WLTP — the European test cycle

The procedure runs a defined speed profile on a rolling road under controlled temperature, with the car prepared to a defined state. That control is the point: it makes two cars comparable. It also makes the result a laboratory value rather than a prediction of any particular journey.

Why it matters when buying

Every figure on a European price list, on a registration document and in a tax calculation comes from this procedure, so it is the only common language available when comparing models. Treat it as an index, not a promise.

Real range departs from it in predictable directions: motorway speeds cost more than the cycle assumes, cold weather costs more still, and city driving often beats the figure. A useful working habit is to compare consumption per distance rather than range, since consumption is independent of battery size and exposes packaging differences that a range figure hides.

Two related traps. The figure certified for a car depends on the exact version, including wheel size, so the number in a brochure may belong to a version nobody stocks. And a Chinese-market figure quoted in press coverage is usually CLTC, which is a different and much more optimistic cycle — comparing one against the other is the single most common error in coverage of Chinese cars.

Related: CLTC · NEDC · usable capacity