Range life: The 8 EVs EPA-rated for 300 miles or more

This week, Tesla lost its lead position in electric vehicle range, held since the 2012 arrival of the Model S. 

The Model S delivered 265 EPA miles back then, passed the 300-mile barrier in 2016, and now achieves 405 miles in Long Range form. But Silicon Valley rival Lucid Motors has rolled into the scene with its Air sedan, rated last week by the EPA at up to 520 miles. 

Back in 2010, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard predicted—when he was EV engineering director at VW’s Palo Alto, California, laboratory—that EVs would have a range of 500 miles or more within 10 years. He was off only by a year or so.

Achieving 500 miles on a charge, with a “normal” car, has been a target for years, and while we think range is a red herring when the focus should be on efficiency and charging, the level of buzz over Lucid’s ratings over the past week make a strong argument that it’s a good thing for EV adoption. All indications suggest that Lucid is going to be a technology leader for efficiency, too.

More importantly, we’re finally at a point in which multiple EVs—not only from Tesla—offer 300 miles or more of range. In surveys for years, American respondents have been saying that 300 miles is a sweet spot that would allow more families to consider EVs. 

The BMW i4, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq, Ford F-150 Lightning, Genesis GV60, GMC Hummer EV, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Nissan Ariya are all due to arrive by mid 2022. And all are predicting a range of 300 miles or more in some versions. 

Prices include destination charges unless indicated otherwise. And while there may be multiple models in a lineup that top 300 miles, we only list each model once. 

Further, because charge rate is just as important in making these vehicles usable for long trips, we’ve given some indication of how quickly they can pack a significant amount of range back in. 

Here’s the 300 club:

2021 Lucid Air Dream Edition

Lucid Air Grand Touring
EPA range: 516 miles
Road-trip fast-charging: 300 EPA miles back in 20 minutes, on 350-kw CCS hardware
Price: $139,000 (plus destination not yet disclosed)

The Lucid Air is the new range champ, offering more than 100 miles more range than the longest-range Tesla. Although the $169,000 Dream Edition Range, at 520 rated miles, is a limited-edition model that’s already sold out, the Grand Touring model earns 516 miles—at $30,000 less. And according to EPA results the Grand Touring has better efficiency. The initial Dream Edition gets Samsung cells, while other models will get cells from LG. 

2021 Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S Long Range
EPA range: 405 miles
Fast-charging: 20-80% in about 30 minutes
Price: $91,190

Tesla’s revamped Model S lineup introduced earlier this year offers a racing-style yoke in place of the steering wheel, a new interface that can double as a gaming hub, and 22-speaker sound. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also made a big range boost part of the tease, aiming the Plaid+ for more than 520 miles of range, but with that model canceled, the Tesla Model S Long Range is the range leader of the lineup and just an incremental improvement for this longtime range champ. Although Tesla previously boasted 412 miles for this model, the EPA ratings haven’t budged from the 405 miles as posted when the new model arrived. The Performance rings in at 387 miles, while the Model S Plaid goes 348 miles on a charge. 

2021 Tesla Model X

Tesla Model X Long Range Plus
EPA range: 371 miles
Fast-charging: 20-80% in about 30 minutes (expected)
Price: $101,190 (Long Range)

The Model X remains the highest-range SUV or crossover on the market this year, at 371 miles for the Long Range Plus version. However with that specification no longer available and a redesigned version of the Model X due soon—including the yoke and many of the Model S changes—the “Plus” is gone and anticipated range for the Model X Long Range is listed at 360 miles (not yet confirmed). A high-performance Plaid version will still return an estimated 340 miles, according to Tesla. 

2021 Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 Long Range
EPA range: 353 miles
Fast-charging: Up to 200 miles in 15 minutes
Price: $51,190

In this peer set, the Model 3 Long Range offers the most miles and quickest charging for the money. The Model 3 Performance still goes 315 miles on a charge, and while the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, with its smaller battery capacity, goes only 263 miles, it still has the best efficiency of any other U.S.-market EV, at 142 MPGe, or 24 kwh/100 miles (or about 4.2 mi/kwh).

2021 Tesla Model Y

Tesla Model Y Long Range
EPA range: 326 miles
Fast-charging: Up to 200 miles in 15 minutes
Price: $55,190

The Model Y is sized and priced affordably enough for a segment of American families, so it’s no surprise it’s Tesla’s top seller. And at 326 miles, the Long Range version offers about as much distance as you might want to go in one stint with the family. The Model Y Performance also earns a 303-mile rating. A revamped, cast-body Model Y to be produced in Texas, potentially including Tesla’s new 4680-format cells, might arrive late this year or early next and further boost range. 

Rivian R1S

Rivian R1S
EPA range: 316 miles
Fast-charging: Up to 140 miles in 20 minutes
Price: $70,000 (plus destination not yet disclosed)

The R1S electric SUV is arriving later this fall, just after the R1T electric pickup, and with its flat-folding seats, it’s been described by CEO RJ Scaringe as an “awesome car-camping setup”—especially so with the outdoor-getaway-oriented charging network the company is putting together. These electric trucks can tow 7,700 pounds and have a 135-kwh battery pack it calls the “Large pack.” Models with more than 400 miles of range and a 180-kwh “Max pack” are on the way next year. 

Rivian R1T

Rivian R1T
EPA range: 314 miles
Fast-charging: Up to 140 miles in 20 minutes
Price: $67,500 (plus destination not yet disclosed)

The R1T is the first ground-up electric truck to be mass-produced, and it breaks the 300-mile range barrier while offering tow ratings of up to 11,000 pounds. The R1T returns 314 miles with its 135-kwh “Large pack” and is also expected to top 400 miles with the optional 180-kwh “Max pack.” Rivian is already making R1T pickups for customers at the time of writing and due to make first deliveries any day now.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range
EPA range: 300 miles
Fast-charging: 10-80% in about 52 minutes
Price: $53,700 (Mach-E Premium)

In its rear-wheel-drive form, the Mach-E Extended Range returns 300 miles on a charge, according to the EPA. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions don’t do nearly as well, though, at 270 miles. One issue in road-trip charging is that the Mach-E simply can’t fast-charge as quickly as some of these other long-range EVs, so you’ll need to do just a bit more advance planning. Ford is aiming for more range via both hardware tweaks and over-the-air updates, and it recently hinted that more Mach-E range is on the way starting for 2022.