Feature

Suzuki e-Vitara long-term test: report 4

Can you get it right first time? To find out, our content editor is running his first electric car, and he's chosen the first Suzuki EV for the task

Suzuki e-Vitara LT plugging in

The car Suzuki e-Vitara Ultra Run by Jack Mortimer, content editor

Why it’s here To see whether Suzuki’s first electric car serves as an all-rounder for a first-time electric car owner

Needs to be Easy and enjoyable to use in the city, comfortable and efficient on lengthy motorway trips

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Mileage 3712 List price £32,049 Best price £20,999 Price as tested £32,999 Official range 264 miles Test range 185 miles

12 August 2026 – Efficiency deficiency

It's long been known that official fuel economy figures should be taken with a pinch of salt, because they're difficult – if not impossible – to achieve in real-world conditions. And our testing has shown it's a similar story when it comes to electric car ranges.

The unrealistically gentle nature of the official Government lab tests is to blame. But, at first glance, my Suzuki e-Vitara seems to be falling particularly far short of its official figure.

Jack Mortimer

Updated: 12 August 2026

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Suzuki eVitara driving front right

Suzuki e-Vitara

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According to the efficiency readout on its driver’s display, my car has averaged 1.2 miles per kWh during my time with it. Since its battery has a usable capacity of 59.8kWh, that means I should be getting a grand total of 72 miles from a full charge, which would represent a 192-mile shortfall.

It's a long way from the truth, though. Browsing owners' forums and Facebook groups, it quickly became clear that a software glitch causes the e-Vitara to be overly pessimistic. Suzuki is aware of the issue, and has introduced a software update. However, the car isn’t compatible with over-the-air (OTA) updates, so you need to visit a Suzuki dealer to solve the problem.

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Suzuki e-Vitara LT efficiency figure

Fortunately, since the driver’s display can also tell me the efficiency of each journey, I know that my e-Vitara is actually typically returning between 2.8 and 3.1 miles per kilowatt hour. Alright, that still doesn’t earn it a place on our list of the most efficient electric cars, but it does mean that I can realistically cover about 185 miles before running out of charge.

While still not amazing, that's plenty for someone like me who mostly covers shorter city journeys. Indeed, if I’m just using my e-Vitara to commute to work and run errands, I can go as much as three weeks without plugging in, so range anxiety isn't something I experience.

As a bonus, the remaining range shown on the driver's display doesn’t drop like a stone when I escape the city. A recent 115-mile trip up the motorway – admittedly with a couple of 50mph zones – used up just 53% of the e-Vitara’s battery, which works out at about 3.6 miles per kilowatt hour. And that left me feeling anything but salty.

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