This Test Proves That The Porsche Taycan Is The Best Road-Trip EV

You may think that the best EV for a road trip is the one with the longest range. But it's not that simple, as this new test shows.

Porsche Taycan Range and Charging test

Photo by: Out of Spec Reviews (YouTube)

Mack Hogan

By: Mack Hogan

Oct 22, 2024 at 4:00pm ET

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When we talk about road trips in EVs, most readers and buyers hyper-fixate on range.
This new test of the 2025 Porsche Taycan shows why charging speed is just as important, allowing you to go further off of 15-minute, normal pit stops.
The 2025 Porsche Taycan posts the best result ever in this fantastic test from Out Of Spec.

With 318 miles of EPA-rated range, the 2025 Porsche Taycan base model with the "Performance Battery Plus" isn't a range king. It has the most range of any Taycan, but EVs from Tesla, Lucid, Chevy, GMC, Hyundai, Rivian and others all post better numbers on the EPA cycle. If you want great EV for road trips, though, the 2025 Porsche Taycan should still be at the top of your list. Out Of Spec explains in their latest video. Based on our charging test, we're not surprised.

While many of you probably think of range as the chief factor for a road-trip EV, how quickly you can replenish that range matters just as much. While a Chevy or Tesla may be able to go over 400 miles on a charge, it'll take over a half hour for them to get from 10-80%, meaning your stops will be longer. On the Taycan, that isn't an issue. Kyle from Out Of Spec notes that his long-term, RWD, base Taycan tester with the bigger battery has consistently pulled over 320-kW speeds on most charging stops. It'll hold around 300-kW speeds until about 65%.

That's a higher rate than most EVs can handle at their peak, and the Taycan holds that speed until long after most EVs have started ramping down their charging speeds. All EVs slow down charging considerably as you approach 100%, but the best EVs can sustain higher charging speeds for more of their charging curve.

To factor that in, Out Of Spec runs a 10% test to judge real-world road-trip capability. They plug in at 10%, charge the car for exactly 15 minutes—about as long as an average stop on the road—and then set off at 80 mph. When the car clicks back to 10%, they call it done, showing how far you can truly expect to go between 15-minute stops.

On this test, nothing beats a Taycan. The all-wheel-drive Taycan wagon was already number one in this test, beating out the longer-range Lucid Air Grand Touring because of its better charging performance. But the rear-wheel-drive model does even better. The car goes from 10% to 77% in just 15 minutes, with an average charging speed of over 280 kW.

Tested: The 2025 Porsche Taycan Charges From 8% To 80% In Just 16 Minutes

2023 Porsche Taycan RWD: InsideEVs 70 MPH Range Test

Lucid Air Grand Touring Highway Range Test: Nothing Beats This

With a 77% state of charge, Ryan from Out Of Spec is able to go 193 miles before the Taycan ticks back to 10%. That means you get nearly 2.5 hours of continous 80-mph highway driving between 15-minute stops, which is about the pace I go in a gas car. Drive for two to three hours, stop for a pee. Drive for two to three hours, grab some food. Rinse, repeat.

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The Lucid Air Grand Touring managed 155 miles in the same test. The next-best car, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE, went 141 miles. A brand new Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD can do about 130 miles. All three of those results are near the top of the field, but only the Taycan would give me enough wiggle room to truly not sweat my charging stops. The technology to make EVs that charge fast enough and go far enough exists. The next hurdle is just getting more 350-kW chargers deployed and, hopefully, eventually, making SUVs and trucks that can approach these figures. For now, though, if you want to road trip your EV, the Taycan is your best bet. Just make sure your route has the right chargers.

Contact the author: Mack.hogan@insideevs.com.

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