The truth about electric car holidays: 1400 miles in the BMW iX3

Electric cars are ideal for short commutes, but the prospect of endless charging stops made me nervous of the trek to south-western France for a family holiday – particularly with a long-suffering dog aboard. However, the BMW iX3’s claims of more than 400 miles made it far more realistic, and I decided to mitigate my mileage by taking an overnight ferry to St Malo.

The plan was to blast down to Portsmouth for a quick top-up in the UK, but as we reached Brittany Ferries’ check-in we had barely made a dent in the range so decided not to bother. The car was slapped with a sticker identifying it as an EV – they can’t go alongside lorries inside the boat – and we boarded at 8.15pm, leaving time for a leisurely dinner then a good kip before rolling out on the other side.