Porsche Taycan review: performance, motor & drive

At launch, all Taycan models featured two electric motors, with one on each axle for four-wheel drive. A cheaper rear-wheel-drive model – simply badged 'Taycan' – has since joined the range. It does away with the more expensive models' front motor for a purer driving experience. It feels like a proper four-door Porsche – and despite its lower power output, still has the performance to match that feeling.

Unusually for an electric car, the Taycan's rear motor uses a two-speed transmission (most make do with a single ‘gear’) in order to offer the best combination of performance from a standstill and efficiency at motorway speeds. The shift between the two is imperceptible; it's a really smooth car to drive.

Even the basic Taycan will do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds. The 4S delivers shocking straight-line pace; it’s enough to make the Turbo and Turbo S feel unnecessary, even if they are splendidly bonkers in terms of outright performance. More than the power on offer, the Taycan’s handling lustre is what wins it five stars in this section. This is especially the case for the GTS, which was introduced in 2021 and is the sweetest-handling version yet.

Porsche Taycan 0-62mph, top speed and acceleration

With a maximum of 671bhp to call on, the Taycan Turbo will hit 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 162mph. The top-spec Taycan Turbo S has the same electronically limited top speed, but with up to 751bhp at its disposal, it'll do 0-62mph in just 2.8 seconds – the same as the 911 Turbo sports car. Acceleration from 0-124mph takes 9.6 seconds (down from 9.8 thanks to a software update), which is up there with the fastest cars on sale bar none.

There are rumours that Porsche is working on a new, even faster Taycan variant with a triple-motor set up that could serve as a more direct rival to the 1,000bhp+ Tesla Model S Plaid or Lucid Air Sapphire. However, despite numerous sightings of a racy-looking Taycan prototype testing on the Nurburgring racetrack, we reckon this new model is still a while off.

The GTS isn't quite as fast as either of the Turbo variants, but with 590bhp and four-wheel drive, very few motorists would describe its 3.7-second 0-62mph time as 'inadequate'. It has also been given a louder and more prominent augmented soundtrack, which isn't quite like the noise of a combustion engine, but does help get you in the mood.

As its name suggests, the Taycan 4S also gets four-wheel drive, and produces either 523 or 563bhp depending on which battery size you go for. Though 0-62mph is dispatched in four seconds exactly, regardless of which you pick.

For all that, our pick of the range is the basic rear-drive Taycan, as it costs tens of thousands of pounds less, even factoring in its less generous standard equipment. A 5.4-second 0-62mph time and roughly 400bhp power output make it feel very rapid, whether you’re fluctuating through the midrange or going for a flat-out drag race. Nothing about it feels ‘entry-level’ and it's just as much fun on UK roads as the Turbo S.

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If you really do want Tesla Model S-style savagery, the Turbo S is the one to go for, offering stomach-squirming acceleration executed in a near-silent, unflappable manner. More importantly, the Taycan’s pedal responses make it easy to modulate speed and take advantage of the car’s impressive traction and handling. Avoid the carbon-ceramic brakes, though, as they lose a little of the standard brakes' feel and aren't really necessary unless you're going to take your Taycan on track. Plus, braking performance is fantastic anyway.

Porsche claims the variable regenerative braking is powerful enough to do 90% of driving without touching the brake pedal at all, however we found that even the strongest of the two available settings wasn’t quite enough to slow the car sufficiently around town. It bleeds in smoothly and makes the Taycan easy to drive fluidly through awkward traffic, but we’d still favour steering-wheel paddles for more intuitive adjustment.

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Handling

The Taycan weighs over two tonnes, but you’d never guess that based on how it drives: agile and responsive in corners, with a playful and communicative feel that belies its mass. Note that a lot of items that affect how the car drives are optional on lower-end models; we’d add the active anti-roll bars and four-wheel steering for best results. With all that fitted, the Taycan truly sets a new benchmark in terms of handling delight for electric cars; lightfooted yet confidence-inspiring and characterful, it's totally satisfying on the right road, despite its size.

You're always aware of what's going on with the road surface and grip levels, and there's a supple glide to the way the Taycan goes down a scruffy country road that makes it comfortable. This tied-down feeling also means the car remains settled, even over mid-corner bumps or awkward cambers. Despite having a slightly firmer setup, the GTS achieves this impressive feat, too, and when a smooth enough road is ahead, flicking into Sport Plus mode lowers the air suspension for a more intense experience. The steering feels even more natural and accurate and the GTS behaves just as you'd hope a driver-focused Porsche saloon would.

Switch to Sport or Sport+ driving modes – accessed via a nifty dial on the steering wheel on cars specified with the optional Sports Chrono package – and the car perks up dramatically, with the settings sharpened to make it as nimble as possible. The Taycan’s impressively controlled ride makes it well suited to UK roads; that even goes for the firmer setup in the Porsche Taycan GTS, too. Every Taycan apart from the very cheapest model gets adaptive air suspension, and both the 4S and Turbo S that we’ve driven had optional active anti-roll bars fitted; these deliver a great balance of precise damper and body control.

Yes, it's a stiff car in terms of body rigidity and suspension – Porsche is working on an electric version of the Macan if you’re after an SUV body or a plusher ride – but the Taycan’s damping and body control are tight enough that it never feels uncomfortable. By any standard, this is a great long-distance tourer, country-lanes weapon and about-town poser, even on UK roads. Dare we say it: who needs a petrol 911?