Porsche Macan Electric review

Reinventing yourself at the peak of success is a challenge, yet the best make it look effortless – which brings us to the Porsche Macan Electric.

You see, the Macan Electric's arrival coincides with the petrol-powered Macan achieving its best sales figures yet. That car's blend of delicate driving dynamics, a high-quality interior and a reasonably accessible price point (for a Porsche) seems to have helped it appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers, from young professionals to seasoned boomers.

So is the Macan Electric we're reviewing here more of the same? Well, the exterior design bears a close resemblance to the original, but the existence of a big battery under the floor and one or two electric motors makes this a very different car.

Porsche Macan Electric video review

Indeed, the all-electric Macan propels Porsche into the ever-growing electric SUV segment, where it's competing against a disparate range of rivals, including the closely related Audi Q6 e-tron, performance versions of the Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y plus the BMW iX3 and Lotus Eletre.

The luxury car maker has already enjoy electrified success with the excellent Porsche Taycan so has it maintained that momentum with the Porsche Macan Electric? Read on to find out...

There are four versions of the Porsche Macan Electric to choose from: the Macan, the Macan 4, the 4S and the Turbo, all with a 95kWh (usable capacity) battery.

The entry-level car has one 356bhp motor driving the rear wheels, while the 4, the 4S and the Turbo have two drive motors giving you four-wheel drive.

Porsche has put a lot of effort into making sure the Macan Electric feels very different to drive to the Audi Q6 e-tron, which is built on the same platform. Distinguishing features include a bespoke steering rack, its own Pirelli tyres, specially positioned motors to aid weight distribution and two-valve dampers first introduced on the Porsche Cayenne.

So does the Macan Electric's engineering translate into a driving experience worthy of the Porsche badge? Well, within just a few miles you’re aware that the Macan’s steering is a cut above rivals'. It's quick, slack-free and delivers decent feedback, allowing you to really lean on the front tyres with confidence through quick corners.

The electric car version also manages to feel keener and more agile than a petrol Macan through quick changes of direction – despite weighing around 350kg more.

The optional four-wheel-steering system has plenty to do with that. With it fitted, the rear wheels turn at opposite angles to the fronts at low speeds, shortening the car’s turning circle by more than a metre and making it feel alert and agile. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts, improving stability.

The Macan Electric is genuinely astounding down an undulating country road, exhibiting little body lean and remaining settled over mid-corner bumps. While the single-motor model is noticeably slower than the 4S and Turbo, its fine handling makes it really capable dynamically. Point to point, a Tesla Model Y Performance might be able to hang on to the tail of a Macan, but its driver certainly won’t be as relaxed.

In pure performance terms, the single-motor Macan needs 5.7 seconds to get from rest to 62mph, which feels moderately quick. The 402bhp Macan 4, with its official 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds, seems a good deal punchier in the real world.

Meanwhile, the 630bhp Turbo – which takes 3.3 seconds to do the sprint – feels a bit like overkill. Most keen drivers are likely to be perfectly happy with the pace of the 510bhp Macan 4S (0-62mph in 4.1 seconds). 

Is the Macan Electric actually fun as well as fast? Well, yes – but with a caveat. The entry-level car and the 4 will plaster a smile on the face of most drivers, but if you want the full Porsche driving experience, you’ll want the Turbo. And that’s because it has a Porsche-developed electric motor that sits way out behind the rear axle.

That placement, combined with what Porsche calls Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (an electronically controlled differential lock on the rear axle) increases agility. It also, where safe to do so, allows you to slide the Macan Electric like it's a big hot hatch, giving you the interaction you’d normally expect from a much smaller and lighter car.

Will that matter to most people? Well, for very keen drivers, the Turbo is hard to resist, but for most buyers we recommend the entry-level car, which still handles sweetly and has more than adequate power. Better still, it has the longest electric range of the four versions.

For all its sportiness, the Macan Electric is a relaxing cruiser. You might notice some motor whine around town and the rumble of its tyres across a coarse surface (especially if you opt for 22in wheels) but wind noise is well suppressed.

Ride quality on the standard-fit steel sprung set-up is perfectly acceptable for a performance SUV. Still, when attacking an undulating country road you'll often find yourself being tossed around in your seat. For that reason we recommend the optional air suspension (standard on the Macan Turbo Electric), which helps to tie the body down over sudden crests. 

Braking-wise, the pedal is easy to modulate, which is not always the case in electric cars where the regenerative braking system has to blend in with the physical brakes.

The Macan Electric's official range is 380 miles for the 4 and 367 for the powerful Turbo, so you’ll be looking at around 300 miles in the real world. A single-motor Macan stretches that as far as 398 miles on the WLTP test and returns about 320 in mixed real-world use.

On our test route (a mix of town, country and motorway driving) a Macan 4 returned 2.9 miles per kWh, giving a theoretical range of 300.3 miles. That’s further than a Kia EV6 GT and similar to a Tesla Model Y Performance.

“The Porsche Macan Turbo Electric costs a lot of money but I found it mightily impressive. Not only is it ballistically fast but it’s a hoot to throw about. You can’t say that about any other electric SUV.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The Porsche Macan Electric’s interior design marks a dramatic change from the petrol Macan, with inspiration drawn from the latest Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Panamera.

Notably, the dashboard features a striking three-screen configuration, consisting of a curved 12.6in digital driver's display and a 10.9in infotainment touchscreen and, as an option, a 10.9in touchscreen for the front passenger. The passenger screen can display journey information or stream videos, and is tinted so it can't be seen by the driver.

We found the Macan Electric's infotainment much more intuitive to use than the clunky set-up in the Ferrari Purosangue (not a direct rival, we admit) and far more useful than the minimalist screen in the Lotus Eletre.

The main touchscreen has sharp graphics and is responsive to prods and swipes. We also found it useful that certain Apple CarPlay applications such as Apple Maps can now be displayed right in front of you on the driver's display.

It’s such a good system that we’re not entirely sure you need to option Porsche’s new head-up display, which uses augmented-reality technology to place some information, such as directions from the sat-nav, in your line of sight.

All Macan Electrics have a wireless phone-charging pad with cooling to stop your phone overheating. Better still, you get proper toggles for the climate control, making it much less distracting than systems that force use to use the touchscreen to adjust the settings.

The standard stereo has 10 speakers and 150 watts. Upgrades are available, including a Bose system with 14 speakers and 710 watts (standard on the Turbo), or a premium Burmester set-up with 21 speakers and 1,470 watts. The Burmester system is very pricey but sounds superb. 

Design-wise, the Macan Electric's interior surpasses the petrol Macan, resembling a Porsche Taycan inside, with its floating centre console, tall side windows and soft-touch materials.

Crucially for a sports SUV the Macan Electric offers an excellent driving position. You sit closer to the ground than you do in the petrol model, so you immediately feel as though you’re in something properly sporty, and there’s plenty of adjustment for the steering wheel.

The seats are wonderfully supportive on a twisty country road thanks to great side support, but it's a shame that to get lumbar support you have to pay extra for the 14-way seat option, or even more for the 18-way version.

“If you're expecting the Porsche Macan Electric's interior to resemble the petrol version, I think you're in for a surprise. It really moves the game on when it comes to design and technology.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

With a wider interior than the petrol Macan, the Porsche Macan Electric has plenty of room in the front. You’re unlikely to knock elbows with your passenger and even very tall drivers won’t feel hemmed in. 

There are two fixed cupholders just in front of the armrest, and under the armrest you'll find a cubby that houses two USB-C sockets. The arrangement is perfect for storing a passenger's phone, while the driver can use the cooled wireless charger located in a hidden cubby beneath the central air vents.

The Macan Electric's wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear axles) is longer than the petrol version's, giving it noticeably more leg room. It’s not "limo-like", as it is in a Kia EV6 GT but six-footers will fit with ease and head room is superb. However, unlike some competitors – such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – the Macan lacks the flexibility to recline the rear backrests or adjust the rear seats to prioritise passenger leg room or boot space.

That said, the Macan Electric's rear seats do split in a handy 40/20/40 arrangement, so you can fold down the narrower central section and slide through longer items, while still leaving room for two rear passengers.

In terms of boot space, the Macan Electric officially has 540 litres at the back, and the boot floor sits flush with its load lip, making loading a doddle. You also benefit from another luggage compartment under the bonnet, which is easily big enough for a carry-on suitcase.

For comparison, the BMW iX3 has 510 litres, the Kia EV6 GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N have 480, and the Genesis GV60 Performance has 432.  For those requiring more boot or rear-passenger space, the VW ID 5 GTX (549 litres) or Lotus Eletre (688 litres) are worth considering.

“I like the fact that you get underfloor storage for the charging cables – although you lose that if you option the upgraded sound systems, which comes with a subwoofer that takes up space.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The entry-level Porsche Macan Electric is just over 10% more expensive than an equivalent Audi Q6 e-tron or Polestar 4 but undercuts the Lotus Eletre and Mercedes EQE SUV. It’s also more expensive than the petrol Porsche Macan (which is due to stay on sale in the UK until the end of 2025).

The higher-end 4S and Turbo versions are seriously expensive cars, although the Turbo gets more of Porsche’s excellent active suspension technology as standard.

In terms of depreciation, the Porsche Taycan hasn't held on to its value as well as the industry predicted (a problem across the electric-car market as a whole) so we’ll be interested to see if that has an impact on the Macan Electric’s PCP finance rates. You can find the latest prices using our New Car Deals pages.

Of course, resale value won't be an issue for those lucky enough to have a Macan Electric on their company car list. Electric cars attract fantastic BIK tax breaks right now, so it will set you back a tiny amount in monthly salary sacrifices compared with, say, a combustion-engined sports SUVs in the same price bracket.

Standard features for the Macan 4 Electric include 20in alloy wheels, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a powered tailgate and an EV heat pump. You have to pay extra for keyless entry, privacy glass, a heated steering wheel, full leather seats and adaptive cruise control.

The Turbo comes with extra standard kit but costs tens of thousands of pounds more.

You can, of course, go absolutely overboard with the configurator and option everything from an extended leather package to carbon-fibre trim, but even if you stick with the regular specification you won’t feel short-changed.

The Macan Electric's 95kWh battery has a peak charging speed of 270kW. In theory, that allows you to charge from 10-80% in around 20 minutes (significantly quicker than rivals), but you'll need to find a very fast charging station to do so. In the UK, you're much more likely to come across a 150kW charger, which can deliver a 10-80% charge in just over half an hour. A 0-100% charge from a 7kW home wallbox takes around 15 hours.

The model was given the full five stars for safety after it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP. The list of standard safety technology includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance.

The Macan Electric is too new to have featured in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Porsche as a brand managed only 21st position when it was ranked against 30 other manufacturers. Mercedes came 22nd while Tesla was in 15th.

Porsche gives you a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, while the battery is guaranteed to maintain at least 70% of its capacity for eight years/100,000 miles.

"If you get the entry-level Macan Electric, I’d recommend ticking the option boxes for air suspension and rear-wheel steering, which comes with Power Steering Plus. They give it a precision you'd expect from a much smaller car." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here