Taking an electric car on holiday to France? Are you better off in a Tesla, or something else? Then again, perhaps a petrol model is still the way to go. Neil Winn seeks some answers on a 1000-mile road trip

Photography: John Bradshaw

Heading to France for a family road trip has long been a quintessential British adventure. Whether it’s a quick dash to northern France to cram the boot with crates of wine, or a leisurely drive south to the Alps in search of world-class ski slopes, there’s something uniquely liberating about exploring France from behind the wheel. Perhaps that’s why more than 2.5 million cars made the Channel crossing last year.

But with more of us embracing electric cars (EVs) than ever, is it time to rethink the European driving holiday? Surely the freedom of the open road will be hampered by figuring out foreign charging networks, coupled with the nagging concern that EVs don’t fare as well at motorway speeds. Could a dream road trip turn into a logistical nightmare?

That’s certainly the tabloid narrative. But who’s to say a European getaway in an electric car can’t be just as effortless as in a petrolpowered one – and perhaps cheaper?

Naturally, there was only one way to find out. So, we selected three cars – two electric and one petrol – and set our sights on La Rochelle, a charming French coastal city more than 500 miles away from our office in south-west London. Last one there covers the wine bill.

THE CONTENDERS

In the spirit of a proper ‘family’ road trip, the trio we chose were all family SUVs. Reviews editor Will Nightingale snagged a Tesla Model Y – a curious pick, perhaps, considering that the Model Y is no longer the freshest face in the electric SUV market. But as Will explained: “Sure, there are comfier, quieter options, but when you’re covering big miles, nothing touches Tesla’s Supercharger network.”

Naturally, he opted for the Long Range model with its impressive official range of 331 miles. And he was feeling pretty confident. “In our own real-world tests, the Long Range hit 272 miles in winter and an impressive 304 miles in summer, so I reckon I’ll be nudging 300 on this trip. Oh, and did I mention it’s the best-selling electric car in the country?”

Ever the risk taker, video editor Doug Revolta decided to try the new Peugeot e-3008. Not that he seemed remotely worried. “The new e-3008 has been designed from the ground up as an EV and has a comparable range to the Model Y [326 miles, officially, courtesy of a 73kWh battery]. My only concern is the French charging network, but we’ll be travelling along commonly traversed routes, so hopefully there are plenty of options.”

Our destination was La Rochelle, on the west coast of France

And then there was me – acting as the control in this experiment, behind the wheel of a hybrid Kia Sportage. It’s spacious, well equipped and backed by a seven-year warranty, and last month it outsold everything else in the UK. Range anxiety wouldn’t be an issue for me, either. My plan was simply to keep driving until the fuel light came on, then casually fill up at the next petrol station.

Stressed? Not even a little bit.

COBHAM SERVICES TO EUROTUNNEL

We started out at Cobham Services on the M25 on a sunny August morning, so we could grab some road trip essentials and ensure that all three cars were fully fuelled (or should that be energised?) and ready to go – just as they’d most likely be for anyone making such a long trip.

This gave Will and Doug some time to talk strategy. In the Model Y, the plan was simply to plug the destination into the car’s sat-nav and let it decide on the route and where best to make charging stops. We’ve used the system for numerous UK road trips and found it to be faultless, but we were intrigued to see how effective it would be in France.