18:55 25-12-2025

How winter reshapes EV range: BYD Sealion 7 vs CUPRA Born, plus BMW 5 Series and X2

Green NCAP tests winter EV range vs gasoline. BYD Sealion 7 drops ~16%, CUPRA Born ~33%, while BMW 5 Series and X2 see higher fuel use but steadier distance.

In winter, one question dominates: will the range be enough, or will every trip turn into a search for a socket? Green NCAP compared two EVs (BYD Sealion 7 and CUPRA Born) with two gasoline BMWs (5 Series and X2) to see how cold weather reshapes real-world efficiency.

The outcome is no surprise, but the numbers are telling. In mild conditions, the BYD Sealion 7 managed about 400 km, while in the cold it delivered roughly 337 km—a drop of around 16%. For an electric car, that’s a relatively restrained decline, helped by cabin preconditioning and solid thermal insulation. There was a caveat, though: the official fast-charging figure didn’t fully translate to reality, as a 10–80% charge took about eight minutes longer than stated. On the road, that gap matters more than any spec sheet line.

The lighter, more compact CUPRA Born lost more ground: its range fell from 328 to 221 km—close to a third. In practice, that means cabin heating and battery thermal management take a noticeable bite out of the pack, so a route that feels trivial in summer can demand planning once the mercury drops. It’s a reminder that winter driving is as much about energy management as it is about headline range.

Gasoline BMWs behave differently. Their fuel use rises in the cold, but without a dramatic collapse in driving distance: the engine’s waste heat warms the cabin anyway. In the test, the BMW 5 Series climbed from 6.8 to 8.1 l/100 km, and the BMW X2 from 7.1 to 8.0 l/100 km. The steadier range can be reassuring on long winter hauls, even if efficiency does take a measurable hit.