2025 Porsche Taycan First Drive: Small Changes Yield Big Improvements

• The Taycan is refreshed for 2025.
• Modest styling changes hide significant technology updates.
• More power and updated suspension enhance the already superb driving dynamics.
• Faster charging and the promise of longer driving range enhance the Taycan's all-round appeal.

A subtle trip to the cosmetic surgeon

The Taycan has never been bereft of beauty so Porsche has done well not to meddle too much. You’ll have to be a committed Taycan spotter to notice the revised headlights that are designed to accentuate the car’s width for a more athletic stance. At the rear, the company's logo is now three-dimensional and can be illuminated if you need to tell the world you drive a Porsche at night. 

Both the sedan and the wagon-like Cross Turismo body styles continue as before, with the latter now available with an off-road package that suggests a modicum of all-terrain ability. The GTS Sport Turismo (effectively a Cross Turismo without the off-road pretensions) is currently missing from the revised lineup but we expect it to reappear in due course. The new Turbo GT flagship is only available as a sedan.

More performance as standard

One criticism of the outgoing Taycan was the subdued performance of the $90,000 base model. Put simply, it never quite delivered on the promise of the styling or the Porsche badge. The critique was clearly not lost on the engineers in Germany, who responded with a whole raft of updates, including a new rear electric motor, more powerful batteries and revised software. 

The net result is significant performance improvements across the range. The entry-level Taycan now has 402 horsepower, 81 more hp than before. This, says Porsche, is enough to get the car from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, a 0.6-second improvement compared to last year. More importantly, the Taycan feels much quicker in real-world driving, too. By the lofty standards of modern EVs, it’s still not mesmerizingly rapid, but it at least feels appropriately sporting. 

For those who want more of a full-fat Porsche experience, the dual-motor Taycan 4S is still the sweet spot of the range, boasting enhanced performance (0-60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds) with the benefits of all-wheel drive. The Turbo and the 938-hp Turbo S models are brutally quick and undeniably entertaining, but unless you’re overburdened with cash, it’s questionable whether the gains justify a dramatic increase in cost.  

Even in its standard form, the Taycan remains the most satisfying EV to drive. The steering is beautifully precise and all the controls have a reassuring weight and positivity. Air suspension is now standard on every Taycan. If you opt for an all-wheel-drive model with the larger battery pack (Performance Battery Plus), you can also specify Porsche Active Ride. The basic premise of this hugely sophisticated system is to keep the car’s body level at all times. It works exceptionally well, enhancing the Taycan’s already impressive ability to blend low-speed ride comfort with impressive control at higher velocities. Whether it’s worth an additional $7,140, though, is open to debate. 

Porsche has also continued to resist the temptation to introduce one-pedal driving in the Taycan. In contrast with most EVs, where lifting off the accelerator is enough to slow the car to a halt, the Taycan asks the driver to use the brake pedal. The engineers believe it delivers a purer, more consistent driving experience and it certainly feels in keeping with the car’s character.

The Taycan’s on a (faster) charge

As the results of the Edmunds EV Charging Test show, the Taycan is capable of replenishing its supply of electrons at a very good pace. For 2025, Porsche has seen fit to overhaul the Taycan’s battery and charging technology to make it even faster.

The larger Performance Battery Plus option now packs a gross capacity of 105 kWh and a usable capacity of 97 kWh (increased from last year's 93 kWh and 83.7 kWh, respectively). Peak charging is now 320 kW (50 kW more than the old Taycan). Porsche says the Taycan can sustain higher charge rates for longer periods and at cooler temperatures (which means battery life might get better, too). We look forward to verifying these claims.

What about the EV range?

The EPA has not disclosed 2025 Taycan information, but Porsche expects greater range, and we do, too. The current model is notable for having unimpressive on-paper range figures, but we greatly exceeded Taycan range estimates in our real-world Edmunds EV Range Test. A change in EPA testing procedures and cooling upgrades should net more positive range numbers, as evidenced by our unofficial range test of a 2025 Taycan prototype.

How’s the cabin?

Rather like the exterior, the cabin of the updated Taycan is almost indistinguishable from the older car. It’s aging gracefully, the build quality is peerless, and it feels expensive, as it should. Front seat passengers are well catered for, but those in the rear fare less well. There’s significantly less legroom than you’ll find in the Tesla Model S and Lucid Air, for example. This can be alleviated somewhat by choosing the Cross Turismo model, which also benefits from improved luggage capacity.

The only changes of note relate to the standard equipment, which has been made more generous. New gadgets include a heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, power-folding mirrors, a more powerful wireless charging pad for your phone, and a steering-wheel-mounted drive mode switch (which used to come as part of the Sport Chrono pack). Lastly, Apple CarPlay has been more thoroughly integrated into the Taycan's system — for more about that, check out our deep dive here. 

This being Porsche, you can also spec your Taycan with a huge range of options designed to enhance both comfort and performance. Playing with the online configurator is fun, but hazardous for the bank balance.

Edmunds says

We’re looking forward to getting a test vehicle in the U.S. to put it through our full testing process, but our first drive experience in Spain showed real promise. It might not look very different, but the 2025 Taycan represents a significant step forward compared with its already impressive predecessor. If you’re considering buying an existing Taycan, we’d strongly recommend waiting for this update.