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After 62,000 Miles, The Healthiest EV Battery Belonged To A Kia, Not A Tesla

  • Hyundai Motor Group swept the top three places for battery performance.
  • The analysis ranked the Model 3 as Tesla’s best-performing vehicle.
  • Other strong performers include the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.

Several years ago, prospective EV buyers had every reason to feel nervous about how long the battery pack would last. Battery technology has come a long way since EVs went mainstream, though, and a new study out of Sweden puts a number on how much capacity new EVs hold onto after 62,000 miles, or 100,000 km, of driving. The results may surprise you.

The study, run by online car marketplace Carla, went through 9,954 battery tests of EVs sold in Sweden between 2022 and 2026, using a diagnostic tool from AVILOO that measures a pack’s true state of health instead of leaning on the estimates the car itself provides. That distinction matters, because in-car readouts can sometimes paint a rosier picture than reality.

Read: A Seven-Year-Old Tesla Model 3 Survived 380,000 Miles, Its Range Did Not

The Kia e-Niro came out on top, hanging on to an impressive 97.25 percent of its original capacity after 62,000 miles. It shares its 64 kWh battery with the Hyundai Kona, which nearly matched it at 97.18 percent, and the podium stayed within the Hyundai Motor Group family thanks to the Kia EV6 and its 77.4 kWh pack in third place.

Top-Performing EVs
ModelBattery Health
After 62K Miles
Kia e-Niro – 64 kWh97.25%
Hyundai Kona – 64 kWh97.18%
Kia EV6 – 77.4 kWh95.95%
Volvo XC40 Recharge – 69 kWh (CATL)94.70%
Polestar 2 – 78 kWh (CATL)94.35%
BMW i3 – 120 Ah93.77%
Polestar 2 – 78 kWh (LG Chem)93.53%
Tesla Model 3 – 60.5 kWh (CATL LFP)93.34%
Audi e-tron 50 – 71 kWh93.02%
Audi e-tron 55 – 95 kWh92.93%
Skoda Enyaq iV – 77 kWh92.88%
Tesla Model 3 – 78.8 kWh (LG Chem)92.83%
Tesla Model S – 96 cells92.80%
Volkswagen ID.4 – 77 kWh92.77%
Skoda Enyaq iV – 77 kWh92.60%
Tesla Model X – 96 cells92.52%
Volkswagen ID.4 – 77 kWh92.27%
Tesla Model Y – 78.8 kWh (LG Chem)92.18%
Audi Q4 e-tron – 77 kWh92.18%
Volkswagen ID.3 – 58 kWh91.79%
SWIPE

The strongest European EV was the Volvo XC40 and its CATL-sourced 69 kWh battery, which held 94.70 percent of its capacity after 62,000 miles, trailed closely by the Polestar 2 and its 78 kWh CATL pack at 94.35 percent. The BMW i3 and the LG Chem version of the Polestar 2 landed close behind at 93.77 percent and 93.53 percent.

What About Tesla?

 After 62,000 Miles, The Healthiest EV Battery Belonged To A Kia, Not A Tesla
Tesla Model 3

The best-placed model from EV leader Tesla was the Model 3 fitted with a 60.5 kWh LFP battery from CATL, retaining 93.34 percent of its capacity. This put it slightly above the Model 3 with an LG Chem-sourced NMC battery at 91.5 percent.

Among the other EVs ranked inside the top 20 were the Audi e-tron 50 and 55 at 93.02 and 92.93 percent, respectively, the Skoda Enyaq iV at 92.88 percent, the Tesla Model S with 92.80 percent, the VW ID.4 at 92.77 percent, and the Tesla Model X at 92.52 percent.

The bigger lesson here is that the old fear of an EV’s battery dying young no longer holds up. Every car in this ranking kept more than 90 percent of its capacity past 62,000 miles, and most owners will not even reach that figure until three or four years of driving. The pack is now likely to outlast the car wrapped around it.

 After 62,000 Miles, The Healthiest EV Battery Belonged To A Kia, Not A Tesla
Kia Niro EV

Hyundai And Kia Tell 14 EV Owners To Park Away From Their Houses

  • Misaligned battery electrodes can create an internal short circuit.
  • Hyundai and Kia both sourced affected battery cells from SK On.
  • Owners are also advised to charge the batteries up to 80 percent.

Battery fires rank among the worst things that can befall an everyday motorist. Kia and Hyundai have each just issued a fresh recall tied to exactly that danger. Both companies say misaligned electrodes can create an internal short and start a fire in the affected cars. The two campaigns cover just 14 vehicles in total, but every owner still needs to park outside until the problem is fixed.

Hyundai says six Ioniq 5 models from the 2023 and 2024 model years may carry high-voltage battery cells with these skewed electrodes. The automaker warns the defect could eventually spark a blaze whether the car is parked or on the move.

More: Fuel Leaks Spark Recall Of Nearly A Quarter Million Kia And Genesis Vehicles

Kia’s recall identifies the same root cause. According to documents filed with the NHTSA, the supplier, SK On Co, blames a quality deviation for the problem. The automaker says the issue affects seven 2022-2024MY EV6s and a lone 2024MY EV9 SUV.

 Hyundai And Kia Tell 14 EV Owners To Park Away From Their Houses

Hyundai has not yet detailed its repair procedure. The normal NHTSA documentation isn’t viewable as of this writing, but Kia will replace the entire high-voltage battery pack with one containing properly aligned battery cells. We expect Hyundai will do the same thing given that the issue is basically identical and from the same supplier.

Until that work is completed, the automaker is instructing owners to limit charging to 80 percent and park their vehicles outdoors and away from structures as a precaution. While it’s not explicitly stated in the recall, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to park away from other vehicles even when outside and away from structures.

Much like the recall of nearly half a million Tellurides we reported on earlier today, dealer notification letters for this recall went out on July 6. Owner notification correspondence will go out on August 7.

 Hyundai And Kia Tell 14 EV Owners To Park Away From Their Houses
Photos: Kia / Hyundai

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