which cars have the best average charging power?
In terms of fast charging, there is no point in advancing a mirobolant peak, you still need to maintain power over time. We have classified the cars with the best average power.
Fast peak charging power is not bad to say. Determining the time it takes to go from 10% to 80% is fine. But showing average power during this exercise is better. Except no one is doing it. Because this, and only this, makes it possible to be aware of the performance in terms of fast charging, and to establish a real hierarchy between the models. After sorting the cars according to the differences between the promised power and the actual available power, we list the best average power observed during the Supertests.
Also read
Electric vehicle supertests: summary of consumption, range, performance and charging time (adding the BMW i4)
Average charging power: Hyundai Ioniq 5 again, big winner
To sell their cars better, manufacturers systematically indicate the maximum charging power. A value that has no meaning for neophytes except to play with psychological insights to establish a hierarchy. Yes, a car that promises 250 kW always implies that it will go faster than its competitor with 150 kW. But we quickly realized that the reality is far from the supposed promises in terms of charging power.
Presenting one of the highest peaks, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 climbs the highest step with an average power of 176 kW that we noticed. This allows him to ship his refills in record time. With an average of 124 kW, the Skoda Enyaq iV 80 is somewhat surprising, as it rose to second place despite its announced peak of 135 kW. It brings back the BMW i4 eDrive40 and its 116 kW of average power at the last minute. The Czech SUV thus took the Nissan Ariya 87 (106 kW) from the podium, another good surprise of the year, just ahead of the Tesla Model Y Performance (105 kW).
At the bottom of the ranking are models with modest claims, such as the Renault Zoé R135 or the MG ZS EV, where there is no doubt about their performance in this area. In both cases, they are very faithful to their promises. On the other hand, the Kia Niro EV is not what we expected to see in the penultimate position. It certainly keeps its promises, but the average power of 65 kW does not serve the versatility of this compact SUV.
| Average power of 10-80% (in kW) | 10-80% recharge time (mins) | |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 176 | 18 |
| Skoda Enyaq iV 80 | 124 | 27 |
| BMW i4 eDrive40 | 116 | 31 |
| Nissan Ariya 87 | 106 | 33 |
| Tesla Model Y performance | 105 | 32 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E ER | 99 | 40 |
| Volkswagen ID.3 | 83 | 33 |
| AIWAYS U5 | 80 | 34 |
| Peugeot e-208 | 77 | 27 |
| Renault Megane e-Tech EV60 | 75 | 37 |
| MG5 | 74 | 35 |
| MG ZS EV | 70 | 41 |
| Kia Niro EV | 65 | 44 |
| Renault Zoe R135 | 39 | 53 |
To shine on the table
We round the numbers in all directions, there is no viable rule to know in advance the average charging power. Obviously, in practice, this is not the most important data. But it still makes it possible to better put the performance of a car when it is connected to a fast charging station, because the quantities delivered enter the calculation. What a 10 to 80% recharge time (reported or measured) doesn’t do, and even less a peak value, is as abstract as megapixels for a camera.
Because, in general, we observed that the cars with the weakest peak powers manage to control their charging curve. Conversely, cars that put out generous power go under the classification. It is mathematical, but above all physical. In other words, we won’t rehash the debate, but we go ahead and say that peak power is worthless. If a member of your family puts the 250 kW promised by his Tesla Model Y on the table on New Year’s Eve, you’ll know what to say.
For information, this year we observed differences between peak power and average power from -8% (the Skoda Enyaq iV 80) to -58% (the Tesla Model Y Performance). Therefore, it is dangerous to get a truly significant average difference, the differences are very significant from one model to another depending on its charging performance. We can always say that the average deviation is -25.7%, but it will not do justice to the excellent performance of the Skoda Enyaq iV 80, and the Tesla Model Y will benefit that it does not really deserve: in the event where it promises. the power of 250 kW will be reached (which is not in our case), it will be visible only for a few tens of seconds.
