Kia Niro EV Leads Battery Durability Study as Tesla Stays Out of Top Five

Electric-car batteries lose capacity over time, but new data from Swedish marketplace Carla suggests some of the most affordable EVs hold up best. 25% of its stated capacity after 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles). 18%.

Tesla has published its own data showing a Model S loses about 12% of its range over 200,000 miles. Yet no Tesla model cracked Carla's top five. 35% with its CATL battery from 2023-2025 models. 8-kWh LG Chem pack. That translates to an estimated 253 miles per charge for the base Model 3 and 332 miles for the Long Range after 62,000 miles.

Carla's broader numbers showed many popular models lost 5-8% capacity by that same distance. CATL LFP batteries averaged above 93% health, ahead of LG Energy Solutions' 91.5% and Panasonic's 88.2-89.8%. Every EV in Carla's top 20 kept at least 91% of its capacity.

The results come with caveats. The sample of under 10,000 EVs is small relative to millions sold yearly, and Sweden's cool climate is gentler on batteries than hot American regions. Europe also has more regular EV charging on city streets and shopping centers, while American drivers often rely on home chargers or public DC fast charging.

To help an EV battery last, avoid frequent DC fast charging, keep state of charge roughly between 10% and 80%, and park for long periods with less than 40% charge.