European road trip: petrol vs electric

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 petrol-powered 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 at first glance, considering that it’s 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, head of video 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.”

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, plus range anxiety wouldn’t be an issue for me. 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 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, Will intended 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.

Doug, in the e-3008, wasn’t as trusting of his factory-fit sat-nav but elected to take the same approach as Will. Like the Tesla, it plans your charging stops, but in our experience, Peugeot’s TomTom-based system isn’t the smartest.

I, meanwhile, didn’t need to bother with apps or planners. With my Sportage’s hybrid power, I reckoned I could cruise to the medieval city of Rouen – our overnight stop on day one – without needing a pit stop; my trip computer was showing more than 430 miles of range.

The journey down to the Eurotunnel was your typical M25 fare: slow, tedious and dotted with fender benders. By the time we reached the tunnel, Will and Doug had used very little charge, but with around 25 minutes to spare before boarding, they plugged in for quick top-ups, allowing them to get back up to a 100% state. The Sportage’s fuel gauge had barely budged, so I skipped the faff and enjoyed a snack instead.

But just as we were called to board, things took a strange turn. While Doug and I made our way to the train, we saw Will heading off in the opposite direction. A quick call cleared things up. “Yeah, I’m on a different train,” Will explained. “It turns out that Tesla drivers get put on a special single-deck shuttle.”

The reason? When he booked his crossing, Eurotunnel picked up on the fact that he was in a Tesla and bumped him onto a carriage designed for high vehicles, vans and minibuses. The message read: “We have detected that your vehicle is either low to the ground or exceptionally wide. To ensure easy loading, we will allocate you space on a single-deck shuttle.”

This meant Will paid £78 more for his return crossing than us, and because there are fewer spaces on the single-deck carriages, availability is potentially more of an issue. The kicker? The Model Y isn’t particularly low riding or wide. In fact, it’s smaller than our Kia Sorento support car, which travelled on the twin-deck shuttle without fuss.

Eurotunnel to Rouen

With all three cars well prepared for the journey ahead, we rolled off the train with confidence, aiming to reach Rouen without a pit stop for fuel or electricity. Most of the route south was on smooth, straight autoroutes, which gave us plenty of time to take stock of our surroundings.

In the Sportage, there was little to complain about. Sure, the colour scheme is a bit drab, but its interior is well put together, with soft-touch materials and a straightforward 12.3in infotainment touchscreen that ’s a breeze to use. My favourite aspect, though, was the driving position. You sit high up, giving a commanding view of the road – a big plus when you’re navigating endless concrete toll booths from the ‘wrong’ side of the car.

Doug, however, wasn’t as thrilled with his e-3008. During a group call, he pointed out that it’s almost the polar opposite of the Sportage: great to look at but far less user-friendly. “The design is striking, but the plastic buttons on the steering wheel feel cheap. Worst of all, though, is the infotainment. It’s slow to boot up, the layout is confusing, and it’s frustratingly unresponsive.”

Will, meanwhile, had a more positive take on his Model Y. “I know Tesla gets flak for not having an instrument panel behind the steering wheel in the Model Y [and the Tesla Model 3], but I don’t mind glancing over at the central screen to see my indicated speed. And while the interior hasn’t changed since 2021, I have no complaints about quality. I even prefer the proper indicator stalk over the wheel-mounted controls you get in the new Model 3. But that £1100 white seat upholstery? I wouldn’t recommend it if you have young kids.”

As predicted, we all cruised into Rouen without any drama. Will’s Model Y still had a 40% state of charge, Doug’s e-3008 showed 32% remaining, and my Sportage had a solid three-quarters of a tank left, equalling an indicated 307 miles. That said, both Doug and Will’s navigation systems were warning that two charging stops would be required for them to reach La Rochelle the next day.

So, why didn’t they charge overnight, you ask? Simple: our hotel didn’t have any chargers. But we also think that most families would drive straight to La Rochelle without an overnight stop – something that wasn’t possible for us, because we were filming the trip, and this caused some delays. By skipping an overnight charge, we were, in effect, mimicking driving down in a single day.

Rouen to La Rochelle

We left Rouen early the next morning, in convoy, but it wasn’t long before the e-3008’s sat-nav ordered Doug off the road for his first charge of the day at a Shell Recharge station. Now, we’ve had a mixed experience with this network back in the UK, and with only two chargers available, Doug was understandably a bit tense. Still, when he plugged in and swiped his contactless card, the juice immediately started to flow.

The only problem was that it wasn’t flowing very fast. The charger promised up to 350kW (which is as good as it gets), but Doug was pulling only 72kW. That meant a 42-minute wait to get to just over 80%. And to add insult to injury, when he got back on the road, his sat-nav coolly informed him that he’d still need two more stops to reach La Rochelle.

Farther down the road, Will was having a slightly better time. Yes, he had to fork out £1.90 to exit the toll road for his first charge, but once he pulled into a Tesla Supercharger station in a nondescript retail park, 19 out of 20 chargers were available. He plugged in and received 45 kWh of electricity in around 30 minutes – averaging 87.5kW/hour. That wasn’t exactly earth-shattering, considering the Model Y can handle rates of up to 250kW, but it gave him time to grab a croissant and depart with an 84% state of charge.

Meanwhile, Doug had decided to take a gamble. Instead of sticking to the e-3008’s suggestion of charging to 50% and stopping again, he figured he could get to 80% at his next stop and make it all the way to La Rochelle.

However, this bold plan unravelled quite quickly , because when he arrived at the next stop, all four of the 350kW Ionity chargers were in use. And despite being the first in line, he had to wait 25 minutes before he could plug in, only to receive a maximum rate of 66kW – far below the 160kW the e-3008 is capable of. After an hour and 10 minutes of sitting stationary, he departed with 84% showing.

By this point, Doug was so far behind that he must have been praying for some bad luck to befall Will. And wouldn’t you know it, it did: at Will’s next stop, all of the 12 Superchargers were occupied. 

Unlike Doug, though, he was waiting for just 10 minutes before he was able to plug in, and he then received up to 250kW – the Model Y’s peak charging speed. After 20 minutes, he’d taken on 48kWh (an average of 138kW/hour), allowing him to get back on the road with the battery level at 62%.

Some detouring to shoot more photos and videos meant he also needed a quick, five-minute ‘splash and dash’ via an Electra (non-Supercharger) device to be able to confidently make it to a Supercharger the next morning.

As for me, I reached our destination by mid-afternoon, having stopped for petrol for the first time just outside the city. The whole process took me, oh, about three minutes. So, while the others rocked up later, looking pleased with themselves (Will with 16% left and Doug 22%), their grins faded when I told them I’d already toured the city and eaten a delightful ice cream.

The return leg: La Rochelle to Le Mans

To dodge the traffic in La Rochelle and ensure we reached our overnight stop in Le Mans well ahead of time, we set off at the crack of dawn on day three.

This time it was Will who broke away from the convoy first, veering into a Supercharger site just north of the city. His sat-nav promised a plethora of available chargers, all operational, giving him the confidence to roll in with a mere 7% charge left in the battery. True to form, his system proved spot on. Moments after plugging in, he was receiving a blistering 251kW – faster than the Model Y can officially draw from the grid – to average 105kW/hour over 35 minutes. With another coffee downed, he was back on the road, the sat-nav directing him to another Supercharger location 90km south of Le Mans.

Meanwhile, Doug pressed on a tad farther, taking a pit stop for just over 40 minutes. He noted that his e-3008 had a knack for accepting a decent charging rate for a couple of minutes before it dropped like a stone. Averaging just 67kW, Doug started to sweat, fearing something was amiss with his car. That fear was alleviated when he stopped a few miles south of Le Mans, at an Ionity site, where he finally witnessed a decent rate: a peak of 124kW (98kW/hour).

As Doug waited and evening approached, Will was already checking in to our Le Mans hotel after an 18-minute top-up that netted him 27kWh (88kW/hour). But Will needn’t have stopped, because on arrival at our hotel, located in a soulless business park outside Le Mans, he discovered a bank of V4 Tesla Superchargers that were open to all EV drivers.

In the UK, only a few Superchargers can be used by non-Teslas. But it’s a different story in France, where nearly 90% of them are open to most types of EVs. Will figured he and Doug could simply juice up there in the morning before we hit the road again.

And where was I during all this? Well, I was in the Le Mans hotel, feet up, enjoying a chilled Leffe. I’d got there first, around half an hour ahead of Will, having stopped (briefly) north of Rouen earlier in the day to splash more petrol into the Sportage's fuel tank. An hour and a half later, Doug finally joined us.

Le Mans to the UK

By day four, Doug was looking a little worse for wear. He’d spent the past few days burning through more cash than Will, charging slower than Will and arriving later than Will. So, for the last leg, Doug decided to switch things up; he’d ignore the e-3008’s sat-nav and tail Will from Supercharger to Supercharger.

After a leisurely, rather sluggish charge on the V4s (where we ditched the cars and grabbed breakfast), Doug and Will left Le Mans with full batteries. This sparked an idea: why not conduct a real-world range test? Will picked a set of Superchargers in Le Touquet, 229 miles away – well within each car’s official range. But how would the range be impacted at a cruising speed of 130km/h?

It didn’t take long to find out. Will ’s sat-nav initially predicted that he’d arrive with just 4% left in the Model Y ’s battery, but as the journey went on, the estimate improved, settling at 7% by the halfway point. Doug, meanwhile, set off with a comfortable 20km buffer, but by the midway point his car was reading 97km to the destination and only 95km of range left.

Then the gap started to widen even more. Desperate measures followed – air-con off, Eco mode selected, slowing down – but none of it made enough of a difference.

Doug bailed – a move Will, of course, took as a personal victory. So, they both opted to stop at a service station just 50km farther on.

When they arrived, Will plugged straight into one of the Superchargers on site and got a solid average of 82kW/hour over 27 minutes. Doug, however, had no such luck. As Will strolled over, he couldn’t resist saying: “Sorry mate, you can’t charge here; it’s for Teslas only.”

There was a bank of Ionity chargers directly opposite the Superchargers, but they were all in use, so Doug had to wait while Will charged up. However, when Doug did manage to plug in, he ended up getting a faster rate than Will, averaging 94kW/hour in just under 25 minutes. With Will’s car at 69% and Doug ’s at 70%, there was nothing left to do but head for Calais.

How practical are they?

While we were waiting for the train, we plugged the two EVs into Superchargers and used the time wisely by taking a closer look at each other’s cars. This being a simulated family holiday, we had to address the burning question: which SUV is best suited for ferrying around four or five people in comfort?

Well, it’s a close contest between the Sportage and Model Y when it comes to rear space. Both offer generous leg and elbow room for six-footers, with the Sportage providing slightly better under-thigh support. However, if you’re planning to seat three passengers across the back, the Model Y has the advantage; its flat floor design makes it more comfortable for the middle passenger.

As in the Sportage, you can recline the Model Y’s rear seatbacks for extra comfort, but the latter’s panoramic glass roof frees up extra head room, whereas the one in the Sportage actually reduces ceiling height, making things a bit more snug up top. Plus, if you’re stuck in the middle seat in the Sportage, you’ll have to adopt a rather undignified ‘legs splayed’ position to avoid the small hump on the floor and the mounts for the front seats.

The e-3008, meanwhile, fares worst. There’s enough space in the back for adults, but if you’re anywhere near six-feet tall, expect your knees to graze the back of the front seats and your hair to brush the headliner. Our entry-level Allure test car didn’t come with a glass roof (you’ll need to go for GT trim for that), yet there’s still a hump in the ceiling where the motor for it would go, further shrinking head room. What’s more, the console between the front seats encroaches on leg room for anyone stuck in the middle rear seat – far from ideal for long road trips.

You might assume the e-3008’s sloping roofline would limit boot space, but it actually does all right here. With 548 litres of capacity and a height-adjustable boot floor as standard, it gets surprisingly close to the Sportage. We managed to fit eight carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf in each of those cars. Plus, both feature handy 40/20/40 split rear seatbacks for slotting long items between two passengers.

Neither the e-3008 nor the Sportage can match the Model Y’s cavernous boot, though. With room for nine carry-on suitcases in the back – two of which can be stashed under the floor – it ’s practically a mobile storage unit. And that’s not all; the Model Y also has a separate compartment under the bonnet that’s capable of holding an extra suitcase. The e-3008 technically has one too, but it’s more suitable for charging cables than luggage.

Charging aside, what are these cars like on a long journey?

Kia Sportage, Neil Winn

“The Sportage was an absolute gem on this road trip . It could cruise at 130km/h all day long, with its soft but well-controlled suspension delivering a smooth, composed ride. It produced less road noise than Will’s Model Y, rode far more comfortably at higher speeds than either rival, and offered a superior driving position, thanks to its more supportive seat.

“But the best bit is that you can sit at those higher speeds without fretting about range. Officially, it does around 50mpg, although pushing the pace dropped that to 35mpg. Still, I never once felt the dreaded range anxiety, unlike Doug in his e-3008.

“Even the infotainment system didn’t give me any reason to gripe. Sure, it’s not as flashy as the touchscreen in Will’s Tesla, but that car doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – and for me that’s a deal-breaker. I run Waze on every road trip because I like to know what’s coming (be it roadworks, police, or stray debris), and CarPlay just makes everything that much slicker.

“Honestly, the journey was so hassle-free that I’m already thinking we could go even farther next time. However, I’m not so sure Doug would be on board with that.”

Peugeot e-3008, Doug Revolta

“We’re well used to the instant torque of electric motors giving otherwise unassuming family SUVs the kind of aggressive acceleration you’d expect from a hot hatch – but that isn’t the case with the e-3008.

“The official 0-62mph time of 8.8sec shows that the 207bhp e-3008’s performance is adequate rather than exciting. For a family SUV on a long-haul trip like this, though, you won’t be too bothered about drag-race-winning straight-line pace.

“The e-3008 moseys up to motorway speeds and happily cruises along thereafter, offering flexible enough performance to comfortably overtake slowmoving lorries. In addition, the adaptive cruise control and steering assistance are simple to operate and help take the strain out of long stints at the wheel.

“The ride is pleasant at motorway speeds, being calm and settled. The interior is impressively quiet, too; occupants are well isolated from wind and road noise.

“But when you’re off the motorway and exploring a city, that’s where the cracks in the e-3008’s armour begin to show. The ride is on the firm side, and this is most noticeable at low speeds, when passing over road imperfections and speed bumps is accompanied by some loud thwacks and thumps from the suspension.”

Tesla Model Y, Will Nightingale

“French roads are generally better surfaced than those in the UK, so they don’t highlight two of the Model Y’s biggest shortcomings: ride comfort and refinement. Don’t get me wrong: there are still plenty of quieter and more comfortable cars in which to make a road trip such as this; it’s just that after a few miles, you acclimatise to the stiff suspension and background road noise. Back in Britain, both of those things are too annoying to ever forget about.

“The Model Y’s deep reserves of power are handy on short motorway slip roads – either when getting yourself out of the way of a big lorry or squirting into a small gap in the slow lane.

“Having so much performance on tap (the Long Range AWD can do 0-60mph in 4.8sec) is unnecessary most of the time, but it’s useful on rare occasions.

“The standard Autopilot system (adaptive cruise control with self-steering) is also really handy on a long road trip like this. You still need to keep your hands on the wheel, but the Model Y steers you along the centre of your lane remarkably well, and isn’t too aggressive with the brakes when it detects a slow-moving vehicle ahead.”

Our verdict

Our road trip made one thing clear: the easiest way to tour Europe is still in a petrol car. No range anxiety, no need to plan ahead… just punch your destination into the sat-nav and drive until you, your family, or your bladder decides it’s time for a break. Refuelling? Quick and easy, albeit pricey.

But you already knew that. The real surprise was that Will’s Tesla experience was almost as effortless as driving a petrol car. Sure, he made more stops, and they took longer, but other than that, all he had to do was tap his destination into the sat-nav and let the car handle the rest. Its ability to communicate continuously with the Supercharger network took all the stress out of the journey.

Speaking of Superchargers, they’re light years ahead of the rest of the public network in France, offering faster charging speed , bigger bays and a seamless ‘plug and play’ experience.

So, does that mean you should avoid a European road trip in a non-Tesla EV? Not at all. Doug’s experience was definitely more stressful, but at no point was he truly worried about running out of juice, and his trip was cheaper than taking the petrol car. The lesson? If you’re relying on the non-Tesla charging network, you need to plan ahead – especially if your car can’t do it for you.

What we spent on petrol and electricity

Will and Doug fully charged their EVs one last time when they got home, while Neil filled up his Sportage’s tank, allowing us to calculate our overall costs for the trip.

Will covered 1007 miles over the four days and recharged a total of 10 times. The generally lower prices charged by Tesla meant the trip cost him the least of our trio, with a total electricity bill of £113.09 – despite the fact that his Model Y returned unusually poor average efficiency of just 2.6 miles/kWh when you factor in charging losses (the trip computer indicated 4.0 miles/kWh).

Doug covered 1063 miles from start to finish, with his e-3008 returning average efficiency of 3.1 miles/kWh and his eight public charging stops and final top-up at home costing £159.63.

With petrol prices being high on the autoroutes of France, the trip was an expensive one for Neil; his Sportage averaged 35.3mpg for a total outlay of £197.29. Plus, he had to refuel only three times over the course of 1059 miles, so you could argue that the higher outlay was worth it for the considerably reduced time spent waiting to get on the road again.

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