Is an Electric Car Right for Your Next Road Trip?

But before you scuttle any of your plans to take to America’s highways and byways, consider this: The average summer road trip is 284 miles each way, and more than three-quarters of trips are under 250 miles each way, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Most modern EVs can cover that distance on a single charge.

Download apps for the major charging networks. Everyone who works at CR’s Auto Test Center and drives our test fleet of EVs has a bunch of charging network apps downloaded on their phones—Ampup, ChargePoint, Electrify America, EVGo, Volta, and others—and we recommend that you do the same. Paying for public charging isn’t as easy as filling up at a gas station. You’ll likely have to sign up and enter some payment information first. It’s better to do this before you leave home rather than struggle to sign up on your phone while you’re parked at a charger.

Most apps will tell you if the charger you’re planning to use is working properly, and when it was last used, which can help you avoid driving far out of your way only to end up at a charger that’s broken or in use.

Some EVs, including many models from GM, have a “plug and charge” feature that allows the driver to simply plug in at an eligible public charger and get billed automatically. Though it is slowly gaining traction, this feature is still relatively rare and typically works only at select chargers.

Be ready for longer pit stops. There are two kinds of chargers out there. Level 2 chargers, like the ones most EV owners have installed in their own homes, are the most common. They output between 7 and 19 kilowatt-hours and can add between 10 and 20 miles of charge per hour of charging. You’re likely to find these on the road at businesses and hotels. DC fast chargers are harder to find, they but charge about 10 times faster than a Level 2 charger.

Another factor to consider: Some cars charge faster than others. “Get a feel for how long it takes your car to charge and how many miles of range are added in that time so you can factor it into your itinerary,” Knizek says.

For example, Hyundai says that a DC fast charger can add 180 miles of range to the Ioniq 5 in just 18 minutes. On the other hand, Subaru says it’ll take 56 minutes to add 155 miles of range to the Solterra. In our own travels, we’ve noticed that those numbers are optimistic estimates.

“The maximum charge rate advertised by manufacturers is usually under ideal conditions, so expect to charge slightly slower some of the time,” Knizek says. Still, if you plan on taking lots of road trips in your EV, you’ll want to choose one that can charge quickly.

Don’t go out of your way to find a station that charges faster than your car can handle—it’s just a waste of time,” Knizek says. For example, if your car can only take in 150 kW, don’t bother with a 350 kW-charger. “It won’t make it charge any more quickly.”

Take the road less battery-draining. Steady, high-speed highway driving might be good for maximizing a gas car’s mileage, but it isn’t optimal for EV range, says Gabe Shenhar, associate director of CR’s Auto Test Center. “Plus, there is less opportunity for regenerative braking, which sends some energy back to the battery.” If you have a long highway slog, you might get less range than your car’s window sticker stated. Even if you know the way, consider using your car’s built-in navigation feature or an app such as Google Maps, which can plan a route that maximizes your car’s range.

Prepare to pay up. Charging an EV at home will almost always cost less than charging on the road, so you’d be wise to start out with a full battery. We’ve found that many public chargers can cost two to three times as much as you’d pay your electric company to charge at home, depending on your location. Unlike with gas stations, there’s no big sign outside charging stations advertising rates, but you can compare prices on the apps we mentioned earlier. 

Some new cars come with free charging on specific networks, so don’t let that go to waste. For example, the Volkswagen ID.4 comes with three years of complimentary 30-minute charges at Electrify America stations. If you own one, you might want to plan your route to take advantage of the offer.

Watch your range. Don’t wait until the last minute to charge. We recommend plugging in when your battery has at least 20 percent of its charge left. That way, if the charger you’re trying to use is out of order or has a long wait, you’ll probably have enough range left to get to another station.

And don’t plan on charging your battery all the way to 100 percent unless you want to wait, Knizek says. “Most electric vehicles charge the quickest between 20 and 80 percent. It is often beneficial on a long trip to stop more often but for less time at each stop than to wait for a full charge.”

Make sure you’re covered if something goes wrong. An electric vehicle isn’t subtle about warning you before it runs out of range. It will start displaying warning messages and sounding chimes long before the battery is truly dead, so you’ll at least be able to safely pull over even if you can’t make it to a charger.

Many roadside assistance services—including AAA and those offered by automakers and insurers—will tow you home or to a charging station (distance limits typically depend on membership level). AAA even has a mobile charging service in a few cities that will give your battery some juice wherever you’re parked.

Many new EVs come with at least a few months of roadside assistance from the manufacturer, although some automakers, including Tesla, charge extra to tow a car with a dead battery. Check your car’s manual or the automaker’s website to see what is covered, and buy additional coverage if you need it. We’ve found that a single tow often costs more than a year’s worth of roadside assistance.

Find a hotel with a charger. Many hotels have installed EV chargers on-site so guests can plug in when they reach their destination. Hilton, Marriott, and other major hotel chains let you search for properties with electric car chargers, and sites like PlugShare also have search functions for hotels with available charging stations. We recommend calling the specific hotel where you’re staying to make sure the charger is in working order.

Go ahead—turn on the AC. A summer road trip might be the best time to get the most miles out of an EV’s battery. CR tested the ranges of several popular EVs in various weather conditions and found that while cold weather saps about 25 percent of an EV’s range when cruising at 70 mph, sunny, humid, mid-80-degree weather will give drivers the longest range, even when keeping the air conditioning at 72° F.