The Porsche Taycan is brilliant. Why is Porsche struggling to sell it?
The Porsche Taycan epitomises the malaise in today’s EV market like no other car. On the face of it, this is probably the best electric vehicle you can buy. It’s comfortable, efficient, looks futuristic and is beautifully built. Plus it drives, well, like a Porsche. So why did worldwide Taycan sales plummet by 49 percent in 2024?
In a word: depreciation. Rapid improvements in battery technology, coupled with car buyers’ increasing scepticism towards EVs, mean you can pick up a three-year-old Porsche Taycan with average miles for less than half what it cost new. At the time of writing, there are 884 used Taycans for sale on Auto Trader, with prices from just £36,000.
Granted, if you’re a company car driver who chose an EV because of the tax benefits, that won’t matter. But any private buyer getting into (and then out of) a Taycan is going to take a heavy five-figure hit. This might be a luxury car, but nobody likes to lose money.
The long ranger
However, if your business is paying the bills, or perhaps you’re reading this in 2028, when the updated Taycan is three years old and 50 percent of the price, this is still a very compelling EV indeed. And the positive financial news is that the most affordable model, as tested here, is really all the Taycan you need.
On with the review, then. The base Taycan – called simply ‘Taycan’ – starts from £86,500 and is the only version with a single electric motor and rear-wheel drive (all others use a motor on each axle to power all four wheels). A battery with 82kWh of usable capacity comes as standard, but my car had the optional 97kWh Performance Battery Plus (£4,454).
Thus equipped, the Taycan achieves 416 miles of range in the official WLTP test: impressive for a car that can also hit 62mph in 4.8 seconds. Being able to recharge at 320kW also means you could potentially add 200 miles in 10 minutes – if you can find a public charger offering that level of juice.
Riding on air
Launched in 2019, the Taycan has recently undergone a mid-life refresh. The new model is almost identical – only the lights and front air intakes look different – but then its design hadn’t dated. Whether you opt for the saloon, Sport Turismo estate or Cross Turismo (also an estate, but with raised ride height and more rugged styling), the electric Porsche is still a head-turner.
One notable change is the fitment of air suspension across the range, while pricier versions get an intelligent Active Ride setup. More on that shortly.
Rivals for the Taycan include the BMW i5 M60, Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 and the closely related Audi E-Tron GT, not forgetting the petrol- or hybrid-powered Porsche Panamera. If you must go Musk, there is also the Tesla Model S Plaid, although it’s only available in left-hand drive.
A practical performance car
The Taycan is a large car and its sleek styling isn’t great for interior space. Nonetheless, four adults can travel in comfort, or five at a squeeze if you spec the ‘4+1’ rear seat (£371). Boot space in the saloon is 407 litres: a bit more than a typical family hatchback, albeit with a shallower, less practical shape.
A snug and low-slung driving position immediately makes this ‘family Porsche’ feel like a sports car. Despite relying mostly on touchscreens, the major functions and infotainment are straightforward to use, and the system synced easily with my phone via Apple CarPlay. There are also one-button shortcuts to turn the speed warning bongs and lane assist function off. Good.
The Sport Chrono package fitted here (£1,056) adds a Sport Plus mode for the suspension that drops the car closer to the ground. My test Taycan did without rear-axle steering or a torque vectoring diff, though.
Porsche Taycan on the road
Zero to 62mph in 4.8 seconds is hot hatch territory in 2025, yet the 435hp Taycan definitely feels faster. Perhaps it’s the – literally – electric throttle response or the smooth way it gathers speed, but my impression was of proper Porsche performance. The flagship 1,108hp Turbo GT version, which can blast to 62mph in 2.2 seconds, must be borderline vomit-inducing.
Like all electric cars, the Taycan is simple to drive. Simply click the toggle on the dashboard into ‘D’ and away you go, the two-speed automatic transmission delivering a linear and easily modulated 310lb ft of torque to the rear tyres.
The air springs and twin-valve dampers manage the car’s 2,170kg kerb weight well, delivering a firm-edged but comfortable ride. Only the Taycan’s width stands in the way of relaxed progress. Keeping its alloy wheels away from kerbs is tricky in town driving, while on narrow country lanes I involuntarily held my breath every time an SUV squeezed past.
An EV for drivers
Find space to stretch its legs, though, and the Taycan will reward your patience. Its steering is wonderfully lucid and direct, traction is rarely an issue – despite having only two driven wheels – and handling is capable and composed.
Unlike the majority of EVs, this is a car that keen drivers can enjoy. Porsche hasn’t completely overcome all that weight, which you sense most when braking, but it has done a mighty impressive job.
And if you really want to defy physics, Active Ride can oblige. Like the systems on the McLaren 750S and new Land Rover Defender Octa, it uses hydraulically interlinked dampers to counteract pitch, dive and roll. I tried the same setup in the Audi RS E-Tron GT Performance and discovered ‘iron-fisted body control’ that avoided making the car feel artificial or unpredictable. Even so, it’s an expensive option at £6,291 – and arguably overkill on a base Taycan.
Verdict: Porsche Taycan
Porsche engineers will tell you how determined the company was to get its first EV right (OK, its second EV if we count the Egger-Lohner C2 Phaeton of 1898, which was designed by Ferdinand Porsche).
But get the Taycan right, they did. So much so that, five years on and following a mild update, this is still the best sporting electric car on sale. You could commute in one every day, as I did for a week, and it will still tempt you into taking the long route home. If it was my money, I’d stick with this RWD version, but go for the Sport Turismo body style and bigger battery.
Then again, if it was my money, I’d look at the tempting deals on used Taycans instead. The depreciation on new examples remains a worry, but a 2022 Porsche for the price of a middling family crossover seems like a steal.
PRICE: £86,500
POWER: 435hp
0-62MPH: 4.8sec
TOP SPEED: 143mph
CHARGING SPEED: 320kW
RANGE: 416 miles
• Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research