Which EV range number to trust in India: MIDC, P1+P2 and C75

Short answer: treat the big brochure number as a laboratory ceiling, not a plan. If the maker publishes a C75 figure, use that. If it does not, budget for roughly three quarters of the certified MIDC claim in mixed driving, and less on a highway run with the air-conditioning on.

That is not a hunch. Autocar India's instrumented range test of mass-market EVs, published on 28 April 2026, ran each car on a combined city and highway cycle and compared the result with the ARAI MIDC homologation figure. The Tata Tiago EV managed 187 km against a 275 km claim. The Tata Harrier EV AWD managed 401 km against 622 km. At the other end, the Hyundai Creta Electric returned 432 km against a 473 km claim and the MG Windsor EV 308 km against 332 km, so the size of the gap varies a lot by car, not just by battery size.

What the three numbers mean

Until 2024, Indian EVs were certified on only part one of the Modified Indian Driving Cycle, the urban or P1 portion. That cycle runs at an average of 19 kmph with a maximum of 50 kmph and no air-conditioning, which is why the claims looked so generous. MoRTH then required makers to test and declare range on P1 plus P2, the urban and extra-urban cycles combined, at an average of 31 kmph and a maximum of 90 kmph. Still no air-conditioning.

Tata was the first mainstream maker to restate its figures under the new method, and the drop was large. The Curvv EV 55 kWh went from 585 km to 502 km. The Nexon EV 40.5 kWh went from 465 km to 390 km. The Punch EV 35 kWh went from 421 km to 365 km. Nothing about the cars changed.

C75 is a separate thing, and it is a company figure rather than a regulation. Tata defines it as the range 75 out of 100 customers should achieve, derived from its own fleet data, with the air-conditioning on, up to 250 kg of load, temperatures from 10 to 40 degrees Celsius and regenerative braking in play. Writing in Down To Earth in September 2024, Rohit Garg noted that the C75 figure comes out about 23 per cent lower than the MIDC-based number on average. That is the figure closest to what you will see on the dash.

The trade-offs a buyer actually faces

Buying extra battery is the obvious fix, and it works, but it is the expensive one. A bigger pack costs more up front, adds weight, and takes longer to fill on a home AC box, so the car that solves a twice-a-year Bengaluru to Goa run can be the wrong car for a daily 30 km office commute.

Two local points matter here. First, stop-go Bengaluru traffic is kind to an EV because regeneration recovers energy, so city owners often beat the highway figure. The penalty arrives on NICE Road and the Mysuru or Chennai expressways at a steady 100 kmph, which is exactly where the certified cycle stops being representative. Second, the AC is not optional for most of the year in Karnataka, and no MIDC number includes it.

Practical way to shop. Ask the dealer in writing for the P1 plus P2 certified range and the C75 or equivalent real-world figure, note the kWh of the pack rather than the km on the poster, and divide your longest regular trip by the lower number, not the higher one. If the answer still leaves 20 to 30 per cent in reserve, the car fits. If it only works on the brochure figure, it does not.

Sources

• Real world EV range tested of top EV cars in India, Autocar India, 28 April 2026
• Government announces new testing cycle for more accurate EV claimed ranges, ZigWheels
• New EV range norms in India explained, CarDekho
• Range matters: why we must bridge the gap between certified and real-world EV performance, Down To Earth