The 6 Least Efficient Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles are usually associated with extreme efficiency, and it’s true that an electric motor is vastly superior to an ICE powertrain in terms of how they use and lose energy. However, not all electric vehicles are created equal.
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Let’s check out the least efficient electric vehicles currently on sale.
1. 2022 Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1 (47 MPGe)
The Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1 is a very heavy electric SUV. It also has some eye-watering efficiency numbers to match. If you’re looking for anawesome EV for overlanding, the Hummer EV is definitely one of the best, but the vehicle is widly wasteful.
Sure, the range is impressive at 329 miles, but 47 MPGe is unprecedented because of how atrocious it is. For context, the ridiculously quick and not especially efficient Tesla Model X Plaid with over 1,000 horsepower still achieves 98 MPGe. That’s more than twice the efficiency of the Hummer.
The Model S Plaid will destroy the Hummer EV in many performance metrics. Yet, the Hummer is astronomically more wasteful, and the 9,000+ pounds of weight it has to lug around as well as its questionable aero efficiency are both to blame.
2. 2023 F-150 Lightning Platinum 4WD (66 MPGe)
The Ford F-150 Lightning is one ofthe best electric pickup trucks for sale, but it’s also quite the glutton for electrons. According to the EPA’sfueleconomy.gov numbers, Ford’s electrified version of the F-150 in platinum trim will only achieve 66 MPGe.
The F-150 Lightning is equipped with plenty of useful features, like the excellent front trunk and tons of outlets that allow you to power a construction site. Not to mention, the F-150 Lightning is a full-size pickup truck with a practical bed.
Nobody expects vehicles like this to be extremely efficient, but it’s strange that Tesla can build such amazing performance vehicles that also happen to be very efficient. The Tesla Model X Plaid is a heavy SUV that can carry the entire family, and it also happens to make 1,000 horsepower, but its efficiency is miles ahead of the F-150. Either Ford needs to step up its game, or Tesla engineering is in a different league in terms of maximizing efficiency.
3. 2023 Rivian R1S With 22-Inch Wheels (68 MPGe)
TheRivian R1S is better than the Tesla Model Xin many regards, but efficiency is not one of them. The 2023 Model X is good for 102 MPGe, and according to the EPA, the big Tesla has an annual fuel cost of $700.
In comparison, the Rivian R1S gobbles up approximately $1,050 to run for an entire year. This difference is not negligible, and even though the 22-inch wheels on the Rivian are partly to blame, the Model X Plaid with 22-inch wheels will still get 91 MPGe.
It’s crazy how Tesla is able to squeeze out every drop of range from even its most powerful vehicles. The Rivian does have many positive things going for it though, especially in the styling department; this SUV looks distinctive, and compared to the understated Tesla, it’s a complete stunner.
Not to mention, the R1S will run circles around the Model X in an off-road competition. The R1S’s quad-motors might have something to do with how inefficient it is, but they lend this electric SUV remarkable off-road capabilities.
Rivian also makes a pickup truck version of the R1S, called the R1T, which is rated by the EPA at 70 MPGe, making it slightly more efficient than the SUV.
4. 2023 Audi e-tron S With 20-Inch Wheels (73 MPGe)
The Audi e-tron S is one of the best-looking electric vehicles currently for sale. Audi really hit it out of the park with the design of its handsome electric SUV. But it’s also one of the most inefficient vehicles for sale. This isn’t a huge pickup truck that weighs over 9,000 pounds, so it’s shocking that the Audi SUV will cost you $1.61 for every 25 miles of driving (according to the EPA’s numbers).
At 208 miles, the range is severely lacking in relation to the vehicle’s price, which starts at $88,200. When you compare the Audi e-tron S to the Tesla Model Y, you’ll notice that the Tesla offers 330 miles of range for $53,490.
The range difference is difficult to ignore, especially when the e-tron S commands such a premium over the Model Y. The really embarrassing part is that the roughly $30,000+ more expensive, tri-motor performance version of the e-tron SUV only beats the non-performance Model Y by half a second to 60 mph.
The Audi is a pleasant SUV to look at; it may even be the best-looking SUV for sale at the moment. The restrained lines and the aggressive front end are perfectly designed. However, it’s difficult to ignore how inefficient it is—the poor range is among the most disappointing aspects of this expensive EV SUV.
5. 2023 Porsche Taycan Turbo S (75 MPGe)
The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is another EV that defies logic. At $187,400, it’s over $70,000 more expensive than the Tesla Model S Plaid. Let that sink in for a moment: this wonderfully inefficient EV sedan is almost $200,000.
The Model S Plaid beats it in most performance metrics while also destroying its measly 222 miles of range. The Model S Plaid will do 396 miles on a full charge, which positions it leaps and bounds above the Porsche. That said, show both cars a twisty stretch of road and the heavy Tesla will quickly become a speck in the Porsche’s rearview mirrors, even in spite of the extra power.
6. 2023 Jaguar I-Pace EV400 With 22-Inch Wheels (76 MPGe)
The Jaguar I-Pace is one of the funkiest looking cars on the road, and it’s also among the most inefficient vehicles currently for sale. The 22-inch wheels don’t do it any favors either, but even without these wheels, the MPGe numbers are appalling.
The I-Pace only musters 76 MPGe and is also lacking in the range department, which isn’t surprising, delivering 217 miles of total range according to the EPA. Jaguar isn’t shy on the price either, with the I-Pace starting at $71,300.
Jaguar’s ICE cars have been plagued with a reputation for unreliability, so hopefully Jaguar doesn’t start its EV journey by developing a reputation for making inefficient electric cars.
Inefficient Electric Cars Will Still Save You Money
When you consult the EPA’s fuel economy page for the vehicles on this list, it’s surprising that even some of the most inefficient EVs on the road will still save you money when compared to an ICE vehicle. That doesn’t make them environmentally friendly or cheap to own, but they are still better than their ICE equivalent models in both these respects.
Even though EVs lack tailpipe emissions, they are not all equal and some are considerably more efficient than others.
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