In association with Pod
Electric Car Awards 2025: Best electric performance car
With fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars now coming in all shapes and sizes, we’ve named the best new and used buys in every class. Here we look at the best electric performance cars...
Porsche Taycan RWD
It’s easy to imagine Porsche as the best vegetarian cook who ever lived. Despite being a meat-loving salad-sceptic, you trust their name and are persuaded into their restaurant. Take a seat and before long a dish is placed in front of you. It looks appetising enough, perhaps not wildly different from something you know you like. Then you sink your teeth into it – and it’s enough to make you forget about steak. The Porsche Taycan is that dish.
If you love cars, you’ll love the Taycan, and that’s all there is to it. Forget about how it’s powered; the Taycan brings typical Porsche driving pleasure, underpinned by storming, instantaneous electric power.
Even the entry-level RWD version has the taste buds watering; 0-62mph takes an effortless 4.8sec, and the more powerful, pricier models simply add spice. And you don’t get some poncy, nouvelle cuisine portion of range; officially, the 97.0kWh (usable) battery enables 393 miles to be devoured in one sitting.
It’s not just nutritious; it’s delicious. If you’re in the mood for relaxation, those miles pass comfortably and quietly; you’ll feel the road as it passes beneath you, but it’s never obtrusive and there’s none of that floating feeling to make you queasy. And if you want to drive the Taycan like, well, a Porsche, you’ll be amazed by how it responds, with telepathic steering, tenacious grip and a near-absence of body lean. It just goes where you point it – and quickly. Not even the closely related Audi E-tron GT matches the Taycan as a driver’s car.
So, that’s the flavour; now let’s talk about ingredients. Everything inside looks and feels top notch; the 16.8in digital driver’s display serves up masses of information, and the infotainment screen is sharp-looking and responsive. We’d love to see a few more physical controls for frequently used functions, but the Taycan is hardly alone in that failing.
More pertinent is that the Taycan is spacious enough for two pairs of six-footers to travel together in comfort. The similar-sized Mercedes EQE is roomier, but not by that much, and the Taycan’s boot will hold six carry-on suitcases.
Given that the Taycan costs little more than a mid-range EQE, you might feel like leaving a hefty tip at the side of your plate. The only caveat is that patrons have left mixed reviews in the What Car? Reliability Survey.
Best used electric performance car
Porsche Taycan 4S (2020-present)
Price from £34,000
All the thrills of a new one but for substantially less outlay. Some owners report software and infotainment glitches, though.
Used Porsche Taycan buying guide >>
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