What happens to an Electric Car in winter? A new EV owner’s guide

As electric vehicles (EVs) continue to grow in popularity, so does the number of first-time drivers. Nearly half a million new electric cars were registered in 2025, which means it’s safe to assume a lot of people are now experiencing their first winter behind the wheel.

There’s a lot of myths about what electric driving is like – especially in colder conditions – so this guide sets the record straight on what winter driving is really like. By the end of it, you’ll know the difference between EVs versus petrol cars in the winter, how cold weather affects the battery, and set the record straight on other common myths!

1: Reduced range in cold weather

This is the most noticeable difference when driving an EV in winter versus a petrol car. Sure, a petrol car is slightly less efficient in cold weather, but winter range loss can be between 10-30%, depending on how cold it gets.

There’s a few reasons for this:

• Cold batteries are less efficient. You can limit the impact of this by pre-conditioning your EV – if you aren’t sure what pre-conditioning is, read our guide here.
• Heating the cabin uses power. In a petrol car, the warm air used to heat the cabin is just waste air from the engine, with no real impact on fuel economy. However, in an EV, it’s quite literally taking power away straight from the batteries. It’s more power-efficient to use heated seats and steering wheels to keep you and your passengers warm which are powered by a separate battery.
• If you’re on winter tyres, or driving in snow or rain, you may experience increased rolling resistance, which lowers efficiency. Cold air is denser than warm air too, which increases air resistance.

Pro tip: Charging your EV overnight helps offset any range lost during pre-conditioning or while parked.

2: Charging is slower in cold weather

When the battery is cold, you’ll use power faster, and charging will take longer. If you’ve stopped for a quick top-up, don’t panic if you aren’t getting as much range if you’re charging a cold battery.

It’s better to charge warm batteries – especially if fast charging – so pre-conditioning can speed up the process.

3: Cabin heating in cold weather

Because an EV heater is reliant on the battery, you may be pleased to hear that it can only take 1-2 minutes before you’re feeling warm air, compared to the 10+ minutes in a petrol car (which relies on excess warm air from the engine).

The bad news is that this is powered directly by the main battery pack, which means the more you use a heater, the less range you’ll get. The more efficient way to heat your cabin is to use your heated seats and steering wheel.

Next time you drive in the cold, try dropping your cabin temperature by a few degrees, and using your heated seat and steering wheel to keep you warm instead which are powered by a standard battery.

4: Regenerative braking changes

Regenerative braking is a system that restores a small amount of charge in your battery while you slow down. In winter, when your battery is cold, this system may be turned off until the battery warms up – meaning your car may coast like a petrol car.

If this is the case with your EV, be vigilant on the roads to avoid any incidents.

In icy conditions, sudden deceleration as a result of regenerative braking may cause you to lose control of your EV. If you’re able to, consider lowering how strong your regenerative braking is, or turn it off entirely – whichever you feel is safer.

Learn more about regenerative braking, here.

5: Long term battery health is NOT harmed by cold weather

Cold weather does not cause permanent damage to your battery or permanent range loss. In fact, cold weather is better for your EV battery than hot.

The real enemy of your EV battery is high heat, not cold.

Thinking about your next EV?