Porsche's switch to electric goes up a gear: German sports car brand unveils new Macan EV - it's first battery SUV

Porsche’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) have gone up a gear this week with the official unveiling of the new Macan which will be sold exclusively with battery power.

While the existing Macan with petrol engines remain in showrooms for the next two year, from 2026 customers will only be able to buy this second-generation electric model.

Two versions are already available to order, with the longest-range option promising up to 381 miles of non-stop driving on a single charge – that’s enough to get from London to the Scottish Borders without pulling over.

Here’s how much they’ll cost from launch…

Porsche’s first electric SUV: The German sports car maker has unveiled its new Macan, which is exclusively battery powered as part of the brand’s transition away from combustion engines

The all-new electric arrival from the Stuttgart sport car maker will go head-to-head with other battery-powered luxury compact SUVs – think the Audi Q4 e-tron, Polestar 4 and Volvo C40.

However, expect the Macan to have the performance edge in the sector, with both drivetrains on sale from the get go offering four-wheel drive and in excess of 400bhp.

In fact, Porsche itself says the Macan has been developed to be the raciest of them all, with Jörg Kerner, vice-president of the Macan product line, stating: ‘Our aim is to offer the sportiest model in its segment.

‘Thanks to its lower centre of gravity as well as its steering precision, it delivers a real sports car feeling.’

However, the battery-powered SUV is about more than silently blowing the competition out of the water in a drag race.

The Macan will lay the ‘engineering foundations for other future electric models from Porsche’, Kerner says – so consider it a very big deal for the brand indeed.

Being one of Porsche’s biggest sellers, the Macan will be central to Porsche’s plans to phase out combustion engines and usher in a battery future that will see 80 per cent of its global sales shift to electric by the end of this decade – it predicts.

Both electric Macans boast a 95kWh battery.

The battery pack can be charged at up to 270kW on an 800V DC system, which should see a 10 to 80 per cent top-up completed in just 21 minutes.

Two versions are already available to order in the UK: the Macan 4 (left) starting from £69,800 and Macan Turbo (right), which costs £95,000

Both electric Macans boast a 95kWh battery. The battery pack can be charged at up to 270kW on an 800V DC system, which should see a 10 to 80 per cent top-up completed in just 21 minutes

The entry model is the Macan 4 and starts from £69,800.

Given the base-price Macan petrol kicks off from £53,400, the stereotypical EV premium very much lives on in the eyes of the German maker. To put it into perspective, the £16,400 gulf in cost could buy you a brand new Toyota Aygo X!

READ MORE: EVs with the longest range revealed

The Macan 4 boasts 402bhp, can accelerate to 62mph from a standing start in 5.1 seconds and has a limited top speed of 137mph.

Its more modest power output means it is the rangier of the two variants, offering up to 381 miles.

The Macan Turbo beefs things up with a massive 630bhp for short periods of overboost thanks to a bigger e-motor setup.

Costing £95,000 at launch, it is almost £25,000 pricier than the range-topping Macan petrol (Macan GTS).

The more potent electric Macan can top 62mph in 3.3 seconds and the limiter has been electronically would up to 162mph.

It also means the latter is a whopping 196bhp more than the most powerful petrol Macan in showrooms currently, though the range is down slightly on the Macan 4 with just 367 miles.

Speaking of the combustion-engine Macan – of which there is no longer a diesel variant sold – this will remain in dealers throughout 2024 and 2025, Porsche UK said, but will eventually be superseded by this next-generation car the following year.

Given the base-price Macan petrol kicks off from £53,400, the stereotypical EV premium very much lives on in the eyes of the German maker. To put it into perspective, the £16,400 gulf in cost between the cheapest Macan petrol and Macan 4 EV is more than a new Toyota Aygo X!

The more potent electric Macan Turbo can top 62mph in 3.3 seconds and the limiter has been electronically would up to 162mph

Inside, there are three digital displays – a 12.6-inch curved instrument cluster, 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen and an optional 10.9-inch touch display for the other person sat up front

The Macan Turbo packs a whopping 196bhp more than the most powerful petrol Macan in showrooms currently, though the range is down slightly on the Macan 4 with just 367 miles

At 4,784mm long, 1,938mm wide and 1,622mm tall, the new electric SUV is 103mm longer, 15mm wider and 2mm lower than the Macan we’ve come to know for the last decade.

The wheelbase is also 86mm longer at 2,893mm, which – in theory – should mean more interior space.

Further back, the boot – at 540 litres – is 43 litres bigger than the petrol Macan provides. And there’s also an 84-litre ‘frunk’ (front trunk) in the void left by the combustion engine.

Inside, there are three digital displays – a 12.6-inch curved instrument cluster, 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen and an optional 10.9-inch touch display for the other person sat up front.

That latter gives a passenger the freedom to stream videos and adjust various controls.

You can order a new electric Macan today – but it won’t arrive for a while! Production at the Leipzig factory in Germany doesn’t start until later in the year

At 4,784mm long, 1,938mm wide and 1,622mm tall, the new electric SUV is 103mm longer, 15mm wider and 2mm lower than the Macan we’ve come to know for the last decade

That passenger screen give your friends and family the freedom to stream videos and adjust various controls

So, when can you expect to get your hands on your freshly-ordered Macan?

Not for some time, it seems.

Production at the Leipzig factory in Germany – where the petrol Macan, Cayenne and Panamera are all built – doesn’t start until later in the year.

Patience will have to be a virtue for customers, though given the near-limitless list of options, it should provide buyers plenty of time to tinker with Porsche’s configurator to get the electric Macan to their exacting specification.