7 crore |
| Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV | 590 km | WLTP | about 406 km | PKR 6.4 crore |
| Avatr 11 | 730 km | CLTC | about 401 km | PKR 2.7 crore to 2.9 crore |
| BMW i5 | 582 km | WLTP | about 400 km | PKR 2.5 crore to 3.296 crore |
| Zeekr 009 | 582 km | WLTP | about 400 km | PKR 4.6 crore to 4.9 crore |
Every car on sale is listed with its plan-around range on the electric cars page, and the car finder filters by it.
What else shortens range
- Tyre pressure. Soft tyres cost range every kilometre. Check them before a long drive.
- A roof rack or carrier. Anything on the roof adds drag at motorway speed.
- Hills. A climb such as the road to Murree uses far more than level ground, and the descent gives only part of it back.
- Battery age. Capacity falls slowly over the years, and the rated figure is for a new car.
How to use the figure
Compare cars on the plan-around number. It puts every car on the same footing, whichever test its maker chose. The comparison tool shows it side by side for up to three cars.
Check it against your route. A car is fine for a motorway if its plan-around range is comfortably longer than the longest gap between chargers. The route pages give the gaps on each motorway, stop by stop.
Do not buy range you will not use. For driving inside a city, every car in the table above covers several days on a charge. A bigger battery costs more and takes longer to fill.
Sources
- DieselNet, Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC): the class 3 cycle in UNECE GTR No. 15, 1,800 seconds over about 23 km.
- Kia UK, The new WLTP: NEDC and WLTP side by side, and WLTP for all new cars from September 2018.
- Wikipedia, China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle: CLTC-P, about 29 km/h on average and 114 km/h at most.
- Code of China, GB/T 38146.1-2019: the Chinese standard that defines the CLTC.
- ProPakistani, 18 September 2026: Jaecoo J5 BEV Premium Plus unveiled in Pakistan with 461km range: an NEDC figure in Pakistani launch material.