BMW i5

Our electric executive saloon disproves the notion that battery-powered cars aren't as efficient out of town

- Steve Huntingford

Mileage 4924 List price £77,105 Target Price £70,819 Price as tested £92,570 Test range 318 miles

A PENNY DROPPED from the top of the Empire State Building can kill; the Great Wall of China is visible from space; it takes seven years for your body to digest a piece of chewing gum.

Most of us have heard these 'facts', even though we probably can't remember where we learnt them. But it's safe to say that it wasn't from a school textbook, because in reality none of them is true. And another false fact that people often think they know is that electric cars are more efficient around town than on faster roads.