The Jeep Recon EV Went Just 160 Miles In A Highway Range Test

The Recon’s boxy body and stubby wheels are made for off-roading, but drivers still need to drive on the highway to get to trails.

Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

By: Iulian Dnistran

Oct 5, at 5:23am ET

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The 2026 Jeep Recon is one of the most inefficient EVs in the U.S. today.
It has an official EPA-estimated combined range of 222 miles.
At highway speeds, that figure drops dramatically, as discovered by Car and Driver.

It’s no secret that the Jeep Recon loves to eat electricity with a big spoon every time it hits the road. It was designed to take you where no other electric car can, so it had to have a boxy body, bumpers that aren’t exactly aerodynamic, and big, chunky wheels.

The Recon is hungry for energy, and owners will need to understand that they’re trading long-range convenience for off-road capabilities. Now, though, customers can get a rough idea of how far they can go on a full charge when they’re not on the trails.

Gallery: 2026 Jeep Recon: First Drive Photo Gallery

Source: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs

Car and Driver drove a brand-new Recon on the highway at a constant 75 miles per hour and managed just 160 miles with a full battery. That’s 62 miles less than the combined EPA estimate, and it’s also 36 miles shorter than the EPA estimate for highway-only driving.

Considering that the Recon is powered by a rather generous 94-kilowatt-hour (100.5 kWh total) battery pack, the efficiency is one of the worst of any EV on sale today in the United States. According to Car and Driver, Jeep’s off-road-ready electric model averaged about 1.7 miles/kWh, which is a smidge better than the outrageous 1.4 miles/kWh achieved by the GMC Hummer EV and Mercedes-Benz G 580 Electric.

It’s worth noting that here at InsideEVs, we test cars at a constant 70 mph on the highway, and the Recon is expected to travel further at a lower speed. For drivers who like to go faster, though, they now have a point of reference—as long as they’re comfortable driving from 100% state of charge to zero.

What do you think?

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When sticking to the 10-to-80% rule of thumb, just 70% of the car’s battery is available, which, in the Recon’s case, means a real-world range of 112 miles at a constant 75 mph. It gets better when cruising at low speeds, though. During our short time with the Recon, the instrument cluster showed around 2.5 miles/kWh.

All of this means plenty of charging on the road, and probably at trailheads, with Jeep claiming a 10-to-80% time of 23 minutes. That's more than decent, but the bills will be higher than on most other EVs, simply because the electric off-roader needs more of it.