Porsche Taycan review: the ultimate all-rounder

Picture this: you’ve just won the lottery and you’ve bought your dream house.

But wait, it’s in the city and there’s only space for one car outside. What car do you buy?

Well, you want it to be electric because you’re environmentally conscious and love technology.

You want it to have a good range so you can go on long journeys worry free – and add fast charging to that list too.

You want it to be fun to drive, but still practical and comfortable. Plus, you want it to look and feel special.

With this criteria in mind, we think the best EV for every occasion is the Porsche Taycan, and it’s not even as expensive as you might think.

Brilliant all-electric range

The first thing many EV buyers look for, is a strong electric range. Which gives those who travel long distances, and those who don’t have an EV charger at home, greater flexibility as to when they need to find time to plug-in (although, as we’ll see, the Taycan doesn’t actually need much time plugged in).

Luckily, with the recent facelift in 2024 one of the attributes Porsche added to the Taycan was a brilliant range, thanks to a larger battery and greater efficiency.

Now, the leggiest version, the standard sports saloon with the optional Performance Battery Plus will do 678km (421 miles) on a charge, or as much as 821km (510 miles) if you keep to the city.

Even with the standard battery the Taycan should manage 591km (367 miles) or 555km in the superhot Turbo GT versions.

That’s because the standard battery now measures 82kWh, with the bigger pack coming in at 97kWh. Plus, new motors mean that efficiency is as good as 16.7kWh/100km (3.7 mpkWh), which has also helped boost the range past that of some versions of the Tesla Model S.

Ultra fast charging

The other thing that makes life easier when travelling with an BEV is fast charging capabilities, and the Taycan is the second fastest charging electric car on the market.

Being able to take 320kW of power thanks to its 800V architecture means that in theory it will take 18 minutes to take the car from 10-80% charged. In reality, it will be difficult to match this, but the Taycan will still perform better than almost all other electric cars.

Fun to drive

Thanks to its low centre of gravity and staggering performance (more on that later) the Porsche Taycan is one of the most fun EVs to drive.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5N might be more exciting, but the fluidity and balance of the Taycan (and the rear-wheel drive version especially) simply hasn’t been matched by any other electric car.

This gives you great confidence when pushing on down winding, twisting roads in what is undisputably a heavy car (roughly 2200kg or 4850lb).

And, because it’s an EV, that weight doesn’t hinder it in the way you might think - by positioning the batteries low down in the floor, the grip balance and lack of body roll puts the Taycan in a different league.

Add the Porsche Active Ride system and the Taycan would easily give the 911 a run for its money when it comes to agility and performance. One thing we think Porsche should consider, though, is a few modes for things like artificial gearshifts to add some more driver engagement, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5N does so well.

Its 7 minute 55 second Nürburgring lap time makes it the fastest electric four-door round the famous racetrack too, although that’s for the most expensive Turbo GT Weissach.

Practical

You thought we’d tripped up here, hadn’t you? But, actually, we have not.

So far we’ve talked mostly about the Taycan saloon, but did you know you can also get the Sport Turismo version, which is a more practical wagon shape?

That means it’s got a large hatchback opening and a less-sloping rear roofline so that you can put a dog (or two) in the boot and also carry taller passengers in the rear.

In fact, with 446 litres of space in four/five seat mode, the Taycan would make a great companion for a week away with four people.

Even better, the Sport Turismo only costs slightly more, and loses a barely noticeable amount in terms of range and performance.

Four-wheel drive capability

It turns out that the Sport Turismo isn’t the only other Taycan body-shape, there’s also the Cross Turismo which builds on the wagon shape with extra ground clearance and some body protection so that the Taycan can safely undertake some light off-roading.

It won’t be as capable as some full-blown SUVs, but it should be more than enough for most people. Plus, if you’re not interested in the extra ground-clearance, four-wheel drive is available across the entire Taycan range. 

Fast

This is probably the positive that you were least surprised to see. When the Taycan first came out in 2019 it was fast, and now it is even faster.

Even the standard model will do 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 4.8sec, thanks to a 304kW (408hp) rear-mounted motor, while the four-wheel drive, dual-motor 4S will complete the same sprint in 3.7sec.

If you need more performance, the GTS, Turbo and Turbo S are faster still. And the Turbo GT with the Weissach Package takes just 2.2sec to hit 100km/h (0-62mph), or enough to make it one of the fastest accelerating cars in the world, faster than any Bugatti Veyron or Chiron!

Quality interior

In a world of cost cutting, the interior of the Taycan (and any Porsche really) feels really special.

It beats every rival for interior quality and feels a bit more special than its sibling, the Audi e-tron GT. It’s rammed full of soft leather and beautifully finished metals – even the buttons on the wheel feel satisfyingly upmarket. And if you’re after a more sporty feel, you can add the grippy Race-Tex material.

The multimedia system in the Taycan is largely the same as in all modern Porsches. It's not the slickest system, with some input lag and some menus that could have been laid out more simply. However, it generally works as you expect it to and has a permanent shortcut bar. Its still better than many rivals.

The headline novelty for the updated Taycan is deeper integration of Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. If you have the My Porsche app on your phone, you can create a new menu within CarPlay to control vehicle functions such as the climate control and trip computer. It also shows you things such as weather, playlists and nearby cafes. It’s a neat feature, but given most of those functions are easily accessible either within the normal CarPlay menus or the native interface, it lacks some added value.

Pretty design with personalisation options

Even though it’s a five-year-old design in its basic form, the Taycan still looks modern and cool.

It balances being sporty and svelte, while still looking expensive and restrained. It’s not as shouty in its design as many modern cars, but it’s all the better for it.

Plus, there are loads of personalisation options. For starters there are six trims, with individual wheel designs and options for each one. Then there’s literally hundreds of colours to choose from (thanks to Porsche’s Paint to Sample) and more than 10 interior colours and materials to match with that, including a very cool chequered cloth design.

You can also customise the lights, brake calipers, badges, seatbelts and stitching. It all costs, but you could make yourself a one-of-one Taycan.

Comfort

What you can’t fail to notice, whatever mode the Taycan is in, is a car with superb body control, lovely uncorrupted steering, and only a modicum of road noise to mar its otherwise excellent touring manners.

The most refined Taycan is the Cross Turismo, with its softer springing and less performance-focused remit. However, the Turbo S is also a remarkably comfortable car in the context of its wild performance and you could argue that nothing else out there combines such pace and grace.

On the move it’s quiet enough to justify its luxury positioning too - a reading of 66dBA at 110km/h (70mph) is Mercedes E-Class-demure.

The new active suspension is also, in our view, worth having. It not only improves the Taycan’s primary ride but ameliorates the impact of potholes and speed bumps.

The result of all this is that the Taycan, while supercar-fast, is more than capable of fulfilling the GT-car role, as you may well use it for, given the greater range it now possesses.

What are the downsides though?

Well, we really don’t think there are many. The nearly 100,000 euro starting price (£90,000) is a lot, but we think it very much is worth it, and feels like a car of that calibre.

If you are worried about money, it’s worth noting that the depreciation is quite heavy, but no worse than other electric rivals, and if you’ve got a tall family, the roof is low enough to rub your head on.

How to pick your perfect Taycan

To maximise your experience with the Taycan, we’ve got a few tips.

First of all, choose the standard version with the larger battery option to maximise your range and efficiency. If you’ll be carrying more than two people and their luggage regularly, pair it with the more practical Sport Turismo body style.

If you’re after straight line performance, the Turbo S has 700kW (952hp), can do 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 2.4sec and still achieve 635km (392 miles) on a charge.

Overall, The Taycan is the car we’d choose if we could only have one, and there’s one for (almost) every use.

The Move Electric verdict: 9/10