Turning Diameter is Important

Disclaimer: This became more of a rant,

While I'm not in the market for a new car, I've been occasionally surprised to see new EVs popping up (like the Prologue from Honda, or the Kona from Hyundai), and I want to know how they stack against all the other EVs on the market.

Additionally, I've noticed a worrying trend among EVs,^[1], and it's that the turning diameter is bad for city driving. More on this later.

I discovered this guy on Reddit^[2] created a spreadsheet tracking the EV "Range Value" (Dollars per Mile of range), and I adapted it to include used prices and the vehicles turning diameter/radius. You can find my version here: Car - EV Range "Value" - Google Sheets

It's not super accurate, but close enough to get an idea. I update it sporadically, and if this is interesting to you, then I highly recommend you add it to your Google Drive and make the changes you need.

Now again, you might be wondering; Max, why do you care so much about the turning diameter? In short, I was spoiled with the Mitsubishi Mirage.

Why the Mirage is the best

The Mitsubishi Mirage is an Apex vehicle; it is not pretentious, and is built to purpose perfectly. Small, fuel efficient (could easily get 41 MPG highway), easy to repair, and with a mere 15.1' turning radius (30.2' diameter). There are no better commuter vehicles out there. Car and Driver gave it a 2.5/10 because they are out of touch with the target audience of this vehicle. Compare that to a KBB Consumer rating of 4.3/5.

Before and after, I have never driven a vehicle with as tight a turning radius. Being able to make U-turns in 1.5-lane city roads without having to back up, cruising through cramped parking lots and easily gliding into narrow spaces; it was a dream. An absolute power trip.

But I've converted to EVs; I want to avoid getting a ICE vehicle again if I can. Obviously there are use cases for ICE vehicles, but rarely do they impact me.

I drove the Chevy Spark EV, which had a tiny range but a similar turning radius, the Bolt with a little larger radius, and then the VW ID.4 with an unbelievably tight radius. This is all great! So why are you freaking out, Max?

Because every other EV on the market turns like a friggin' yacht.

But what do these numbers mean? How do they apply to anything?

The Turning Diameter Problem

Disclaimer: Many sources sites equate the terms turning circle, radius, and diameter, often using them interchangeably.
Wikipedia says that turning diameter is the industry-standard term, and I will try to stick with that.
But for clarity, turning circle and diameter refer to the diameter of the completed turning circle from edge to edge, where turning radius is the distance from the center point of the turning circle and the outside edge.

Why is the Turning Diameter of a car relevant? Simply put, a smaller turning diameter is more nimble, and a larger turning diameter is more clumsy. But how do the numbers translate to real life?

Let's look at some numbers; Standard American highway lane widths are 12',^[3] and narrower city streets can be closer to 10'.^[4] With that in mind, let's consider this scenario:

1. Assume that you're making a U-turn on a 4-lane city road with a 2-foot median and 10-foot lanes.
   1. A turning diameter greater than 32 feet will require a k-turn
   2. A diameter less than 32 feet empowers you to perform a U-turn (see screenshot below)
      

To me, this is a bare-minimum requirement, but for many people, it appears to be a luxury. According to the list I created and shared earlier, only the VW ID.4 had a turning diameter less than 32'.

So let me be charitable; in a city with larger street lanes, three lanes across is more like 36', so let's set that as a passing grade. Anything over 36 guarantees that you will not be able to make a U-turn without jumping the curb, entering the bike lane (if present), or performing a K-turn, and is therefore unacceptable. Only 6 EV models with a range over 150 have an average turning diameter of 36' or less,^[5] and that sucks. The Kia EV6 and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 are basically trucks!

Anyway, I hope my spreadsheet helps and my rant was tolerable.