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Estimate · assumptions shown

What a Canadian winter does to EV range

NRCan measures range at around 22 °C. At −20 °C an electric vehicle typically keeps around two-thirds of that — the battery holds less, and heating the cabin draws from the same pack. Here is what that means for a specific model.

Your vehicle

Only battery-electric models NRCan has rated are listed.

It is on your insurance slip, your registration, and the driver-side dashboard.

Conditions

This vehicle has a heat pump — heat pumps cut roughly a third off the cabin-heating penalty. Most models built since about 2021 have one; check the specification.

Estimated range at 0 °C

297 km

Down from a rated 349 km — a loss of 52 km, or 15%.

Across the winter

Estimated range for the 2021 Nissan Leaf Plus at a range of temperatures.
TemperatureEstimated rangeLostRetained
+10 °C332 km−17 km95%
0 °C297 km−52 km85%
-10 °C262 km−87 km75%
-20 °C228 km−121 km65%
-30 °C223 km−126 km64%

What this estimate assumes

  • · Rated range of 349 km, which NRCan measures at about 22 °C.
  • · Battery capacity loss of 5% at 0 °C.
  • · Cabin heating draw of 10%, assuming resistive heating.
  • · Mixed city and highway driving.
  • · A garage or preconditioning while plugged in recovers part of the heating loss.

Model version 2026-08. The battery and heating penalties are shown separately above so you can judge them yourself.

This is a model, not a measurement: Nobody publishes an official cold-weather range for every model sold in Canada. This applies a documented derating curve to NRCan’s rated range, calibrated against published fleet studies. Your own result will vary with speed, terrain, tyres, how warm you keep the cabin, and whether you can precondition while plugged in — that last one recovers a meaningful share of the loss.

Source: NRCan — Fuel consumption ratings (rated range). Data current as of 2026-08-11. Derating model calibrated against: Natural Resources Canada — Fuel consumption ratings (rated range, measured near 22 °C); Published cold-weather EV fleet studies (Norwegian Automobile Federation; Recurrent; AAA) — 10–15% loss near 0 °C, 30–40% near −20 °C with resistive heating.