These electric cars retain the most battery capacity after 100,000 kilometers

Battery technology has advanced significantly since electric vehicles became more popular, and a new study from Sweden quantifies exactly how much capacity the new models retain after driving 100,000 kilometers.

The Korean duo dominates at the top

The study, conducted by the online car market Carla, included an analysis of as many as 9,954 battery tests on electric vehicles sold in Sweden. Interestingly, the data was collected in the period between 2022 and 2026, which means that it is a long-term monitoring. AVILOO’s diagnostic tool was used for the measurement, which determines the actual condition and health of the battery (State of Health – SOH), instead of relying on the estimates displayed by the vehicle itself. This distinction is crucial, as in-car displays can sometimes give a more optimistic picture than the real thing.

At the very top of the ranking was the Kia e-Niro, which retained an impressive 97.25 percent of its original capacity after 100,000 kilometers. This model shares its 64 kWh battery with the Hyundai Kona Electric, which placed just behind with an almost identical 97.18 percent. The winner’s podium remained within the Hyundai Motor Group family thanks to the Kia EV6 model, which with its 77.4 kWh package took third place, retaining 95.95 percent of its capacity.

European competition and the position of Tesla

Among the European models, the Volvo XC40 Recharge performed best, whose 69 kWh battery, supplied by CATL, retains 94.70 percent of its capacity. Right behind it is the Polestar 2 with a CATL battery of 78 kWh and a result of 94.35 percent. Somewhat lower on the scale, but still with excellent results, are the BMW i3 with 93.77 percent and the version of the Polestar 2 with the LG Chem battery, which retained 93.53 percent.

And where is Tesla, the market leader in the sale of electric vehicles, in all this? The best placed model was the Model 3 equipped with a 60.5 kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery, also from CATL, which retained 93.34 percent capacity. That puts it slightly ahead of LG Chem’s NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) version of the Model 3, which was at 91.5 percent.

Data from other analyzes show even greater differences, so one version with a Panasonic battery dropped to only 88.2 percent, which clearly shows how much battery chemistry affects its longevity. Other famous models were also among the top twenty: Audi e-tron 50 and 55 (93.02 and 92.93 percent), Škoda Enyaq iV (92.88 percent), Tesla Model S (92.80 percent), VW ID.4 (92.77 percent) and Tesla Model X (92.52 percent).