An experiment found that an electric vehicle does not necessarily stop immediately even if the dashboard shows 0 percent battery remaining. In a test of 15 EV models, all vehicles continued driving after showing the battery was depleted, but the extra driving range differed by as much as 32 times depending on the model.

InsideEVs recently reported that European car evaluation body AUTOBEST examined how much farther 15 EV models can actually drive after their batteries are shown as depleted through its "2026 EcoBest Challenge". The vehicles drove an average of 16.1 km more after the dashboard displayed 0 km of remaining range or 0 percent battery remaining.

The vehicle that went the farthest was Chinese automaker Leapmotor's B10, which recorded 32 km. Tesla's Model Y followed with 31 km, and BMW's iX3 drove 26 km. By contrast, Xpeng's P7+ stopped after moving just 1 km.

The test was conducted on roads and at a test track near Milan, Italy. The participating vehicles drove the same conditions on a mixed route of city streets, national roads and highways. Drivers switched vehicles every 30 km to reduce differences stemming from driving habits.

Only 1 driver rode in each vehicle, using normal driving mode and climate control. Temperatures were 20 to 25 degrees. After the dashboard displayed 0 percent remaining or 0 km of remaining range, the vehicles continued driving until they came to a complete stop.

The reason driving remains possible even when the battery display shows 0 percent lies in the battery management system. EV manufacturers leave a certain amount of power to prevent excessive discharge of battery cells. Because motor output is cut off before voltage falls to a dangerous level, some energy can remain in the battery even after the vehicle stops.

The test results do not, however, guarantee a reserve driving range that can be used on real roads. AUTOBEST did not disclose the usable energy at the point the display reached 0 percent or the driving speed afterward.

AUTOBEST recommended charging before the battery display reaches 0 percent. It said the additional drivable distance can vary depending on the vehicle and the driving environment.