A new test from Forbrugerrådet Tænk found that none of 44 electric cars reached their officially stated range, with 11 models falling more than 100 kilometers short.
The Danish consumer council Forbrugerrådet Tænk tested 44 electric car models and found that every single one drove shorter than advertised, TV 2 reported on November 9, 2026. In 11 cases, the measured range was more than 100 kilometers below the figure given by the manufacturer.
The largest gaps reached over 140 kilometers between the laboratory figure and the tested result. TV 2 business analyst Ole Krohn said the differences are so large that they tend toward consumer misinformation.
Why the tested numbers differ from the official ones
Forbrugerrådet Tænk does not use the official WLTP standard that carmakers rely on for their range claims. According to test manager Thomas S. Pedersen, the organization chose its own laboratory method because it believes the result is more realistic.
Both tests place the car on large rolling drums in a closed laboratory at a fixed temperature. The WLTC test runs at 14 degrees for 30 minutes and covers 23.25 kilometers, Forbrugerrådet Tænk states. Its own test runs at 23 degrees for about 48 minutes and adds roughly 31 kilometers of motorway driving.
That extra section includes phases at 130 kilometers per hour, braking down to 80 or 110, and acceleration back to 130. The aim is to imitate traffic and road works, as well as steady driving at 80, 100 and 120 kilometers per hour.
Smaller models struggled most under those conditions. The Renault Twingo is listed at 261 kilometers but reached 176 kilometers on the German rolling road, a shortfall of 32.6 percent. Per Thomas S. Pedersen, several small electric cars are built mainly for city driving and have a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour.
BMW and Mercedes came closest
Measured in kilometers, the BMW iX2 performed best. It is listed at 449 kilometers and reached 419 kilometers in the test, a gap of 30 kilometers. On absolute distance, the Mercedes-Benz CLA went furthest, covering 744 kilometers against an official 792 kilometers.
Forbrugerrådet Tænk stresses that real range always depends on how and where a car is driven. High speeds and low temperatures drain the battery faster, the organization notes. Ole Krohn said carmakers may well follow all the rules, but questioned whether the current test method reflects what drivers meet on the road.
What the range test means for internationals buying a car in Denmark
Range figures in Danish car advertisements and registration documents come from the WLTP standard, which is the EU-wide measurement procedure. The same WLTP data feeds into Danish vehicle taxation, where electric range and energy consumption affect registration tax and the annual green owner tax collected by Skattestyrelsen. The total cost of owning a car in Denmark therefore depends on the same official numbers that Forbrugerrådet Tænk tested against.
For foreign residents who commute between Danish cities or drive home across Germany, the practical gap matters most on motorways, which is exactly where Forbrugerrådet Tænk added test kilometers. A car listed at 261 kilometers that manages 176 kilometers changes how often a driver must stop, something worth factoring into EV road trip planning and the use of fast chargers. No Danish authority has announced any change to the WLTP rules in response to the test, and Forbrugerrådet Tænk’s method is not the legally binding standard.
