Kia Carens Clavis EV True Range Tested: Claimed vs Real!

An MPV is built to move families in comfort, and more buyers now want to do that while going electric. That’s where the new Carens Clavis EV steps in. Kia calls it India’s first three-row electric MPV, though the BYD eMax 7 did arrive earlier at a higher price. What the Clavis EV brings to the table is modern features and tech, packaged into an MPV with three usable rows for a proper Indian family, at a sub-Rs. 20 lakh price tag. The big question: does it have enough real-world range for those family trips? 

Kia India claims over 400 km on a single charge, no matter which battery you pick. I recently took the Clavis EV out to put that claim to the real-world challenge. Now, the Clavis EV comes with two battery options – a 42 kWh pack rated for 404 km, and a 51.4 kWh unit claiming 490 km on a full charge. Our Clavis EV came with the latter. 

The Clavis EV comes with two battery options – a 42 kWh pack rated for 404 km, and a 51.4 kWh unit claiming 490 km on a full charge

Target & Test Parameters

The battery options and powertrain offered with the Clavis EV are the same setup offered with the Hyundai Creta Electric. In our earlier test, the Creta Electric delivered 390 km in real-world driving, with a claimed range of 510 km. And that’s the benchmark I have set for the Clavis EV for this range test – 390-400 km. 

AC was set at 23 degrees, speeds were kept under 60 kmph in the city and between 90 and 100 kmph on the highway

As with every range test, the car was driven in standard settings. Drive mode stayed in Normal. AC was set at 23 degrees, speeds were kept under 60 kmph in the city and between 90 and 100 kmph on the highway. 

Also Read: Kia Carens Clavis EV Review: Family-Sized And Feature-Packed!

Range Test & Drive Experience

The Clavis EV gets four levels of regen, with level 4 offering an experience close to one pedal driving

Now, EVs usually deliver more range in the city because constant braking feeds energy back into the battery through brake regeneration. Although quite negligible, collectively it does help milk more range from the battery in stop-go traffic. The Clavis EV gets four levels of regen, with level 4 offering an experience close to one pedal driving. 

In the city, the average energy consumption on the on-board system hovered around 7.6 to 8 km per kWh

On the highway, regen doesn’t contribute as much because there’s less braking, but energy consumption goes up drastically. In the city, the average energy consumption on the on-board system hovered around 7.6 to 8 km per kWh, while the highway figure sat between 7.4 and 7.6 km per kWh. Multiply that by the battery capacity, and you will have a good estimate of its real-world range.

Also Read: Kia Carens Clavis EV Line-Up Expanded To 6 Variants

The Clavis EV puts out 169 bhp and 255 Nm to the front wheels and does 0 to 100 in 8.4 seconds

Honestly, even if the range dropped a bit, the performance makes up for it. The Clavis EV puts out 169 bhp and 255 Nm to the front wheels and does 0 to 100 in 8.4 seconds. Out on the highway, that means overtaking trucks or slow traffic is quick, effortless and smooth!

Range Calculation

The range test began at 100 per cent charge with an estimated 421 km on the display. The distance-to-empty reading and average consumption were tracked at every 5-10 per cent drop. At 90 per cent, the DTE showed 372 km. At 80 per cent, it was 318 km. At 70 per cent, it dropped to 260 km. Through the test, average efficiency stayed close to 7.5 km per kWh.

Conclusion

Now, before I reveal the actual real-world range of the Carens Clavis EV, I would like to remind you that the 390 km real range of the Creta Electric was the benchmark for this test. So, has this Kia managed to hit that target? Well, the moment of truth is here. 

The Kia Carens Clavis offered us a real-world range of around 380 km

The real-world range of the Kia Carens Clavis EV that we managed to achieve was just over 380 km. Yes, it’s less than the Creta Electric, but that’s mainly because the Clavis EV is a few 100 kgs heavier than the Hyundai SUV, and its MVP body style is also not as aerodynamic as the Creta, so that 10 km drop in range is totally justified.

With smart planning the Clavis EV can be a family car that can go the distance

And to answer the question of whether the Clavis EV can actually be that EV which can take your family and go the distance? Well, with some smart planning it most definitely can!

Photos: Milind Kale