Winter range in Turkey: how much range a Tesla loses in the cold, city by city

Why EVs lose range in the cold

Two things happen. First, the car spends energy on heat: warming the cabin and keeping the battery at a temperature where it can deliver and accept power. Recurrent names cabin heating as the main reason for winter range loss. Second, a cold battery's chemistry is slower, so some of its energy is temporarily unavailable. Tesla shows this with a blue snowflake next to the battery: some stored energy can't be used until the battery warms up.

The size of each part was shown by AAA's 2019 test of five EVs, including a Tesla Model S, at −6.7 °C. With the heater on, range fell 41% compared with 24 °C. With heating and air conditioning off, it fell 12%. The heater is the larger lever.

This is temporary. Range comes back when temperatures rise. Cold doesn't wear the battery the way long periods of heat and full charge do.

How much range: the measured numbers

Different tests, different methods, the same direction:

• Recurrent, real-world data from 30,000+ US cars (2025): 78% of range kept on average at 0 °C, 70% at −7 °C
• Geotab, 5.2 million trips by 4,200 EVs: 54% of rated range at −15 °C; the peak, 115%, at about 21.5 °C
• NAF/Motor El Prix, Norway, winter 2025 (−6 to +5 °C): Tesla Model 3 drove 536 km against 702 km WLTP, 24% less
• El Prix winter 2026 (−7 to −32 °C): Tesla Model Y 359 km against 629 km WLTP, 43% less; the 24-car field averaged 38% less
• ADAC winter test 2026, 0 °C, motorway speeds up to 130 km/h: the Model Y used 22.2 kWh/100 km, the lowest of the 14 cars tested

What January means where you live

We found no study of EV winter range measured in Turkey. What exists is the Turkish State Meteorological Service's (MGM) climate data, and the curves above can be read against it. January averages (mean / average minimum):

Read with Recurrent's curve, coastal cities sit near the mild end of winter loss, Ankara near the 0 °C point (around a fifth less range), and Erzurum or Kars well below −7 °C on most January days, where the El Prix-style losses apply. These are readings of other countries' measurements, not a Turkish test.

• İzmir: 9.0 °C / 6.0 °C (MGM 1991–2020 normals)
• Antalya: 9.8 °C / 5.9 °C (MGM 1991–2020)
• İstanbul: 6.8 °C / 4.2 °C (MGM general statistics, 1950–2025; no 1991–2020 table published)
• Ankara: 0.9 °C / −2.2 °C (MGM 1991–2020)
• Kars: −9.4 °C / −14.8 °C (MGM 1991–2020)
• Erzurum: −10.2 °C / −15.9 °C (MGM 1991–2020)

Heat pumps and why your Tesla has one

A heat pump moves heat instead of making it, so it needs less energy than a resistive heater. Tesla has fitted one to the Model Y since its launch in 2020 and to the Model 3 since builds from late 2020, according to reporting at the time. A test reported by Electrek measured about 2.2 kW to keep a 2019 Model 3 cabin at 21 °C against about 0.7 kW in a 2021 Model 3 with a heat pump. Recurrent found heat-pump cars keep 8–10% more winter range near −1 °C.

So if your Tesla is a Model 3 built before late 2020, expect the higher end of the winter losses above.

How to keep the loss small

Most of the loss is heat, so the lever is when and where you make it. Tesla's own winter advice is to warm the cabin and battery before driving, while the car is still plugged in:

• Use Scheduled Departure or precondition from the app while plugged in, so the heat comes from the grid, not the battery
• Seat and steering-wheel heating use less energy than heating the whole cabin
• Navigate to a Supercharger in the car: it preheats the battery on the way, so charging is faster
• Expect weaker regenerative braking on a cold battery; Tesla's manual says it returns as the battery warms
• Plan inland winter trips with a larger buffer, and keep tyres at the door-pillar pressure: cold lowers it

Frequently asked questions

How much range does a Tesla lose in winter?

Around 0 °C, typically 20–30%: Recurrent's data on 30,000+ cars shows 78% kept at 0 °C and 70% at −7 °C. In deep frost it can be more than 40%; Norway's El Prix test measured a Model Y 43% below WLTP at −7 to −32 °C.

Is winter range loss permanent?

No. Most of it is energy spent on heating the cabin and battery, plus energy a cold battery can't release until it warms. Range comes back in warmer weather.

Does preconditioning really help?

Yes, mainly because the heat then comes from the grid instead of the battery. AAA's test showed heating is the larger part of winter loss: 41% with the heater on against 12% with it off at −6.7 °C.

What about winter in Turkey specifically?

It depends on where you drive. January averages about 9–10 °C in İzmir and Antalya, about 1 °C in Ankara and about −10 °C in Erzurum (MGM). No Turkish EV winter test exists, so we apply measured curves from other countries to these temperatures.