How much range does an EV or plug-in hybrid lose in a Moldovan winter?

How cold winter in Moldova really gets

Our winters are cold, but not extreme. The State Hydrometeorological Service gives a normal average January temperature of between −2 °C in the south and −4 °C in the north.

In Chișinău, the January average for 1991–2020 is −1.8 °C. The average low is −4.2 °C in January, −3.0 °C in February and −2.5 °C in December. This means that from December to February, a car parked outside overnight usually starts in the morning below 0 °C.

Hard frosts are rare, but they do come. The Hydrometeorological Service counts, on average, 5–11 days below −10 °C and 1–5 days below −15 °C in January. The record low in Chișinău is −28.4 °C.

How much range drops: what the data and tests show

Recurrent, which tracks more than 30,000 electric cars in the US, shows that at 0 °C a car keeps on average 78% of its range, and about 70% at −7 °C. The best keep 88%, the weakest 69%.

Most of the loss comes from heating. US Department of Energy tests (fueleconomy.gov) at −7 °C show 41% less range in mixed driving, and about two thirds of the extra energy goes to heating the cabin. Without heating, the loss is only around 12%.

The highway is harder. In the ADAC test from January 2026, 14 family electric cars drove the Munich–Berlin route, 582 km, on a test stand at 0 °C, starting cold, without a preheated battery. On average they used 57% more than their WLTP figure: the Tesla Model Y 40% more, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 69% more. The only Chinese model in the test, the all-wheel-drive BYD Sealion 7, used over 35 kWh per 100 km and did not reach 300 km on one charge.

The Norwegian NAF El Prix test, in January 2026, ran between −7 °C and −32 °C. The 24 cars fell on average 38% short of WLTP. The previous winter, at temperatures between −6 °C and +8 °C, closer to ours, the average shortfall was 18%. For Moldova, our estimate is that a typical winter day is closer to the 2025 test than to the 2026 one.

Note: all these percentages are relative to WLTP. Chinese spec sheets use CLTC, which is even more optimistic, so the loss relative to the spec-sheet figure is bigger.

Heat pump: the most useful thing for winter

An electric car doesn't get "free" heat from the engine the way a gasoline car does. It heats the cabin either with an electric resistance heater or with a heat pump, which pulls heat from the air and from the car's components and uses less energy.

Recurrent found that cars with a heat pump are about 10% more efficient at 0 °C than those with a resistance heater. The advantage shrinks toward −18 °C, where the two end up almost the same. For Moldovan winters, with many days around 0 °C, the heat pump matters. ADAC also noted that all the competitive cars in its winter test had a heat pump.

Equipment varies from trim to trim and between the Chinese and European markets. Below is only what we could verify. For any other car, ask for the spec sheet of the exact trim.

LFP or NMC: which battery suffers more in the cold

LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, which every BYD and the Leapmotor C16 use, lose somewhat more in the cold than NMC batteries. Recurrent observed that the Tesla Model 3 with LFP loses a few percent more in winter than the versions with a nickel-based battery.

The difference shows up mostly in fast charging. CATL says its Shenxing LFP battery reaches 80% in 10 minutes at room temperature, but in 30 minutes at −10 °C. The BYD manual also says that in the cold, battery power drops and charging takes longer.

The LiXiang L9 has an NMC battery, and the Zeekr 7X comes in both versions: 75 kWh LFP or 100 kWh NMC. That is not a reason to avoid LFP, but it's worth knowing what to expect in January.

Plug-in hybrid and EREV: the engine runs more in winter

Both on plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and on range-extended cars (EREV), electric range drops in the cold, for the same reasons: a cold battery and heating. As a result, the gasoline engine starts more often and sooner than in summer.

Even a conventional hybrid suffers: at −7 °C, on short city trips, a hybrid's fuel consumption can rise by about 30–34%, according to fueleconomy.gov. That's because the engine has to warm itself up and heat the cabin.

When and why the engine starts depends on the model and the settings. On some models you can choose a mode that keeps electric driving going as long as possible. Ask and test on the specific car before winter.

What to do to lose less

The tips below come from manufacturers' manuals and the US Department of Energy. They cost nothing and make an immediate difference.

• Warm up the car while it is still plugged in. The energy comes from the grid, not the battery, so you set off with full range and a warm cabin.
• Park in a garage or an underground parking lot if you can. The BYD manual explicitly recommends this for cold weather.
• Use the heated seats and steering wheel instead of heating the whole cabin at full blast. They use much less energy.
• Before a fast charge in the cold, set the charging station as the destination in the navigation. The car warms up its battery on the way and charges much faster, especially with LFP.
• Check your tire pressure often. It drops in the cold, and underinflated tires increase consumption.
• For long winter trips, plan with the real winter range, not the spec-sheet figure, and plan your charging with a margin.

Examples from our catalog

• Zeekr 7XIt was in the 2026 NAF winter test: 338 km out of 541 km WLTP, a 38% loss, equal to the average. It has a heat pump as standard on the European version.
• LiXiang L9An EREV with an NMC battery and a heat pump on all 2026 trims. In the cold, the gasoline generator starts more often, but the car stays usable no matter how long the trip.
• BYD Sealion 07The electric version is sold in Europe as the Sealion 7, with a heat pump as standard. In the ADAC highway test at 0 °C, the all-wheel-drive version used over 35 kWh per 100 km: good for the city, weaker for long winter trips.
• Leapmotor C16An EREV with an LFP battery. In winter, electric range drops more than with an NMC battery, but the range extender covers long trips.

AWD cars in stock, for winter

All-wheel-drive cars we have in stock right now, with the final price in Moldova: shipping, customs and registration included.

Voyah Free2023 · 40,000 km · EREV · 4x4€27,190In stockLiXiang L62024 · 32,000 km · EREV · 4x4€32,990In stockBYD Tang L2025 · 4,000 km · Plug-in hybrid · 4x4€36,490In stockLiXiang L72025 · 16,000 km · EREV · 4x4€45,490In stockLiXiang L82025 · 15,000 km · EREV · 4x4€49,490In stockLiXiang L92024 · 27,000 km · EREV · 4x4€54,990In stock

All cars in stock

Stock changes daily. As of October 5, 2026.

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