WLTP calculator & CLTC to WLTP converter | UK EV range

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The short answer: CLTC is China's range test and it's more optimistic than the UK's WLTP — typically 25–35% higher (VCA / EV Database) for the same car. A Chinese spec sheet will quote a longer range than the UK window sticker for the very same vehicle. UK cars are sold on UK WLTP, so use that figure, then knock off more for winter.

What is WLTP?

WLTP — the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure — is the lab test behind every range figure you'll see in a UK showroom. It runs a car through a fixed cycle of urban, rural and motorway driving at a controlled temperature and reports the distance on a full charge. It's still a lab number, but of the common standards it's the closest to how a British driver actually uses a car.

Because WLTP is the figure cars are homologated on for sale in the UK and Europe, it's the one you can hold a manufacturer to. Every car in our comparison table is listed on UK WLTP for exactly that reason.

What is CLTC?

CLTC — the China Light-duty Test Cycle — is China's own standard, and it's the number you'll find on a Chinese spec sheet or in marketing aimed at the home market. It replaced the older, even rosier NEDC figure. The headline is simple: CLTC produces the biggest range number of the lot, which is why a car can look dramatically longer-legged in its CN brochure than on its UK price list.

Why CLTC numbers are higher

It comes down to how the test is driven:

Lower average speed. The CLTC cycle spends more time at gentle urban speeds, where EVs are most efficient.
No sustained high-speed phase. There's no long motorway run of the kind that drains a battery fastest — the part of WLTP that pulls its figure down.
Mild, controlled conditions. Like all lab cycles it ignores cold, wind, hills and a cabin heater working hard.

None of this is cheating — it's simply a different cycle designed around Chinese traffic. But it means a CN CLTC figure and a UK WLTP figure are not like-for-like, and comparing them directly is the single most common mistake when reading about a Chinese EV.

Converting a CLTC figure to something realistic

If all you have is a Chinese CLTC number, a reasonable rough conversion is to multiply by 0.7–0.75 to approximate WLTP. So a 600 km CN CLTC claim is roughly 420–450 km UK WLTP — about 260–280 mi. It's only a ballpark: the honest move is to wait for, or look up, the official UK WLTP figure rather than convert.

Rule of thumb: CLTC × ~0.72 ≈ WLTP. But if a UK WLTP figure exists, use it — don't convert.

Even WLTP is optimistic in a British winter

Getting to WLTP isn't the end of it. In a cold British winter — battery cold, heater on, motorway speeds — most EVs return noticeably less than their WLTP figure. As a rough guide, expect around 15% less in mild weather and up to 30% less on a cold winter run. That's true of any EV, Chinese or not.

Rather than guess, put a WLTP number into our real-world range estimator to see a realistic winter and mild-weather figure. For a worked example, the Omoda E5 — from Chery — quotes 257 mi UK WLTP, which lands nearer 180 mi on a cold motorway run.

Common questions

Is CLTC or WLTP more accurate?

For UK drivers, WLTP is the more realistic of the two — it includes higher speeds and a tougher cycle. CLTC is measured at lower average speeds with no sustained motorway phase, so it flatters range. Neither is a winter figure.

What is CLTC range?

CLTC is the China Light-duty Test Cycle, the official Chinese standard for quoting an EV's range. It replaced the older NEDC figure in China. It tends to produce the largest headline range of the common standards.

How much higher is CLTC than WLTP?

As a rule of thumb, a CLTC figure is around 25–35% higher than the WLTP figure for the same car. Multiplying a CLTC number by roughly 0.7–0.75 gives a rough WLTP-equivalent, but always use the official UK WLTP figure where you can.

Do Chinese EVs sold in the UK use CLTC or WLTP?

Cars homologated for sale in the UK quote WLTP, the European standard. You'll only see CLTC on Chinese spec sheets, marketing from China, or grey imports — so don't compare a Chinese CLTC figure with a UK WLTP one.

Are Chinese EVs good in winter?

They're much like any EV: expect roughly 20–30% less range in a cold British winter with the heater running, regardless of the test standard on the sticker. A heat pump, where fitted, softens the drop.

Note: Conversion ratios are rules of thumb from published test data, not exact figures. Always check the official UK WLTP number for the specific trim you're buying.

CLTC vs WLTP: why Chinese EV range looks bigger