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Porsche Taycan Turbo vs Turbo S: Price, performance, and specs compared
The Porsche Taycan Turbo and Turbo S are arguably the best non-Tesla electric cars on the market today. With their distinctly Mission E-esque design, their clean lines, and classic Porsche performance, the two vehicles have a very good chance of becoming one of the German carmaker’s most successful vehicles in its lineup today.
The Taycan Turbo and Turbo S represent the top end of Porsche’s electric vehicle line. While both are quick on their feet, the Turbo and Turbo S have their differences. Here is a quick look at a number of them.
Power and Torque
Both the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S are dual-motor AWD, and both are fitted with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) at the rear. The Turbo S boasts 750 hp with Launch Control, while the Turbo features 670 hp. Total maximum torque for the Turbo S also stands at 774 lb-ft, while the Turbo has 626 lb-ft of torque. The power-to-weight ratio for the Taycan Turbo S is 6.8 lbs/hp, while the non-S variant features 7.6 lbs/hp.
Brakes and Wheels
The differences between the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S are quite prominent in the vehicles’ wheels and brakes. The Taycan Turbo is equipped with Porsche Surface Coated Brakes (PSCB), while the Turbo S is fitted with Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB). Rotors for the Turbo is made of internally vented steel with tungsten carbide coating, while the Turbo S uses internally vented ceramic composite.
Calipers for the Taycan Turbo are white, while the Turbo S features yellow calipers. The Taycan Turbo S features 21″ Mission-E Design Wheels paired with large 420/410 rotors as well. In comparison, the Taycan Turbo features 20″ Taycan Turbo Aero Wheels as standard with 415/365 rotors. Interestingly, the colors of the Taycan Turbo S’s Mission E wheels could be matched with the color of the car.
Dimensions and Weight
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- September 4, 2019: World Premiere of all-electric Porsche Taycan with Niagra Falls as the backdrop (Photo: Sean Mitchell/Teslarati)
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- The Porsche Taycan. (Photo: Sean Mitchell/Teslarati)
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- Photography: Christoph Bauer Postproduction: Wagnerchic – www.wagnerchic.com
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- Photography: Christoph Bauer Postproduction: Wagnerchic – www.wagnerchic.com
The two vehicles look identical, and for the most part, they are. That being said, the Taycan Turbo S is wider at 84.4 inches, compared to the Turbo’s 77.4 inches. The Turbo is also a hair taller at 54.4 inches compared to the Turbo S’ 54.3 inches. The 6,327-lb Taycan Turbo S is lighter than the Turbo, which has a gross vehicle weight of 6,349 lbs.
Performance
Both the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S are incredibly quick vehicles, with the latter capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds compared to the former’s 3.0 seconds with Launch Control. Quarter-mile times for the Turbo is estimated at 11.1 seconds and 10.8 seconds for the Taycan Turbo S with Launch Control. Top speed for both vehicles stand at 161 mph.
Range
So far, Porsche has only shared the range estimates of the Taycan from the WLTP. The Taycan Turbo S has a 388–412 km (241-256 miles) range under the WLTP standard, while the Taycan Turbo has an estimated range of 381-450 km (236.74-279.61 miles) per charge under the WLTP. EPA range estimates are yet to be released.
Price
The Porsche Taycan is a premium electric car, and it is priced as such. The Taycan Turbo has an MSRP of $150,900 ($153,310 at launch), while the Taycan Turbo S commands a $185,000 MSRP ($187,610 at launch). These prices are notably high, though considering Porsche’s usual demographic, the Taycan has a very good chance of finding good traction among the crowd that embraces vehicles like the Panamera and the 911.
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Tesla Cybercab is using a unique strategy for picking up the correct rider, which is a crucial part of ride-hailing to ensure people end up in the right place and are charged the correct price.
Cybercab will utilize an RGB strip in its front light bar that will illuminate in a variety of different colors to mark itself.
This identifying mark will also appear in the Robotaxi app, giving riders in the same location a notable distinction in an effort to avoid any confusion regarding who should get in each vehicle.
🚨 Tesla is using different light bar colors to help riders understand which vehicle is theirs
Pretty cool strategy pic.twitter.com/eGMpEMeRpc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 27, 2026
Other ride-hailing services use similar strategies: Lyft and Uber rides are recognizable through driver identity, vehicle type and color, as well as license plate. Waymo will display the rider’s initials on top of the vehicle, letting them know that the specific vehicle for them has arrived.
Tesla’s strategy is unique and interesting, but there are some flaws. Cybercab’s main purpose is aimed toward being an autonomous ride for all, including those who have disabilities like being blind or even color blind.
Tesla will likely have something in the pipeline for those who cannot see colors or have limited vision. There will definitely be multiple ways to identify which vehicle is the one that “you” specifically ordered.
Cybercab is set to start giving public rides next Thursday, September 3, in Austin, as it announced a dedicated event last week and invited many members of the Tesla community.
Additionally, members of the public will be invited as well. Tesla has been offering employee rides in Cybercab for nearly two months.
Tesla has said goodbye to one customization option for its vehicles: the wrap service it launched several years ago.
After launching an in-house wrap service in August 2020 for the first time in China. In the U.S., it launched in October 2023. Tesla continued to expand the program and adjust it with better pricing and fewer options for the Cybertruck.
By December 2023, it was giving owners of the Model 3, Model Y, and the Cybertruck the opportunity to give their vehicle a fresh look with a vinyl wrap.
Tesla revamps in-house vinyl wrap service with better pricing
It was only available in five locations: Costa Mesa, Oceanside, Santa Clara, West Covina, all in California, and Seattle, Washington.
However, Tesla made some big adjustments to its shop, and the wrap service is officially gone:
Tesla has made a LOT of changes to its online shop recently — price increases, price cuts, new options, and several products being removed entirely.
Some of the biggest increases are wheel covers. 👀
📈 PRICE INCREASES
• 2017-2023 | Model 3 Aero Wheel Cover — Style: Refresh…— Phoenix Self-Driving 🐦🔥 (@PhoenixFSD) August 25, 2026
Wraps are very popular across the Tesla lineup, especially since the company offers relatively few colors. Many choose to wrap their Teslas with interesting colors, patterns, or even finishes, turning their cars from glossy to satin or matte.
However, Tesla’s wrap service was so limited geographically that it never really had a chance to get off the ground or compete with local shops. Every area in the United States is now overflowing with detailing shops, mobile detailers, and other automotive specialists, many of whom perform wrap services.
Tesla’s service was confined to the Pacific time zone and only spanned across two states. It was never going to be something Tesla was a major competitor in, nor was it going to disrupt the wrapping industry. Now that the program has ended, it seems pretty ideal to believe it was always going to be a short-term thing.
Along with the wrap service, Tesla removed several other products, but nothing too crazy. The Model 3 Door Pocket and Cupholder Liners, the Model S 19″ Magnetite Wheel and Winter Tire Package, Model X/Y Ski/Snowboard Carrier for Hitch Rack, Tesla’s Electric Summer Party Tee, and the Electric Summer Tee were the other items the company totally eliminated from its online shop.
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Tesla Robotaxi fleet gets a brain upgrade ahead of Cybercab launch event
Tesla’s Robotaxi service now runs longer hours nationwide as its unsupervised fleet quietly grows larger.
Tesla’s Robotaxi service just got easier to catch, with the company’s official Robotaxi account noting that rides are now available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, across its operating footprint. The account also said its unsupervised fleet is “a lot bigger” than before, though without specifics. The bigger change is what Tesla says upgraded intelligence in vehicle distribution and routing is what’s actually cutting wait times, not a new Full Self-Driving version.
While Tesla did not name the team behind the upgrade, the language points to its AI and fleet software group rather than the driving stack itself. Vehicle distribution and routing in Robotaxi has functioned mostly as a dispatch problem with the software deciding which idle car goes to which rider, and how far it has to travel to get there. “Upgraded intelligence” suggests a smarter version of that dispatch logic, likely using demand forecasting to position idle cars near where riders are about to request them rather than reacting once a request comes in. Tesla’s AI division has built similar prediction systems for other parts of the business, including the neural networks that power FSD itself, so applying that same approach to fleet logistics would be a natural extension rather than a new discipline for the team.
Robotaxi now runs 6am to 10pm, 7 days/week
Unsupervised fleet is a lot bigger
Also, upgraded intelligence in vehicle distribution & routing means you wait less pic.twitter.com/UFZ4bqg2dZ
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) August 26, 2026
Tesla is also about a week away from a separate robotaxi milestone. The company plans to launch Cybercab, its purpose built two seat robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, in Austin on September 3. Cybercab has been giving employees rides on public and private roads for weeks, and the September event is expected to fold those vehicles into the existing Robotaxi fleet within days of the launch.
Thank you so much @Tesla for inviting us to the Cybercab launch in Austin! 🤠 pic.twitter.com/F1rAR8zd5O
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 22, 2026
Austin previously ran Robotaxi from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. as of last September, a schedule set before the service expanded into Dallas, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and the Bay Area. Wednesday’s post did not specify whether that extended overnight window still applies in Austin specifically or whether 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. is now the standard across every market. Tesla’s post, visible on its official Robotaxi account, framed the change simply as fewer riders waiting around for a car.
Whether the wider hours hold once Cybercab enters the fleet next week is the next thing worth watching. Tesla has tended to expand Robotaxi in increments, first geofence, then hours, then fleet size, and each step so far has arrived without much advance notice.
Tesla Cybercab uses a unique strategy for picking up the right rider
Tesla ends in-house wrap service that always seemed like a short-term program
