// convert electric car range between NEDC, WLTP, EPA and CLTC
Estimates based on typical industry-observed ratios between test cycles, not an official conversion — actual gaps vary by vehicle (roughly ±10-15%). Always check the manufacturer's own published figures for each standard when available.
Electric car range isn't measured once — it's measured under different lab test cycles depending on where the car is sold, and each cycle assumes a different driving profile. WLTP is the official EU/UK test since 2018. NEDC is the older European/Chinese cycle WLTP replaced, but still appears on pre-2018 vehicles and resale listings. EPA is the US test, and it's the one figure of the four that's widely regarded as the closest approximation to real-world range — it applies a correction factor derived from real-world driving data, covered in detail below. CLTC is China's current cycle, tuned to lower urban speeds, which produces the highest — and least realistic — range figures of any standard.
Pakistan's EV market is increasingly made up of Chinese-brand imports (BYD, MG, Haval, and others), many of which advertise range under the CLTC cycle — the most optimistic of the four standards. CLTC's lower assumed average speed and heavy allowance for idle/stop-start driving mean CLTC-rated range typically runs 20-30% higher than the WLTP-equivalent figure for the same battery pack.
Practically: if a listing advertises a CLTC range, convert it to WLTP above before comparing it to a European-market EV's WLTP-rated spec sheet — comparing a CLTC number directly against a WLTP number without converting will make the Chinese-market car look like it has meaningfully more range than it really does relative to European-tested competitors.
WLTP has been the mandatory test for all new cars sold in the EU and UK since September 2018, and is generally considered a reasonable planning figure — but real-world range in cold weather or sustained motorway driving typically still lands around 10% below the official WLTP number. If you're comparing a used car listed with an NEDC figure (common on pre-2018 vehicles) against a new WLTP-rated model, convert the NEDC figure first — NEDC consistently overstates range by roughly 15-30% versus WLTP for the same car.
EPA's real-world reputation isn't a guess — it comes from a documented methodology. A car is first run through two raw lab dynamometer cycles (city and highway), then the EPA applies a 0.7 correction factor to that raw result:
That 0.7 factor exists specifically to account for things the raw lab test ignores: air conditioning and heating load, sustained highway speeds, and more aggressive acceleration — which is exactly why EPA numbers consistently land closer to what drivers actually experience than WLTP, NEDC, or CLTC do. This tool's EPA bar above already reflects that — it's the standards-conversion equivalent of a real EPA rating for the same battery.
The Real-World Range Estimate box goes one step further: EPA's own 0.7 factor still doesn't fully capture sustained highway speeds above 65 mph or cold-weather battery losses, so selecting a condition applies a further estimated adjustment on top of the EPA-equivalent figure — 12% for sustained highway driving, roughly 25% for cold weather — based on independently reported real-world EV testing.
| Standard | Region | Typical vs WLTP |
|---|---|---|
| WLTP | EU, UK (2018+) | Reference (1.00×) |
| NEDC | Legacy EU (pre-2018), older China listings | ~1.18× higher |
| EPA | United States | ~0.89× (lower) |
| CLTC | China (current) | ~1.235× higher |