Tesla Model X is the most-driven EV, Porsche Taycan stays parked

Perhaps electric car drivers would rather just admire their Porsche Taycans in the driveway instead of drive them.

That’s among the findings of a new study from iSeeCars about which EVs have accumulated the most miles driven over a three-year period. Heading the list is the 2020 Tesla Model X, closely followed by three of its Tesla siblings, Models Y, 3 and 5.

Finishing in 12th position in the study, which looked at data from more than 860,000 three-year-old EVs, was the hot-shot Taycan. Also among the more intriguing conclusions was that iSeeCars found that the average EV was on the road for 9,059 miles per year, significantly less than the average gasoline-powered automobile, that was driven 12,758 miles annually.

The Model X, a midsize family SUV with three rows of seating, was an anomaly among EVs, racking up an average of 10,378 miles a year. Alternately, the Porsche accumulated 4,846 miles.

Teslas notwithstanding, the elephant in this cockpit may be range anxiety.

That factor, according to iSeeCars analyst Karl Brauer, “continues to impact how consumers utilize their EVs. Looking at three-year-old electric cars, we see EV owners willing to drive an additional 23 miles per year for every additional mile of range their vehicle offers. That means EVs, on average, need an additional 161 miles of range to get them to the 12,578-mile annual driving distance we see from traditional, gasoline-powered vehicles.”

Brauer also notes that range anxiety “is less about being stranded in the middle of nowhere and more about the ‘refueling’ process for electric vehicles.” It’s essentially the comfort factor: “In a gasoline car, regardless of how far you’re going, there are always plenty of refueling options and the process takes five to 10 minutes. Until EVs can offer that level of convenience at a comparable cost, they will be at a distinct disadvantage in terms of use and market demand.”

Brauer says that price of the vehicle is certainly an issue (but one that might be mitigated eventually as EV and ICE prices meet). “Three-year-old electric vehicles have an average price of $45,147, while 3-year-old internal combustion cars cost an average of $30,760. This means electric cars cost 47 percent more than conventional vehicles, but are driven 29 percent less.”

Other factors may enter in the study’s equations as well, including the possibility that EV owners may use a gas vehicle for road trips or longer commutes.