Testers blast Xiaomi YU7 for “vastly exaggerated” range figures

Chinese publication Sohu took delivery of a Xiaomi YU7 Max and decided to see if it could last its CLTC-promised 750 kilometers (435 miles) on a single charge. It didn’t even hit 500 km (310 miles).

The electric crossover tested by Sohu had 21-inch wheels inflated to 2.9 bar. It was switched to Comfort mode and had only two people inside – the driver and a front passenger. The outdoor temperature was quite unbearable at +30 ºC (+86 ºF), so climate control was set to run at 23–24 degrees Celsius (73.5–75 degrees Fahrenheit). The car was then driven on a looped circuit 84 kilometers (52.2 miles) long at roughly 100 km/h (62 mph) – quite a realistic testing scenario for vacationing families, for example.

The YU7 displayed zero kilometers remaining on the dash as soon as it passed 483 km (exactly 300 miles). It then managed to squeeze 9 km (5.6 miles) out of the battery before finally giving up. This gives us a total of 492 km (305.7 miles), or roughly 65.5% of the promised range.

It is important to note here that EV range measurement standards worldwide typically take additional power losses, like the aforementioned AC/climate control, into account. The Chinese CLTC standard is known to be quite lax and typically between 15 and 25 percent more optimistic than Europe’s WLTP. Even so, it doesn’t explain how Xiaomi’s firstborn electric SUV fared so badly at a simple synthetic test.

Once the ride was (unexpectedly) over, the on-board computer showed an average power consumption of 20.2 kWh per 100 kilometers traveled. The car then took 37 minutes to get it back from zero to 100%. It went from 5 to 70% in just 14 minutes, though, so at least a quick top-up is an option for owners.