Every season can be a road trip season, but there’s something about the summer that brings out the adventurer in all of us. Whether you’re escaping the heat, chasing the sun, or simply embarking on the great American road trip, it’s a wonderful time of year to be behind the wheel.

For EV owners, and prospective EV owners, it pays to spend a little extra time planning. 

If you’re in the market for an EV, part of the research that goes into an EV purchase is tied to how you’ll use it. If you spend a lot of time on the road, especially for long stretches, you will want to pick an EV that is optimized for: 

• Range
• Charging speed
• Charging availability 

Those three factors can make the difference between a great experience and one that is more complicated than you wanted. 

Recurrent's Road Trip Score

The real-world range, charging speed, charger availability, and time to charge are key factors that define road trip suitability for a given EV. While there's more info about these criteria later in the post, here's the outcomes from our analysis.

Best Sedan for Road Trips: Tesla Model 3 Long Range

• Range: 358 miles (EPA), 341 miles (Edmunds tested) for a score of 90/100
• Max charging speed: 250 kW for a score of 90/100
• Charging availability score: NACS with CCS charging available via adapter for a score of 100/100
• Charging minutes added to 500-mile trip: 30 minutes for a sore of 100/100
• Calculation: Leg 1: 273 miles (100% to 20%), Leg 2: 205 miles (20% to 80%) after 20-minute charge, plus a 10-minute charge (100+ miles range added) to top off before driving the last 22 miles.

Takeaway: You can’t go wrong with long range Tesla trims. While Tesla real-world range can fall short of their EPA range, they make up for it with best-in-industry charging availability, great charging speed, and minimal impact on trip times.

Tesla Model 3 weighted road trip score: 94/100

Sedan Honorable Mention: Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range (RWD)

• Range: 361 miles (EPA), 343 miles (Edmunds tested) for a score of 90/100.
• Max charging speed: 232 kW for a score of 90/100
• Charging availability score: CCS for a score of 90/100
• Charging minutes added to 500-mile trip: 23 minutes for a score of 100/100
• Calculation: Leg 1: 274 miles (100% to 20%), Leg 2: 206 miles (80% to 20%) after 18 minute charge, plus 5 minute charge to finish the last 20 miles (which would add about 70 miles of range).

Takeaway: The Ioniq 6 is a bit of a sleeper in terms of a road trip vehicle. If you don’t need the extra space afforded by a crossover, it’s a seriously good contender up against a Model 3 Long Range. Lease deals in 2024 are extremely favorable, so if you find yourself in the market for an EV sedan and want choices other than Tesla, the EV6 is an excellent option.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 Road Trip Score: 92/100

Best Crossover for Road Trips: Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dual Motor

• Range: 256 miles (EPA), 270 miles (Edmunds tested) for a score of 85/100
• Max charging speed: 230 kW for a sore of 90/100
• Charging availability score: CCS for a score of 90/100
• Charging minutes added to 500-mile trip: 27 minutes for a score of 100/100
• Calculation: Leg 1: 216 miles (100% to 20%), Leg 2: 162 miles (80% to 20%) after 15 minute charge, Leg 3: 122 miles (80% to 35%) after 12 minute charge.

Takeaway: The Ioniq 5 may not get you as far on your first leg as the Mach E or the Model 3, but the charging speed significantly makes up for it. Peak charge speeds are excellent and 20% to 80% charge times are therefore faster.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 Road Trip Score: 90/100

Crossover Honorable Mention: Ford Mustang Mach-E 

• Range: 305 miles (EPA), 344 miles (Edmunds tested) for a score of 90/100
• Max charging speed: 150kW for a score of 80/100 
• Charging availability score: CCS with NACS availability via adapter for a score of 95/100
• Charging minutes added to 500-mile trip: 55 minutes for a score of 55/100

Takeaway: The Mach-E equipped with the larger battery – called California Route 1 – is a good contender for road trips. Your first leg of your trip will get you pretty far, but the charging speeds of the Mach-E are not the best in the industry. With newly-available Tesla Supercharger (NACS) access with a Ford-provided adapter, charging options are plentiful and the time impact on your trip is still little more than a sit-down meal. 

Ford Mustang Mach-E Road Trip Score: 82/100

Best Full-size SUV for Road Trips: KIA EV9 GT Line

• Range: 270 miles (EPA), 306 miles (Edmunds tested) for a score of 90/100
• Max charging speed: 210kW for a score of 90/100
• Charging availability score: CCS for a score of 90/100
• Charging minutes added to 500-mile trip: 32 minutes for a score of 90/100
• Calculator: Leg 1: 245 miles, Leg 2: 184 miles (80% to 20%) after a 22-minute charging stop, plus a 10-minute charging stop to top off beyond the last 71 miles you’d need to make it to your destination. 

Takeaway: The KIA EV9, despite its size, is still a charging champion. Despite its large, nearly 100kWh battery, the platform it shares with other Korean-made EVs allows for high sustained rates of charge, which minimizes downtime at charging stops. For those looking for something with the utility of a minivan but with the shape of a full-sized SUV, the EV9 checks a lot of boxes for a lot of people. Fear not with your travels!

Road Trip Score: 90/100

Selection Criteria

Recurrent supports over 70 different EV models – up from 45 in 2023 – and one trend is that the average range increases each year. That’s a good thing for road trippers. 

While daily driving range isn’t a problem for most EV owners, long road trips are one scenario where you’ll often want every available mile of range.

One caveat to the Edmunds ranges listed above: While they tested a combination of highway and urban driving range, we find these types of real-world tests more reflective of achievable range than EPA ratings, which are conducted in controlled environments and are often not as accurate as many drivers would like. We try not to let perfect be the enemy of good, recognizing that everyone’s real-world results will vary with speed, terrain, weather, and other factors.

A Few Notes on Charging Speed

As you make your charging plan, we highly suggest creating back-up plans to prepare for unexpectedly closed or failed charging stations. Your car may be equipped with on-board route planners that include chargers, but it’s best to research charging stations ahead of time. The US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center website hosts a map pinpointing electric vehicle charging stations across the country. Apps like Plugshare or A Better Route Planner are also great to have on your phone. You can filter results by charger types, connectors, and can search by location.

Be sure to know your car’s charging capacity in kilowatts (kW) and map out high wattage chargers along the way. For example, if your car has a capacity for 150 kW, you won’t be able to take advantage of that speed if you can only find 50 kW chargers. Remember that the length of your charging stops depends on the charging speed, so if you only have access to Level 2 (typically 7-10kW) or 50 kW DC Fast Chargers, you’ll need to plan for longer stops.

Most cars significantly throttle charging speeds above 80%, so we recommend charging between 20% and 80% for most of your trip legs. Charging that last bit from 80% to 100% is possible, but will take longer and puts more stress on the battery. Additionally, some people are more comfortable taking their state of charge down to 10% on trips, but it may feel less daunting to keep a good cushion by stopping at 20%.

Try to make the most of your charging times. If there are no errands to run or sights to see near a charger, bring a book, portable speaker, a yoga mat for stretching, or some YouTube playlists. Making the most of your charging time can enhance being present on the journey!