Posted: 24th February 2026
How Tyre Size and Cold UK Weather Influence EV Range
Cold weather and tyre size both have a measurable impact on your real-world electric vehicle range. In UK winter conditions, many EVs lose between 15-30 per cent of their range. In even colder (near freezing temperatures), especially with motorway driving and cabin heating, that figure can approach closer to between 35-40% for some models.
In this article, we are going to discuss some of the reasons contributing to the loss in range and what you can do as an EV driver to get the most out of your range even in the worst weather conditions
Why does cold weather reduce EV range?
Lithium-ion batteries work most efficiently within a moderate temperature range. When temperatures drop, the chemical reactions inside the battery slow down. The energy is still stored, but it cannot be delivered as efficiently. That reduces usable capacity until the battery warms up.
Cold weather also affects regenerative braking. When the battery is below its optimal operating temperature, your vehicle may limit how much energy it can recover under braking. This contributes to a slight reduction in overall efficiency.
At the same time, in winter we use more energy. This includes things like heating, heated seats, rear window demisters, headlights and battery thermal management systems. All of these additional energy demands draw power from the same battery that drives the motor. Unlike petrol or diesel vehicles, EVs cannot rely on surplus engine heat. All warmth is generated electrically.
As it stands, we are combining less battery efficiency with higher energy demand. These two elements combined equal a reduced real life range.
How does tyre size also have an impact on range?
Winter isn’t the only thing that can negatively impact EV range, we must also consider tyre size. Larger wheels are heavier and wider tyres increase rolling resistance. That means that your EV’s motor uses more energy to maintain speed, particularly on motorways. Realistically, when looking at a full charge, this can translate into 20-50 miles of lost range, depending on the vehicle. In winter, when efficiency is already reduced, the difference becomes more noticeable.
If short commutes are your thing, larger wheels are ok, however, if you are more of a frequent long distance driver, smaller wheels with lower rolling resistance tyres are usually are the better choice. Larger performance alloys may improve appearance and handling, but they come with an efficiency trade-off. For most UK drivers, preserving range is the more practical long-term decision. The decision is yours.
Why do some EVs lose more range than others?
It’s true, some EV’s lose more range than others but why? Heat pump systems use significantly less energy to warm the cabin than traditional resistive heaters. Vehicles equipped with them tend to see smaller winter range reductions.
Battery thermal management also pays its part. Some EVs actively warm the battery before driving or rapid charging, this helps to improve both efficiency and charging consistency in colder conditions.
Battery chemistry is also another factor to consider. Different lithium-ion chemistries behave differently in low temperatures. For example, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries can be more sensitive to cold than nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries, particularly at lower states of charge. That does not make one battery better than the other overall but as we are looking into why winter has a negative impact on EV range, it’s something to consider.
How much range do you actually lose during the UK winter months?
For most drivers, the reduction sits somewhere between 15-30% during the colder months. On a car officially rated at 250 miles, that usually translates to something closer to 175-210 miles in typical winter driving.
In freezing, harsher conditions coupled with longer drives, the gap widens further. A 300-mile rated EV may realistically end up delivering nearer to 200-220 motorway miles in those conditions.
What changes is not just the number itself, but the margin for error when it comes to charging. In summer, arriving at a charger with 15% battery remaining might feel acceptable; however, in winter, that buffer disappears more quickly, so we recommend not letting your charge get this low before charging.
For shorter daily journeys winter impact isn’t too disruptive. However, for longer drives, it’s worth considering everything you are learning in this article. Knowledge and planning are the answers to ensure that you do not run into any issues.
What can you do to protect your winter range?
Most improvements are practical rather than technical. By keeping tyres at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure is important, as tyre pressure drops when temperatures fall and under-inflation increases rolling resistance. Using cabin and battery pre-conditioning while the vehicle is still plugged in allows mains electricity to handle the initial heating load rather than the battery. Driving smoothly and maintaining steady motorway speeds reduces unnecessary energy consumption when the battery is operating below its optimal temperature.
For longer journeys, planning charging stops conservatively and avoiding very low state of charge in freezing conditions reduces risk. Factoring winter charging performance into route planning makes travel more predictable.
These adjustments do not eliminate winter range loss. They simply reduce avoidable inefficiencies.
What does this mean for everyday UK drivers?
The key thing to take away from this article is that for drivers covering shorter daily distances, a 20-30% winter reduction is usually manageable and not really an issue, especially with reliable home charging on offer.
Winter efficiency, however, becomes more significant during frequent motorway driving (Or just longer commutes in general), rural travel with limited charging access, or fleet and workplace environments where infrastructure must support multiple vehicles reliably.
If you are specifying a new EV or reviewing wheel size options, consider the trade-off between appearance vs performance and efficiency. Check whether the vehicle includes a heat pump, what type of battery chemistry it uses, and how robust its thermal management system is. Those details directly influence real-world winter performance.
Final thoughts
Cold UK weather does not make EV ownership impractical by any means, EV’s are great, but cold weather and the wrong tyre size does narow the margin for inefficiency, especially for long distance drivers.
An EV with appropriately specified wheels and tyres, supported by dependable charging infrastructure, will perform consistently year-round. If you are reviewing your charging setup or planning infrastructure for your home or site, ensuring it is designed to cope with winter demand removes much of the uncertainty colder months can introduce. Electric vehicles do not struggle in winter. They just respond more to temperature and setup. When those factors are understood, winter driving becomes a lot more predictable