American Buys the “Worst EV in the World” — and Is Shocked by Its Real-World Range

An American YouTuber decided to put one of the internet’s most criticized electric cars to the test — and the results were more surprising than expected. After buying what many people call the “worst electric vehicle ever made,” he set out to see if the reputation was deserved, according to Supercar Blondie.

The blogger behind the popular channel Rich Rebuilds purchased a used Mitsubishi i‑MiEV, a tiny electric hatchback that has often been criticized by car reviewers for its small size, cramped cabin, and modest performance.

His particular car was a 2011 model with about 72,000 miles (roughly 116,000 kilometers) on the odometer — not exactly encouraging numbers given the model’s reputation.

After fully charging the battery, the YouTuber hit the road but quickly began worrying about how far the car would actually go. To squeeze out every possible mile, he avoided using the air conditioning and even kept the headlights off whenever possible.

He later explained that a single quick acceleration — increasing speed from about 15 to 25 mph — caused one bar of range to disappear from the dashboard display. That moment convinced him to drive as gently and slowly as possible for the rest of the trip.

Before long, however, the Mitsubishi i‑MiEV started to struggle. The car began overheating and losing power. After traveling just about two miles (around three kilometers), the battery gauge suddenly showed that the charge was nearly depleted.

Later, the blogger took the car to a repair shop for a closer inspection. That’s when he discovered the battery pack was housed inside a thin plastic casing with little protection. Using diagnostic tools, technicians estimated the battery had already lost around 35% of its original capacity.

With that level of degradation, the car’s real-world driving range had dropped to just about 21 miles (roughly 34 kilometers).

The biggest surprise came when he looked into the cost of replacing the battery pack. According to the blogger, a new one would cost about $17,000 — far more than the value of the tiny electric car itself.