CAA’s latest EV test offers a more useful shopping question than “Which car has the biggest range number?” Ask how much energy the vehicle uses, how it charges on a trip and what you will pay for that energy.
All 22 participants completed the 230-kilometre efficiency leg without stopping to recharge. CAA Atlantic describes the full 365-kilometre circuit, including the 230-kilometre efficiency section and a separate 15-minute charging exercise. That is encouraging—but it does not make charging performance or running costs interchangeable.
The practical takeaway: compare efficiency and charging prices separately, then combine them using your own driving and charging habits. A quick charging result is useful evidence, not a promise about your next stop.
Estimate your own charging cost first
Choose an observed vehicle-efficiency preset or enter your own consumption. Then adjust the home/public energy split, weather allowance and charging prices. All amounts are Canadian dollars.
Make the numbers yours
CAD estimates. Prices and adjustments are editable examples, not live quotes.
Your energy-cost estimate
Assumptions and method
Adjusted driving energy = input consumption × (1 + weather increase ÷ 100). Billed energy adds the extra-energy percentage. The weighted rate uses your home energy share and the remaining public share. Annual EV cost adds 12 monthly plan fees. The weather adjustment is a scenario, not a temperature forecast or a deduction from CAA’s winter comparison.
Preset prices (C$0.15 home; C$0.45 Tesla/member; C$0.60 non-member; C$0.50 custom; C$15 monthly member fee) are illustrations, not current tariffs. Replace them with your utility’s marginal delivered rate and the charger app’s price. Changing profile loads its last entered rate and fee. “Member” means a Tesla Supercharging membership, not CAA membership. A pricing selection does not establish vehicle or site compatibility.
Charging overhead is one editable approximation for both home and public energy. Station billing, battery heating and losses vary. Set it to zero when your consumption already includes those costs. This tool estimates energy bills, not charging time or guaranteed range. Inputs stay in this page; no account or submission is required.
Sources: CAA observed consumption; Tesla pricing and membership rules.
Compare with CAA’s observed charging costs
CAA’s September 2026 test measured Canadian dollars per 100 displayed kilometres added. This is not a home-charging tariff, cost to drive 100 km, or guaranteed result.
Select a vehicle to see its observed cost and driving consumption.
Your calculator estimate still uses its own inputs. This reference does not overwrite your rates, vehicle selection or results.
The cost column reflects a particular charging session and displayed range. Battery levels were not uniformly ideal for maximum speed. Pricing and test conditions differed from everyday home charging. Use the separate observed consumption only as context, not a universal vehicle rating.
CAA’s original results and limitationsThe calculator’s prices are illustrative inputs, not current Tesla tariffs. Its weather adjustment is a sensitivity check, not a prediction for a specific temperature. It does not turn displayed kilometres from CAA’s charging test into a guaranteed charging speed.
What CAA tested—and what it did not
The September 2026 circuit ran from Blue Mountain to Vaughan, Ontario. CAA-Quebec published its summary on September 21, 2026. CAA reports average battery use of roughly 40% across the participants. It also reports consumption spanning 11.43–28.91 kWh/100 km. See CAA’s official release.
This was a completed-route comparison, not a test that drove each vehicle until its battery was empty. Dividing the route distance by the average percentage used would not establish a reliable maximum range for an individual model.
The group also contains different vehicle sizes and model years. Read each result as evidence about the tested vehicle and conditions, rather than a rating for every trim sold under that model name.
The Tesla results show why one ranking is not enough
Selected observations from CAA’s complete vehicle findings:
| Test vehicle | Consumption kWh/100 km |
Displayed km gained 15 minutes |
C$ per 100 displayed km added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 · 2022 | 11.85 | 123 | $7.28 |
| Tesla Model Y · 2026 | 11.81 | 97 | $8.23 |
| Tesla Cybertruck · 2024 | 23.41 | 98 | $15.61 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5 · 2026 | 13.40 | 136 | $10.68 |
| Toyota bZ · 2026 | 11.43 | 99 | $13.01 |
These columns measure different things. The driving-consumption figure describes energy used per distance. Displayed kilometres gained reflect what the vehicle showed after a charging session. The cost column is CAA’s cost per 100 displayed kilometres added—not the price of the entire stop and not a guaranteed cost to drive 100 kilometres.
CAA used Tesla charging stations for the charging comparison and notes that Tesla vehicles received preferred pricing there. The cost ranking therefore reflects both the tested vehicles and the prices available to them at those stations. It is not a like-for-like comparison at one universal electricity price.
A shopper can reasonably value low consumption for frequent commuting and a useful charging curve for long journeys. Neither need cancels the other. Avoid turning one test column into an overall “best EV” verdict.
“Kilometres added in 15 minutes” is an observation
CAA reports a 58–178 km spread in displayed range gained during the charging exercise. Its results sheet cautions that vehicles were not all at ideal discharge levels for their fastest charging. It also records a charging difficulty for the Polestar 4 and an unpriced, free session for the Lucid Gravity. Those entries should not be treated as zero performance or a universally free charging offer. Read the results and footnotes.
For your own journey, ask what a stop is likely to achieve at the battery level you expect to arrive with. A vehicle arriving almost full is answering a different charging question from one arriving with a low battery.
Similarly, a dashboard’s extra range is not a separately driven validation of those kilometres. Speed, weather, cabin heating, elevation and load can change what you actually cover after leaving.
Tesla explains that Supercharging speed varies with factors including battery charge and temperature. Check the vehicle’s guidance and navigate to the charging stop as recommended so the car can prepare where supported. Tesla’s Supercharging guidance provides the operational context.
Efficiency matters, but the price of electricity matters too
For a simple energy-only comparison, multiply consumption in kWh/100 km by the price per kWh. Add charging overhead if the consumption figure does not already include electricity lost or used between the meter and driving.
Consider an illustrative EV using 18 kWh/100 km, with a 10% extra-billed-energy allowance. That gives 19.8 billed kWh per 100 km. The following prices are examples, not CAA findings or current utility quotes:
| Charging scenario | Example rate | Energy cost per 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| All at home | C$0.15/kWh | C$2.97 |
| 80% home, 20% public | C$0.15 / C$0.45 per kWh | C$4.16 |
| All public | C$0.45/kWh | C$8.91 |
| All public at a higher rate | C$0.60/kWh | C$11.88 |
The mix is a share of energy, not a share of charging visits. One large road-trip session can buy more electricity than several short home top-ups.
For hardware costs beyond the calculator, compare the Autel AC Lite 40A and AC Elite 50A in Canada Gear. Add installation and any required adapter; neither home unit reproduces a public DC fast-charging test.
For comparison, a gasoline vehicle using 8 L/100 km at C$1.60/L costs C$12.80 per 100 km in fuel. At 20,000 km annually, the 80/20 EV example costs about C$832 versus C$2,560 for gasoline—a difference of about C$1,728 before plan fees and other ownership expenses. The calculator uses unrounded figures.
These are energy-bill comparisons. Purchase price, depreciation, insurance, financing, maintenance, home installation and provincial vehicle charges still belong in a full ownership budget.
Tesla, member and non-member prices need separate inputs
Tesla says eligible non-Tesla drivers can use a paid Supercharging membership to access Tesla vehicle pricing through the Tesla app. Tesla owners do not need that membership for their Tesla. Prices depend on the site and can vary by time; check the app for the vehicle you are charging. See Tesla’s Canadian pricing and membership guidance.
In this calculator, “member” means a Tesla Supercharging member, not a CAA member. Selecting a pricing profile does not establish that your vehicle, adapter or chosen station is compatible.
A membership is worthwhile only if the energy-price reduction exceeds the fee for the period you keep it. For example, an illustrative C$15 monthly fee and C$0.15/kWh discount break even at 100 kWh of eligible monthly charging. If you buy only 40 kWh, the C$6 energy saving does not cover that fee.
For home charging, use your marginal delivered electricity cost at the time you normally charge. For public charging, enter the relevant app price. Keep tax treatment consistent and account separately for congestion, parking or session charges not included in your input.
Use a winter scenario, not a universal winter penalty
CAA reports that this group used about 40% less energy on average than the group in its February 2025 winter exercise, while explicitly noting different vehicles and conditions. That comparison does not isolate temperature or establish a 40% winter adjustment for your car. CAA explains the comparison.
Use your own seasonal driving records where possible. If you already entered winter consumption, leave the weather increase at zero rather than counting the same effect twice.
As a planning exercise, raising the 18 kWh/100 km example by 25% produces 22.5 kWh/100 km before charging overhead. At the same 80/20 prices, its energy cost becomes about C$5.20 per 100 km. That is an illustrative stress test, not a forecast for a particular temperature.
What to check before choosing your next EV
- Your normal use: consumption on journeys like yours, not just the largest advertised range.
- Your charging access: dependable home or workplace charging, or the public locations you will actually rely on.
- Your long-trip pattern: useful charging performance at realistic arrival levels and time for queues, access and detours.
- Your price: the correct vehicle and membership rate, including any recurring fee.
- Your winter margin: a realistic seasonal scenario with room for disruption.
Continue with our Canadian charging-cost calculator or EV-versus-gas savings calculator. If you are considering installing home charging, compare the setup against your actual use with our home-charger ROI tool before shopping.
If a new Tesla is on your shortlist, check any benefits available through our Tesla referral link before ordering. Eligibility depends on your region, vehicle and account; confirm the offer Tesla shows for your purchase.
CAA’s test is most useful when it helps you ask better questions. Keep the observed charging results in context, use prices you will really pay and choose the combination of vehicle and charging access that fits your life.
Plan your next EV trip and find Charging Stops, Stays & Attractions with RouteSmart.
