Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2019-2020)

The Porsche Taycan costs £5,850 more than the Tesla Model S. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Tesla Model S is not just cheaper - it also offers 39 miles more WLTP range, 338 litres more boot space and 1 more seat (5 versus 4). On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Porsche Taycan comes out ahead overall.

The Tesla Model S is £5,850 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Tesla Model S comes out roughly £5,730 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 306 miles for the Porsche Taycan and 280 miles for the Tesla Model S - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Porsche Taycan goes roughly 26 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 18 minutes in the Porsche Taycan and 30 in the Tesla Model S, so the Porsche Taycan loses less time at each stop. That makes the Porsche Taycan the stronger long-distance car.

The two are within 2 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 436 mm of total clearance for the Tesla Model S and about 434 mm of total clearance for the Porsche Taycan.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Porsche Taycan and 84% for the Tesla Model S. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.