Vehicle manufacturers are deliberately exaggerating the range of their latest electric models by up to 30%, according to EV leasing company Fleet Evolution.

Andrew Leech, managing director at Fleet Evolution, said that it was common for manufacturers to “wilfully overstate” EV range figures to attract buyers. When customers find out the actual range of electric models does not match published figures, it can put them off making the purchase.

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“Running out of battery charge is not quite the same as getting low on petrol or diesel as charging is less straightforward than simply popping into a filling station and topping up, and it can lead to some anxious moments for drivers,” Leech said.

“Although the charging picture is slowly improving, this country still needs many more charging points to reach full capacity. So, having an accurate picture of your electric range is vitally important for journey planning.”

Leech said that some of the worst culprits were luxury manufacturers such as Jaguar, Mercedes and Tesla, while Korean car makers Kia and Hyundai tended to publish more accurate figures.

Leech said that when issues were raised with the dealer supplying the vehicle they were referred back to the manufacturer – who then referred the matter back to the dealer.

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“We see this merry-go-round time and again with no-one taking responsibility and either side blaming each other,” he said.

He suggested that, rather than give a single range figure for each new model, manufacturers broke this down into two categories: for motorway driving and for urban driving as this gave a more realistic picture of the actual range that was achievable.

“By breaking down the electric range in this way, we would have a clearer picture of the range as the capacity for city miles is a lot higher for an EV than it is for motorway driving,” said Leech.