Porsche Taycan Range: Range Anxiety in an Electric Supercar?

With the Taycan, Porsche has shown that it doesn't just nail combustion engines – the Taycan is a true supercar, just as you'd expect from Stuttgart. But even Porsche faces the million-dollar question for EVs: "How far does it actually go?" Everything about the Porsche Taycan and its range in this blog post.

There are several electric supercars out there by now, but the Porsche Taycan stands on its own. That's simply because the Porsche identity can be found in every detail. It may sound abstract, but you get it the moment you sit down in the driver's seat. If you want to know what that feels like, you can rent the Porsche Taycan from us.

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Porsche Taycan range: all models compared

Porsche has tightened a few screws since the launch in 2019 – the newest Taycan is more powerful, looks better and drives more efficiently. Porsche wasn't content with a mere facelift for the 2024 model update: the folks in Stuttgart completely reworked the drivetrain and battery.

Examples include the new cell chemistry, which lets the electric athlete boast up to 10% higher energy density. On top of that, the Taycan now pulls even more energy from regenerative braking than before. But that's just a taste of the many bigger and smaller modifications Porsche is using to compete with the crème de la crème of the electric world (source: ADAC).

If there were just one Porsche Taycan, this blog post would be over quickly. Instead, there are now 5 new versions of the Swabian electric sports car - not counting the Sport and Cross Turismo - starting with the base model with rear-wheel drive.

Rear-wheel-drive Taycan: how far will it take you?

Even with the "humblest" rear-wheel-drive Taycan, there are further trade-offs to make. Depending on how much money you spend, you get a bit more or a bit less battery capacity. There's 82 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and then 97 kWh. So that both can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds, the smaller version has 300 kilowatts (kW) - or, old-school, 402 hp - of power, while the motors of the larger variant already put out 320 kW (429 hp).

Top speed is just under 143 mph. But if you put your foot down, instead of a minimum of 27 kWh per 100 miles you'll quickly be using 32 kWh. If you're driving around with the smaller battery, WLTP says it'll take you 313 to 367 miles (WLTP is the European test cycle, and it's more generous than the EPA) - how far you really get varies depending on your driving style, load and whether you actually run the battery all the way down. It's certainly not 310 miles, though; around 220 miles is far more likely - and if you drive a bit more spiritedly and switch off traction control for a few nice corners, it'll be noticeably less than that.

But since you're fully charged again in 18 minutes at a fast charger, that's not so bad - provided, of course, that the station actually delivers 320 kW.

With the base spec and the small battery, the rear-wheel-drive Taycan already costs you over €101,000 in Germany. For an eco-conscious family car with enough room for child seats in the back, that's still okay these days, right? If that's still a bit too pricey for you, you can simply try out the electric Porsche in our car sharing in Munich. There, the sports car costs just 69 euro cents per minute.

What it's like to be out and about in the Taycan and constantly thinking about the next charging opportunity is something we found out for ourselves – in our magazine article on "Charging the Porsche Taycan" we share our impressions.

Porsche Taycan 4S range: all-wheel drive, but electric

If you like to have everything under control, you're probably even better off with the Porsche Taycan 4S. In the 4S, the two synchronous motors send power to all 4 wheels. That lets you really use the power in corners, too - and just like the rear-wheel-drive version, there are 2 different versions here as well. The first again has an 82 kWh battery, the second 97 kWh.

The models accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in under 4 seconds - 3.7 seconds, to be exact. The AWD variant with the 82 kWh battery makes do with 340 kW (456 hp), and in overboost mode it peaks at 400 kW (536 hp). So that the heavier version with the bigger battery can keep up, Porsche gave it 380 kW (510 hp) and, in boost, as much as 440 kW - almost 600 hp. With 4 driven wheels you get a maximum of 12 mph more than the base version.

Far more important is the range, though – despite the assumption that the base version should use less energy given its number of motors, the ranges of the Taycan 4S versions are better. Smaller battery, shorter distance: 295 to 346 miles are possible according to WLTP. If you've invested in the bigger pack, you'll officially get between 341 and 399 miles. A range of 185 to 250 miles is more realistic, though. If you estimate conservatively, you're guaranteed to be better off.

Porsche Taycan range: Turbo, Turbo S and Turbo GT

The 3 most powerful versions of the Taycan are actually rather unfortunately named. After all, there's no turbocharger under the hood - yet the models offer insane power, with zero turbo lag.

The high-performance models all shine with the 97 kWh battery, but the ranges differ, sometimes massively. No wonder, when you take a closer look at the technical details of the drivetrain:

For some inexplicable reason, Porsche even fitted the Turbo GT with motors totaling 778 hp - in overboost with launch control, output climbs to 1,019 hp. That comes with a maximum torque of 915 lb-ft. For a car straight from the factory, that's pure madness.

According to WLTP, the "regular" Turbo and the Turbo S both manage 346 to 391 miles; the Turbo GT officially doesn't reach that range. Here it's over at 328 to 344 miles. But just like the less brutal versions of the Taycan, the cars will run out of steam well before that. Ranges from just under 220 to a maximum of 250 miles seem far more likely. Play with the throttle a bit too much and your battery will be dead much sooner - but that shouldn't surprise anyone.

Porsche Taycan: Stuttgart goes electric

As early as 2015, Porsche announced that a production car would be developed based on the Mission E concept study. That eyebrows were raised and noses turned up is hardly surprising, especially since in 2015 only a fraction of today's charging points existed.

But Porsche CEO Oliver Blume wanted to aim even higher: alongside the fully electric drivetrain, the necessary technology for SAE Level 4 autonomous driving was to be built in during development.

If that doesn't mean anything to you yet, take a look at our magazine article where we shed light on the levels of autonomous driving.

When the first Taycan Turbo with 500 kW and Taycan Turbo S with 560 kW models were launched in 2019, even Tesla's crown as the electric powerhouse wobbled. Suddenly the Americans had serious competition for the Model S.

Taycan: a name for Mission E

A perhaps surprising challenge was finding the name. A total of over 600 ideas were up for selection, from which marketing experts were to pick the one perfect name for the electric sedan.

That's said to have been anything but easy, since the proposals were written in over 20 languages. 2 native speakers each were consulted, and in the end Taycan was chosen. The name is made up of the Turkish words "Tay" and "Can", which roughly mean "foal" and "soul". On the one hand, that hints at a fresh start for the prancing horse in the middle of the Porsche crest. On the other, it fits perfectly with the car's slogan, "soul, electrified".

That the name can also be read in Japanese is a happy bonus – "taikan" can be translated as "physical experience". That suits the track-ready electric Porsche and the instant acceleration that slams you into your seat.

Porsche at a crossroads: electric Boxster & Cayman

Even the cult brand Porsche, which has set the benchmark for sports cars with the 911 for decades, isn't spared from increasing electrification. First came the Taycan, and in 2024 it was the Macan's turn. Even though the beloved 911 gets to keep its combustion engine, the little siblings are next in line.

Both the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman break free in 2025 - with the upcoming 983 generation, both models go fully battery-electric. The rumor mill has been churning since the Mission R concept was unveiled in 2021, especially with plenty of disagreement about the looks of the coupe and convertible. After the new Boxster was spotted on a test drive in early 2024, it's now clear that it will at least share large parts of its front end with the Cayman. Exactly what the 718 will look like in the end, we'll hopefully find out soon.

CarVia verdict: Porsche as brilliant as ever?

With the Porsche Taycan, Porsche took on Tesla - and on a front that was previously unknown to the Stuttgart company. The (first and weakest) Model S beats the (first and weakest) Taycan in almost every respect in a direct comparison.

With the most powerful versions, the Model S Plaid and the Taycan Turbo GT, the differences are now minimal; in many areas the Turbo GT is actually significantly better. One small detail should be kept in mind, though: in Germany the Tesla costs just under €108,000, while the GT - not even in the Weissach version - sits at €240,000.

The most interesting thing, though, is still the everyday usability of the Taycan versions. Thankfully, the facelift also pushed ranges up thanks to bigger batteries, but Porsche's EV formula isn't perfect yet. We're definitely curious to see how the small, electrified 718 Boxster and Cayman turn out next year. After all, not much is known yet.

If you absolutely want to try a Porsche 718 with a combustion engine one more time – with or without a roof –, a 911 or different versions of the Taycan, just head straight to our homepage. Through our booking form you'll quickly find out which cars are available when - and at a fair price.