MANY MINDEDTata and Mahindra top a global EV efficiency ranking, ahead of Tesla and BYD
Tata Motors topped a global ranking of the most efficient battery EVs for 2025 compiled by the International Council on Clean Transportation, with its fleet averaging 106 watt-hours per kilometer. Mahindra ranked second at 113 Wh/km, ahead of Tesla in third and BYD in fourth. The ranking covered 22 of the largest global EV companies, where average consumption sat at 131 Wh/km — nearly flat year on year, with only eight of the assessed makers improving and twelve recording a decline.
Efficiency is a direct lever on the cost of driving: fewer watt-hours per kilometer means a smaller, cheaper battery can deliver the same range, and each charge covers more ground. Frugal engineering that squeezes more distance from less energy lowers both the sticker price and the running cost, pushing electric mobility toward affordability rather than premium.
That matters most in India, where EVs are still under 5% of new passenger vehicle sales versus about 25% globally, and where the government targets electrifying 30% of passenger vehicles by 2030. India is also the fourth-largest petroleum consumer, so efficient domestic EVs offset fuel demand as adoption grows. Regulators are shaping a third phase of carmaker rules tightening standards between 2027 and 2032.
The caveat is that efficiency is one axis. Tata ranked last for charging speed and sixth from the bottom for driving range in the same assessment, and most efficiency declines elsewhere were within 10 Wh/km, attributed to fleet composition. Leading on energy use does not by itself make a car the best overall.
Source: Rest of World