One of the great things about Porsche is it’s not afraid to reinvent itself. We first saw this in 2003 when it introduced the Cayenne, a (gasp) SUV, into its sports car lineup. It happened again in 2010 when it brought the Panamera sedan to market. The Taycan is just another example of the performance brand breaking new ground. It was Porsche’s first all-electric vehicle and helped to prove that EVs don’t have to be bland.
Engineered around Porsche’s performance priorities, the Taycan was introduced for the 2020 model year and offered sports car handling, braking, and performance. Combine that with 800-volt electrical architecture and the ability to charge from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes, and it's an interesting option for enthusiasts who want to dip their toes into electrification. The downside is that the original models topped out at 323 kilometres of range, and even in 2027 the maximum range is still only 510 km.
The Taycan has both sedan and wagon body styles, though the wagon was discontinued after the 2026 model year and sits in the midsize luxury segment. Primary competitors include the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S, and Audi e-tron GT with which it shares a platform. The Taycan and e-tron got the short end of the stick on range, though, as the Air gets up to 837 kilometres and the Model S promises up to 660 kilometres.
Porsche Taycan buyers will value the brand and the car’s sporty handling over everything else. It will likely also be a second (or third or fourth) car, so range is arguably less of a consideration and owners will likely be able to charge at home.
Porsche Taycan Buying Guide: Cost, Reliability, and the Best Years to Buy
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Porsche Taycan years are the best?
The best years are the 2025 and 2026 models as there was a midcycle refresh in 2025 bringing more range and more power. These two model years also have the least amount of consumer complaints and recalls according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. Though it’s pre-refresh, the 2024 model is also a good year to buy with a lot of the earlier software glitches having been worked out. This model year is the first one that drops consumer complaints into the single digits.
Which Porsche Taycan years are the worst?
By far, the worst year to buy is the initial 2020 model. It has the highest number of consumer complaints over any other model year according to the NHTSA website, several of which relate to the vehicle stopping suddenly without warning or going into limp mode. In general, this model year has more reports of software bugs, infotainment freezes, and 12-volt battery drainage than any other. The 2021 and 2022 model years also experience a relatively high level of complaints, and the 2021 model year has 21 recalls—more than any other Taycan.
Is a used Porsche Taycan a good deal?
Strictly from a new versus used pricing perspective, the Taycan can be a very good deal. Take for example the 2023 model, which had original MSRPs ranging from about $125,000 to $220,000. The average price now for a used 2023 model according to CarGurus.ca pricing trends is about $95,000 to $120,000. However, competitors such as the Audi e-tron GT ($80,000 for 2023) and Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ ($60,000 for 2023) cost significantly less. Plus, while a used Taycan will cost less than a gasoline Porsche to maintain, with a high number of recalls and complaints in the early years and overall Porsche parts pricing, the potential for expensive repairs is high.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Multiple body styles
- Fun to drive
- Comfortable
Cons:
- Range is merely average
- More expensive than rivals
- Lack of buttons and dials
Porsche Taycan Generations
Porsche Taycan First Generation (2020-Present)
When Porsche introduced the Taycan for the 2020 model year, it marked the brand’s first foray into electric vehicles. It entered the scene with an 800-volt electrical system that allowed for high DC fast-charging speeds, a two-speed transmission, and the dynamic handling expected of a Porsche. In effect, it proved that sports cars could be electric.
In its launch year, the Taycan had just three trims: 4S, Turbo, and Turbo S. The Turbo and Turbo S hit dealers first with the 4S and its lower price point arriving later. The Taycan was dual-motor all-wheel-drive only for that first year and came standard with features such as dual-zone climate controls, heated front seats, partial leather seating surfaces, adaptive air suspension, navigation, a 10-speaker audio system, and Apple CarPlay. Curiously, Android Auto wasn’t available in the Taycan until the 2022 model year. Available features on the 2020 model included a full leather interior, larger wheels, rear-axle steering, and a premium Burmester audio system.
If safety features are a priority, buyers will want to pay attention to the features list of individual vehicles. The likes of automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist are standard, but adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring, for example, are not. It’s also worth noting that neither the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have ever crash tested any version of the Taycan, but that's not unusual for an expensive prestige car.
The only battery available at launch was the 93.4-kWh Performance Plus battery pack, which produced three different power outputs and range estimates depending on the trim. The 4S got the lowest power but the best range with 563 horsepower and 327 kilometres. The Turbo delivered 670 horsepower and got 323 km of range, and the top-tier Turbo S delivered up to 750 horsepower and 309 km of range.
Though the base 79.2-kWh battery pack was supposed to arrive on 2020 models, it didn’t make its way to North America until the 2021 model year. Also in 2021, the Taycan lineup grew (literally and figuratively), adding the Cross Turismo wagon body style with four trims: 4, 4S, Turbo, and Turbo S. The 2021 models also added an available colour head-up display, Smartlift functionality to the adaptive air suspension, and additional colour options.
In 2022, the Porsche Taycan lineup expanded again, adding the Taycan GTS sedan with up to 396 km of range as well as the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo wagon with 375 km. While the Sport Turismo looked like the Cross Turismo with a hatchback, it had a lower road-focused suspension and the ride height of a sedan. Other changes included available remote park assist, an infotainment update that added Android Auto, and improved thermal management and charging functions.
Though the trim lineup didn't change for 2023, Porsche rolled out a significant software update that improved efficiency and charging performance, increased range across the lineup, enabled front-motor decoupling, added over-the-air (OTA) update capability, and allowed for wireless Android Auto. The base 4 Cross Turismo trim was dropped for Canada going into this model year.
The 2024 model year was essentially a carryover, leading into the midcycle refresh for 2025. That included an updated rear motor, larger battery packs, a new heat pump, increased DC fast charging speeds, standard adaptive air suspension across all models, revised front and rear lighting signatures, and an updated user interface. The biggest news for this refresh, however, was the addition of the Turbo GT model that produced up to 1,019 horsepower with Launch Control. This trim also came with an available Weissach Package that deleted the rear seats, focused on track performance, and delivered a 0 to 100 km/h time of 2.2 seconds. For range rather than outright speed, the Taycan 4S with the Performance Battery Plus got a range upgrade to 475 km.
After the midcycle refresh, the 2026 model year saw only minor changes with infotainment updates and the addition of a Black Edition package. The 2027 model year, however, again saw some significant changes with the addition of North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge ports, a new 105-kWh standard battery pack, available E-Shift with virtual gear changes, and new infotainment software. The Sport Turismo and most Cross Turismo trims were dropped for this model year, leaving only the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo available in Canada.
Buyers should perform a VIN check to ensure all recalls have been properly addressed as the Porsche Taycan has several known issues. Perhaps the biggest are problems with the high-voltage battery affecting 2020 through 2024 models. Individual battery modules could develop an internal short circuit resulting in a fire, and the solution was to replace the affected modules. Another known issue involved the 12-volt battery sensor, which meant the Taycan wouldn't start after being parked for an extended period of time. This affects 2020 through 2026 models, and the fix is a software update.
Less catastrophic but still significant were the various technical service bulletins regarding fast charging as well as charging at home. The 2020 models had problems charging with the supplied charger from a 120-volt outlet when the current setting was too low.
Another known issue, followed by a recall, was with the brake boosters on 2020 to 2021 Taycans. The brake booster pressure-input rod may not have been connected correctly and could disable the brake pedal. Other known issues include rear-view camera software issues (2025), leaking front brake hoses (2022 to 2024), and regenerative braking software problems (2020 to 2024).
The average price of a used Porsche Taycan in Canada was roughly $99,000 at the time of writing. The 2020 to 2021 models have average prices ranging from about $60,000 to $80,000, which makes sense since these are the two model years we’d be most cautious about due to recalls and known issues. There's a bit of a leap for 2022 to 2023 models, which average about $80,000 to $120,000. But the biggest increase is for the 2024 model — the last year before the midcycle refresh — which averages about $115,000, while 2025 cars average around $140,000.
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