Solar panels are prominently incorporated into electric vehicle rooftop to charge the battery bank. In this paper, the analytical design of two solar electric vehicle models powered with split power solar source architecture and conventional solar power source architecture are presented. The operational behavior of the analytically designed solar electric vehicle models is validated using Matlab. The superiority between split power solar source and conventional solar power source in terms of power contribution capability to the electric vehicle battery bank is analysed under real-time conditions using PVsyst real-time simulator. Further, the drive range enhancement and battery bank deration rate in the two solar EV models due to the incorporation of solar power source is analysed and compared for real-time conditions. Finally, the results of the superior solar electric vehicle model are validated through experimental construction and testing of the model. The comparative study concludes that solar electric vehicle model powered with split power solar source architecture is the best in terms of maintaining battery performance, power contribution capability and drive range enhancement. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.