What do you do when your EV’s range prediction shows zero and the nearest charger is still a few miles away? Will you make it? In a Tesla Model Y Long Range, you’d pull in with miles to spare, while in an Xpeng P7+, you’d have been on the phone with roadside assistance, even if the Xpeng goes farther on a full charge.
That’s one of the more revealing findings from AUTOBEST’s 2026 ECOBEST Challenge. All 15 EVs that took part in the group test kept moving after their dashboards showed empty, averaging 10 miles (16 km) before they stopped. The Leapmotor B10 led with 19.9 miles (32 km), about a mile ahead of the Model Y. At the other end, the Xpeng barely managed 0.6 miles.
Car journalists drove these production-spec EVs in convoy near Milan, Italy, on a set route containing a mix of city streets, country roads and highways. A lead car set the pace, and drivers traded cars every 19 miles (30 km) to level out potential differences in driving style.
Only the driver was aboard each car; all vehicles were set to their standard (not Eco) mode, with climate control on and tires set to the recommended pressures. Temperatures ranged from 68–77°F (20–25°C).
The final stretch took place at Quattroruote’s Vairano proving ground. When a car’s dashboard showed either zero remaining range or 0% battery charge, its driver kept going until the car could no longer move under its own power. They measured the distance between those two points to see how far each EV could still go.
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