These guys flew to a super hot country to test how far electric cars can really go in crippling 111°F heat

This group jetted off to one of the hottest places in Europe with three electric cars in tow.

They wanted to put them to the ultimate range test and see how they’d cope when the temperature spikes instead of dips. 

The plan was to charge everything to full and drive until the cars couldn’t push any further. 

But what actually happened once the heat kicked in is where things got interesting.

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How they set up a EV torture test for electric cars in 111°F heat

The team behind YouTube channel What Car? landed in southern Spain and headed out on a loop through Andalusia.

A place known for breaking its own heat records. 

Their lineup covered three ends of the EV world: a long-range Tesla Model 3 Highland, a mid-priced Kia EV3 Long Range, and the Citroën EC3, which is one of the cheapest new electric cars you can buy.

They chose them for a simple reason: each car has a completely different battery size and price point, so each one should behave differently in harsh conditions.

To make it fair, they corrected tyre pressures, set every cabin to a verified 21°C (roughly 70°F), and swapped drivers every 30 miles. 

They also rotated the order the cars followed and agreed that once any car hit 10% it had to peel off for a charger.

And before they even reached the 10% mark, the heat was already showing its hand.

The Tesla’s big glass roof was turning the cabin into a mini-greenhouse.

The EC3’s small battery was dropping faster than anyone liked.

And with the outside temperature pushing over 100 degrees, the range numbers on everyone’s dashboards started shrinking quicker than expected.

What they discovered once the heat started biting

The Citroën EC3 was first to struggle. 

It rolled into the planned charger… and found the entire station wasn’t even switched on. 

With only a few miles left, the driver crawled toward a backup 50 kW charger and arrived at roughly 3%, dripping in sweat after turning the AC off to survive.

Once plugged in, the numbers told the full story. 

The EC3 managed 129 miles, with a theoretical max of 142 miles – about 28.7% below its official range. 

It also charged painfully slowly, taking more than an hour to reach 80% likely because of its air-cooled battery fighting the heat.

The Kia EV3 and Tesla Model 3 made it much further, each reaching 224 miles before needing a charger. 

The Kia’s theoretical max came to 246 miles (32% down), while the Tesla posted 244 miles (44% down), even though it was the most efficient of the three. 

Both bigger EVs still fast-charged only a few minutes slower than their ideal times.

When they put all the data together, the pattern was clear: every car lost more than 35% of its official range. 

That’s almost the same drop they see in winter.

So it turns out once temperatures flip from hot to ‘oven,’ the batteries spend more energy keeping themselves cool than moving the car.

And your range melts long before you do.

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