2025 Winter Test: Tesla on its knees, Xiaomi strikes, and Xpeng reigns in the cold
The winter in Inner Mongolia takes no prisoners. China’s Autohome conducted the largest electric vehicle test in history there. The scale of the initiative was so enormous that it earned the organizers a place in the Guinness Book of Records. As many as 67 cars set out simultaneously on snow and ice. Conditions in Yakeshi were extreme—the temperature ranged from -10 to as low as -25 degrees Celsius.
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This wasn’t a marketing stunt. Everything that keeps electric vehicle drivers up at night in winter was tested: real range, fast charging that is harmful to batteries, and energy consumption with the heating on. We have complete data. For some brands previously considered leaders, these results are painful.
Range: Who will reach the destination and who will get stranded?
The most important part of the program was the range test. It was here that the biggest shifts occurred in the market hierarchy. The procedure was simple: charge the cars to full capacity, set the heating to a comfortable level, and drive until the battery was depleted in bitter cold.
The results show that Chinese engineers have learned more about thermal management. The Xpeng P7 in AWD version came out on top. This car outperformed its competitors, maintaining almost 54 percent of its advertised range. Considering China’s optimistic CLTC standards and the extreme cold, this is an outstanding result. In terms of percentage efficiency, the luxury sedan Yangwang U7 (a BYD brand) ranked second, covering the longest actual distance of all — 372.9 km.
The biggest loser in this test is the Tesla Model Y. This global bestseller in AWD version finished far back at 31st place on the list, achieving only 35.2 percent of its claimed range. The Long Range version performed even worse. This means drivers of this car must plan stops much more frequently in winter than suggested by the manufacturer. Interestingly, the Model 3 saved face for the brand, finishing high at fourth place with 48 percent range retention.
Table 1: Winter Real-World Range and Percentage Efficiency
Ranking
Model
Winter Range [km]
Range Retention [%]
1
Xpeng P7
366.7
53.9%
2
Yangwang U7
372.9
51.8%
3
Zeekr 001
362.1
49.6%
4
Tesla Model 3
361.8
48.0%
5
Nissan N7
296.3
47.4%
6
BYD Seal 06
248.7
45.6%
7
Xpeng Mona M03
270
45.0%
8
Fang Cheng Bao 3
224.7
44.9%
9
Aito M7
282
44.4%
10
BYD Han L
263.9
43.9%
11
BYD Seagull
177.2
43.8%
12
Geely Galaxy E5
260.9
42.8%
13
MG4
225.8
42.6%
14
Xiaomi YU7
319
42.5%
15
BYD Sealion 06
253.1
41.8%
16
Geely Xingyuan
168.2
41.0%
17
Aito M8
254.1
40.7%
18
Nio ES8
257.9
40.6%
19
iCar V23
201.9
40.3%
20
Onvo L90
221
40.2%
21
Toyota bZ3X
243.8
40.0%
22
Leapmotor B01
260.2
40.0%
23
Deepal S05
242.5
39.1%
24
Wuling Bingo S
166.4
38.7%
25
Mercedes-Benz G Class PHEV
216
37.8%
26
Arcfox T1
160.8
37.8%
27
Mercedes-Benz CLA EV
320
37.0%
28
Li Auto i6
238
36.1%
29
Tesla Model Y L
270.9
36.1%
30
Changan Nevo A06
223.3
35.4%
31
Tesla Model Y
242.8
35.2%
32
Li Auto i8
250.3
34.8%
The Li Auto i8 draws special attention. Created by the company founded by Autohome’s creator (Li Xianga), it ranked last in the table, achieving only 34.8% of its claimed range. This shows that even “homegrown” brands couldn’t expect preferential treatment.
Energy Consumption: You Can’t Cheat Physics
Another myth that was debunked in Yakeshi is the idea that all electric vehicles are energy-hungry in winter. Indeed, consumption rises dramatically because heating the cabin at -20 degrees requires a huge amount of energy. However, lightweight vehicles can still be efficient.
Small urban cars came out on top. The BYD Seagull consumed only 23.5 kWh per 100 kilometers. This is an excellent result under such extreme conditions. Right behind it was the Geely Xingyuan, with an identical figure.
In this category, the Tesla Model 3 once again demonstrated its superiority by finishing in 5th place overall (24.9 kWh/100 km). This confirms that the Tesla sedan has excellent aerodynamics and an efficient powertrain. Unfortunately, its larger sibling—the Model Y—consumed 10 kWh more per 100 kilometers (34.9 kWh/100 km), pushing it to the lower half of the rankings.
At the bottom of the table were large, boxy SUVs. The Mercedes G-Class in plug-in hybrid version consumed an astronomical 51.9 kWh/100 km. This figure raises questions about the sense of electrifying such large vehicles if they are to be used in cold climates.
Table 2: Energy Consumption in Winter Conditions
Ranking
Model
Energy Consumption [kWh/100km]
1
BYD Seagull
23.5
2
Geely Xingyuan
23.5
3
BYD Seal 06
24.6
4
Wuling Bingo S
24.9
5
Tesla Model 3
24.9
6
Xpeng Mona M03
25.4
7
MG4
25.5
8
Nissan N7
26.4
9
Xpeng P7
26.9
10
Leapmotor B01
26.9
11
Changan Nevo A06
27.9
12
Zeekr 001
28.1
13
Geely Galaxy E5
28.6
14
Mercedes-Benz CLA EV
30.4
15
Toyota bZ3X
30.4
16
Deepal S05
30.4
17
Arcfox T1
31
18
BYD Han L
32.2
19
Fang Cheng Bao 3
33.7
20
Xiaomi YU7
33.7
21
Tesla Model Y
34.9
22
BYD Sealion 06
35.6
23
Aito M7
35.7
24
Tesla Model Y L
36.1
25
Onvo L90
37
26
Aito M8
38.9
27
Li Auto i8
39.2
28
Nio ES8
39.2
29
Yangwang U7
40.2
30
Li Auto i6
40.5
31
iCar V23
41.4
32
Mercedes-Benz G Class PHEV
51.9
Charging: 800V makes a difference
Winter is the worst enemy of lithium-ion batteries. The chemistry of the cells becomes denser, internal resistance increases, and the thermal systems must work tirelessly to heat the cells to a temperature where they can safely handle high currents. Autohome measured the time required to recharge in a typical road trip scenario: from 30 to 80 percent.
The differences are striking. The best cars take about fifteen minutes for this task, while the worst take over 40 minutes. That’s the difference between a quick coffee and a long lunch at a gas station.
The Avatr 06 proved to be unbeatable, taking just 15 minutes to recharge. This shows the overwhelming advantage of modern Chinese 800V platforms over older designs. The Changan Nevo A06 and Chery Fulwin A9L came in second and third place respectively, with a time of 16 minutes.
The Tesla Model Y, despite its advanced technology and own Supercharger network (though public chargers compliant with the GB/T standard were likely used in the test), performed very poorly. Its time of 35-36 minutes puts it at the bottom of the rankings, alongside vehicles like the Buick L7 and Mercedes Class G.
The comparison with the Xiaomi YU7 is interesting. This car has a massive battery with a capacity of 101.7 kWh. Yet it still managed to charge in 31 minutes. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y, with a battery capacity over 20 kWh smaller (78.4 kWh), took 35 minutes for the same task. This demonstrates how efficient the thermal management system (preconditioning) implemented by this electronics giant is.
Table 3: Fast charging time from 30-80% in cold weather
Ranking
Model
Battery capacity [kWh]
Time [min]
1
Avatr 06
45.06
15
2
Changan Nevo A06
63.18
16
3
Chery Fulwin A9L
33.68
16
4
Arcfox T1
42.3
17
5
Voyah Taishan
65
17
6
Zeekr 9X
70
18
7
Roewe M7 DMH
19.7
20
8
IM LS6
66
20
9
Leapmotor B01
67.1
21
10
Geely Galaxy E5
68.39
21
11
Geely Galaxy M9
41.46
21
12
IM LS9
66
21
13
Lynk & Co 900
52.38
22
14
Nissan N7
73
22
15
Denza N8L
46.9
22
16
Geely Xingyuan
40.16
22
17
BYD Han L
83.2
23
18
Li Auto L9
52.3
23
19
Onvo L90
85
24
20
Toyota bZ3X
67.92
26
21
Haval Raptor EV
35.43
26
22
iCar V23
80.16
26
23
Li Auto i6
87.3
26
24
MG4
53.9
26
25
Aito M7
100
26
26
XPeng P7
92.2
26
27
Zeekr 001
103
27
28
Aito M8
100
27
29
Xpeng Mona M03
62.2
27
30
Shangjie (Saic) H5
32.6
28
31
Nio ES8
102
28
32
Wuling Bingo S
41.9
29
33
BYD SeaLion 06
78.72
29
34
Li Auto i8
97.8
29
35
Deepal S05
68.82
29
36
Geely Galaxy A7
18.4
29
37
Aito M9
52
30
38
BYD Qin L
15.87
31
39
Xiaomi YU7
101.7
31
40
BYD Seal 06
38.88
34
41
BYD Seagull
38.88
34
42
Tesla Model Y
78.4
35
43
Tesla Model Y L
82
36
44
Tesla Model 3
78.4
36
45
Fang Cheng Bao 7
35.6
38
46
Buick L7
40.2
41
47
Yangwang U7
135.5
42
48
Mercedes-Benz G Class
122
43
Xiaomi vs Tesla: A Change in Value?
Everyone was watching Xiaomi’s engineers closely. Their new SUV, the YU7 model, entered direct competition with the Tesla Model Y. Although the sedan version SU7 wasn’t part of the tests (which is a shame, as a showdown with the Model 3 would have been exciting), the SUV comparison delivered a clear verdict.
The newcomer won this comparison based on points. The Xiaomi YU7 maintained 42.5% range (compared to Tesla Y’s 35.2%). It also charged 4 minutes faster, despite having a significantly larger battery (101.7 kWh vs 78.4 kWh). In terms of energy consumption, Xiaomi also slightly outperformed its American rival (33.7 vs 34.9 kWh/100 km).
This is an alarm signal for Elon Musk. Chinese competitors have not only caught up with Tesla in software aspects but are also beginning to surpass it in material engineering and energy management under tough conditions.
China’s largest winter range testing [CN]
What about these standards? Summary of results
When analyzing these tables, keep in mind the specifics of the CLTC standard (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle). It is much more optimistic than the WLTP standard used in Europe, and certainly more so than the American EPA standard.
If a car in the table loses 50% of its CLTC range, under our road conditions (where we start from a lower WLTP baseline), the actual reduction could be around 30-35%. However, for cars at the bottom of the table, such as the Tesla Model Y or Li Auto i8, losing over 60% of their CLTC range means that in Poland’s cold weather, these vehicles might lose half of their actual summer range. This is physics that cannot be deceived by OTA software updates — better heat pumps and cell insulation are needed here.
The Autohome tests are a goldmine of knowledge. They show that Chinese manufacturers — Xpeng, Avatr, Zeekr, and BYD — are adapting technology very quickly to harsh climate conditions. While Tesla remains excellent in the Model 3, it seems to need a technological upgrade (the “Juniper” project) for the Model Y to improve thermal management in extreme cold.
For you, is faster charging in winter (15 minutes vs 35 minutes) a decisive factor when choosing a car, or do you prefer relying on a dense network of chargers? Let us know in the comments!
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