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All 15 electric vehicles in AUTOBEST’s 2026 ECOBEST Challenge continued moving after their dashboards showed zero remaining range or 0% battery charge. They traveled an average of 10 miles (16 km), but individual results varied from 0.6 miles (1 km) for the Xpeng P7+ to 19.9 miles (32 km) for the Leapmotor B10. The test measures distance after the dashboard’s warning point, not a guaranteed reserve drivers can rely on.
All 15 electric vehicles in AUTOBEST’s 2026 ECOBEST Challenge kept driving after their dashboards showed zero remaining range or 0% battery charge, traveling an average of 10 miles (16 km) before stopping. The test recorded results from just 0.6 miles (1 km) for the Xpeng P7+ to 19.9 miles (32 km) for the Leapmotor B10, showing that a zero reading does not signal the same remaining distance in every EV.
The Leapmotor B10 covered the greatest distance after its dashboard reached the test’s empty point, at 19.9 miles (32 km). The Tesla Model Y followed with 19.3 miles (31 km), while the Xpeng P7+ stopped after 0.6 miles (1 km). These are distances measured in this group test, not guarantees for other vehicles, routes or conditions.
According to InsideEVs’ report on the test, the cars were production-spec models driven in convoy on a route near Milan, Italy, combining city streets, country roads and highways. A lead vehicle set the pace, and drivers switched cars every 19 miles (30 km) to reduce differences caused by individual driving styles. Each EV carried only its driver, used its standard mode rather than Eco mode, had climate control on and ran tires at the recommended pressures. Temperatures ranged from 68–77°F (20–25°C).
When an EV showed either zero remaining range or 0% charge, its driver continued until the car could no longer move under its own power. The distance between that dashboard point and the stop was recorded. A Zeekr 7GT support vehicle used its vehicle-to-load function to help restart cars that had stopped. The report does not provide the remaining usable energy or the speed each vehicle maintained after its display reached zero.
Why Zero Range Is Not a Safety Margin
The findings matter to drivers who may be tempted to treat the distance after zero as a dependable reserve. The test shows that some movement may remain, but the spread—from 0.6 to 19.9 miles—makes clear that the distance is highly dependent on the model and test conditions. A result from one EV cannot safely be applied to another.
The figures also do not show how much usable energy remained in each battery when its display reached zero. As a result, the Leapmotor’s roughly 32 times greater measured distance than the Xpeng’s does not mean it had 32 times as much battery energy in reserve. Distance alone does not reveal the cars’ energy use, remaining charge or ability to maintain speed during that final stretch.
For a driver facing a charger several miles away, the practical takeaway is to treat a zero-range warning as a prompt to seek charging or assistance, not as a promise that the vehicle can cover a further set distance. Traffic, road grade, temperature, speed and cabin heating or cooling can affect energy use; the reported test does not establish how its results transfer to different circumstances.
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How the Test Defined Empty
Battery percentage and predicted driving range are related but separate dashboard estimates. The report notes that 0% charge and zero predicted miles may appear at different times. The displayed percentage estimates remaining usable charge, while the range figure predicts how far that energy may take the car. Neither reading is a direct measurement of a fixed distance the vehicle can travel after the display reaches zero.
InsideEVs explains that EVs retain a battery buffer. As cell voltage falls, the vehicle can limit or cut power before the cells become too depleted, protecting the battery from damage. So a car that can no longer move may still have some charge in its pack; that does not mean the remaining energy is accessible to the driver or suitable for routine use.
The report also cites a separate range test in which a Tesla Model 3 showed two miles (3.2 km) of range at 0% charge and then traveled another 31 miles (50 km). That is a separate test result, not a finding from the 15-car ECOBEST comparison. The different examples underline why a dashboard’s two estimates and a vehicle’s post-zero distance should not be treated as interchangeable measures.
What the Distance Figures Cannot Show
The published results provide distance after the dashboard’s empty point, but not the usable energy remaining at that moment or the speed each car maintained until stopping. Without those details, the figures cannot establish which vehicle had the largest energy reserve or compare the efficiency of the cars during the final miles.
It is also not clear from the reported data how each vehicle would perform after zero on a different route, at other temperatures, with passengers or cargo, or under different driving and climate-control settings. The convoy test used one set of conditions near Milan. Its results describe those test runs; they do not establish a repeatable reserve distance for every example of each model.
The report does not say that every dashboard reached both 0% and zero predicted range at the same time. The test started its distance measurement when either reading reached zero, so the exact display state at the start point may differ between vehicles. A more detailed comparison would need to report both readings and the battery energy available at that point.
More Data Needed for Direct Comparisons
The ECOBEST results establish the distances recorded in this test, but the published information summarized by InsideEVs leaves usable reserve energy and post-zero speed unreported. Those measures, alongside the precise state-of-charge and range readings at the start of each run, would help explain why the distances varied so widely.
Until comparable data is available across repeated runs and conditions, drivers should rely on their vehicle’s guidance and plan to reach a charger before the display falls to zero. The test offers no universal estimate for how far a particular EV can go once empty, and it does not replace a vehicle-specific warning or roadside assistance when the car cannot continue.
Key Questions
How far did the EVs travel after showing empty?
The 15 vehicles averaged 10 miles (16 km) after their dashboards showed zero remaining range or 0% charge. The reported distances ranged from 0.6 miles (1 km) to 19.9 miles (32 km).
Which EV went farthest, and which stopped soonest?
The Leapmotor B10 traveled the farthest, covering 19.9 miles (32 km). The Xpeng P7+ traveled the shortest distance, at 0.6 miles (1 km). These are results from the reported test, not guarantees for other driving conditions.
Does 0% mean an EV battery is completely empty?
No. The report says EVs retain a battery buffer, and the vehicle can limit or cut motor power before the cells become too depleted. Some charge may remain even when the display shows 0% or the vehicle can no longer move under its own power.
Can drivers count on traveling another 10 miles?
No. Ten miles was the average across 15 test vehicles, not a guaranteed distance for any one car. The observed results ranged from less than a mile to nearly 20 miles, and conditions can differ from the test.
What should a driver do when the range display reaches zero?
Treat zero as a warning and look for a safe way to reach charging or request assistance rather than relying on the test’s post-zero distances. The report does not establish a dependable reserve for any model under all routes and conditions.
Source: insideevs.com
