The 2020 Porsche Taycan is the long-awaited all-electric sedan from Germany’s famed sports-car maker. It’s not the first all-electric contender to Tesla, but perhaps the most important; with the Taycan, Porsche has a direct rival to the Model S in terms of speed, luxury, and swagger. 

Pronounced "TIE-cahn," the 2020 Taycan goes on sale in December for at least $153,310, before applicable federal or state incentives. Two models will be available at launch: the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Porsche Taycan Turbo S. Despite the “Turbo” in both names, neither car has anything to do with internal combustion engines—both cars are all-electric, all of the time. 

Style and performance

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The 2020 Taycan follows closely the Mission E concept that debuted in 2015 and has the same width-to-height proportions as the Porsche 911. The front is low and wide, and unlike the Panamera hatchback, the Taycan has a trunk. 

There’s no outward indication that the Taycan is a battery-electric vehicle other than the two charge ports in either fender and the absence of a rear exhaust. The Taycan’s belt line gently rises from the headlights through the charge ports and door handles, then dips down at the rear like a 911.  

A low character line reaches from the front wheel arch toward the back, and a compact window line boomerangs toward the front. 

In back, the Taycan borrows the 911’s LED tail strip and decklid spoiler.  

Both Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S are powered by electric motors on the front and rear axle that make 616 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque. With launch control activated, the Turbo can spin out 670 hp briefly, the Turbo S up to 750 hp (774 lb-ft of torque) for just a few seconds. Both cars reach a top speed of 161 mph, and the Turbo accelerates up to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds—the Turbo S does the same in 2.6 seconds. 

Both Taycan models are powered by a 93-kwh lithium-ion battery that can be recharged up to 80 percent in less than 23 minutes on a fast-charger (270 kw). Porsche hasn’t yet said how far the Taycan will travel on a single charge, but we expect a range of about 240 miles. 

Comfort, safety, features

Unlike the hatchback Panamera, the Taycan is a sedan, but both comfortably seat four adults. The Taycan seats up to five, although the middle position is fairly cramped. According to Porsche, the sedan's trunk will hold 12.9 cubic feet of cargo and the front trunk (aka "frunk") will hold a scant 2.8 cubic feet of cargo, good enough for a small carry on bag. The Taycan rides atop a wheelbase that measures 114.2 inches between the wheels, and the electric Porsche spans 195.4 inches from bumper to bumper.

Porsche offers the Taycan with a wide range of interior materials including leather, synthetic suede, and a synthetic leather material that’s meant to tempt eco-friendly buyers. Up to five touchscreens fill the cabin and four-zone climate control is available.

The Taycan is heavier than the Panamera by several hundred pounds, and weighs more than 5,100 pounds without passengers aboard. Its batteries contribute about 1,400 pounds to the overall weight. It's nearly 200 pounds heavier than the heaviest Tesla Model S, the P100D.

The Taycan hasn’t yet been crash-tested, but the electric Porsche features automatic emergency braking as standard equipment. 

The Taycan's instrument cluster is splayed across a 16.8-inch curved screen set behind anti-glare glass, in an all-digital readout reminiscent of the classic Porsche 911. Depending on selected display mode—Classic, Map, Full Map, and Pure—the gauges can display high-resolution maps, speedometer, state of charge, navigation information, outside temperature, and time, among other information. The cluster blends into the curving dash for a minimalist, clean look. Flanking the instrument cluster are surface buttons for lights, ride height, suspension stiffness, and traction control modes.

In Classic mode, a power meter replaces the traditional tachometer from gas-powered Porsches with a speed readout in the middle of the power circle. Map mode replaces the power meter with a high-resolution map, similar to current Porsche models that show maps along the sides of the binnacle. In Full Map mode, the instruments are replaced entirely by a digital map display. In Pure mode, the instrument cluster is pared down to speed, traffic signs, and arrows only for navigation information.

The 2020 Taycan Turbo costs $153,310, Turbo S costs $187,610. Lower cost models are expected after the Turbo and Turbo S Taycans arrive in U.S. dealerships in December.