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Porsche Taycan win against Tesla Model S is suspicious, says veteran drag racer
Just recently, motoring publication Top Gear posted a video comparing the Porsche Taycan Turbo S to the Tesla Model S Performance. The publication featured a drag race between the two vehicles which ended with the Taycan taking the win from the Model S. The quarter-mile race seemed to be a clean win for the Porsche, but according to a veteran drag racer, there are some aspects of the race that were, to say the least, suspicious.
Brooks of DragTimes has extensive experience on the drag strip, being the owner of vehicles like the McLaren 720S and the new Ford GT. With a garage filled with high-performance cars and innumerable straight-line races under his belt, Brooks knows a thing or two about drag racing. His experiences with his Model S P100D also make him a veteran Tesla owner who knows all the quirks of the all-electric sedan inside out when launching from a straight line.
With this in mind, the veteran drag racer noted that there seems to be several things that are wrong about the results of Top Gear‘s quarter-mile race between the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the Tesla Model S Performance. The motoring publication listed the Model S’ 0-60 mph time at 2.68 seconds, its 0-100 mph at 6.46 seconds, and its quarter-mile time at 11.08 seconds at 124.0 mph. The DragTimes host noted that this immediately rings some alarm bells, as the Model S Performance is known to clock 10.6-second quarter-mile times regularly.
But it gets stranger. Looking at the figures listed by Top Gear after the two vehicles’ drag race, it appears that the publication basically copy-pasted the exact same performance figures of the Model S from a race against a Mercedes AMG E63S from 2017. This, according to Brooks, is highly suspicious, since the chances of a vehicle having the exact same 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, quarter-mile time, and trap speed in two different drag races are incredibly thin.
Apart from this, the DragTimes host argued that the Model S which raced against the Taycan Turbo S did not seem to be in Launch Mode. This is because the Model S squats when Launch Mode is engaged, something that did not seem to happen in Top Gear‘s video. The motoring publication did not seem to engage the full capabilities of Ludicrous Plus Mode as well, as the graphics on the vehicle’s MCU and instrument cluster do not feature the same settings as a Model S with its maximum performance enabled.
Top Gear noted that the Porsche Taycan Turbo S completed the quarter-mile in 10.69 seconds, which is 0.39 seconds faster than the Model S’ 11.08-second quarter-mile time. Brooks noted that in drag races, a 0.39-second gap would usually correspond to about four car lengths. This is pretty odd since in the Top Gear video, the Taycan Turbo S was only one car length ahead of the Model S Performance when it crossed the quarter-mile mark.
If the DragTimes host’s observations are correct, then it means that Top Gear misrepresented the Tesla Model S in its recent comparative video against the Porsche Taycan Turbo S. This is unfortunate, as the two vehicles are actually neck-in-neck, and they do feature quarter-mile performance that can make an exciting drag race. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is a great vehicle too, and its two-speed gearbox will likely give it an advantage over the Tesla Model S Performance at high speeds.
Simply put, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S is a worthy competitor that has the potential to win against a Raven Tesla Model S Performance with Launch Mode and Ludicrous Plus fair and square. Misrepresentations, whether intentional or not, only do Porsche an injustice. The Model S deserves better, and the Taycan Turbo S does too.
Watch Brook’s breakdown of Top Gear‘s Porsche Taycan Turbo S vs Tesla Model S Performance drag race in the video below.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y continued to overwhelmingly dominate the United States’ electric vehicle market in 2025. New sales data showed that Tesla’s two mass market cars maintained a commanding segment share, with the Model 3 posting year-to-date growth and the Model Y remaining resilient despite factory shutdowns tied to its refresh.
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Model 3 and Model Y are still dominant
According to the report, Tesla delivered an estimated 192,440 Model 3 sedans in the United States in 2025, representing a 1.3% year-to-date increase compared to 2024. The Model 3 alone accounted for 15.9% of all U.S. EV sales, making it one of the highest-volume electric vehicles in the country.
The Model Y was even more dominant. U.S. deliveries of the all-electric crossover reached 357,528 units in 2025, a 4.0% year-to-date decline from the prior year. It should be noted, however, that the drop came during a year that included production shutdowns at Tesla’s Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas as the company transitioned to the new Model Y. Even with those disruptions, the Model Y captured an overwhelming 39.5% share of the market, far surpassing any single competitor.
Combined, the Model 3 and Model Y represented more than half of all EVs sold in the United States during 2025, highlighting Tesla’s iron grip on the country’s mass-market EV segment.
Tesla’s challenges in 2025
Tesla’s sustained performance came amid a year of elevated public and political controversy surrounding Elon Musk, whose political activities in the first half of the year ended up fueling a narrative that the CEO’s actions are damaging the automaker’s consumer appeal. However, U.S. sales data suggest that demand for Tesla’s core vehicles has remained remarkably resilient.
Based on Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report, Tesla’s most expensive offerings such as the Tesla Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X, all saw steep declines in 2025. This suggests that mainstream EV buyers might have had a price issue with Tesla’s more expensive offerings, not an Elon Musk issue.
Ultimately, despite broader EV market softness, with total U.S. EV sales slipping about 2% year-to-date, Tesla still accounted for 58.9% of all EV deliveries in 2025, according to the report. This means that out of every ten EVs sold in the United States in 2025, more than half of them were Teslas.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y earn Euro NCAP Best in Class safety awards
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Tesla won dual categories in the Euro NCAP Best in Class awards, with the Model 3 being named the safest Large Family Car and the Model Y being recognized as the safest Small SUV.
The feat was highlighted by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
Model 3 and Model Y lead their respective segments
As per a press release from the Euro NCAP, the organization’s Best in Class designation is based on a weighted assessment of four key areas: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles that achieved a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and were evaluated with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award.
Euro NCAP noted that the updated Tesla Model 3 performed particularly well in Child Occupant protection, while its Safety Assist score reflected Tesla’s ongoing improvements to driver-assistance systems. The Model Y similarly stood out in Child Occupant protection and Safety Assist, reinforcing Tesla’s dual-category win.
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Euro NCAP leadership shares insights
Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen said the organization’s Best in Class awards are designed to help consumers identify the safest vehicles over the past year.
Van Ratingen noted that 2025 was Euro NCAP’s busiest year to date, with more vehicles tested than ever before, amid a growing variety of electric cars and increasingly sophisticated safety systems. While the Mercedes-Benz CLA ultimately earned the title of Best Performer of 2025, he emphasized that Tesla finished only fractionally behind in the overall rankings.
“It was a close-run competition,” van Ratingen said. “Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car.”
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Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the upcoming update in a post on social media platform X.
Tesla will be ending one-time purchases of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system after Valentine’s Day, transitioning the feature to a monthly subscription-only model.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the upcoming update in a post on social media platform X.
No more FSD one-time purchases
As per Elon Musk in his post on X, “Tesla will stop selling FSD after Feb 14. FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter.” This marks a shift in how Tesla monetizes its FSD system, which can now be purchased for a one-time fee or accessed through a monthly subscription.
FSD’s subscription model has been $99 per month in the United States, while its one-time purchase option is currently priced at $8,000. FSD’s one-time purchase price has swung wildly in recent years, reaching $15,000 in September 2022. At the time, FSD was proficient, but its performance was not on par with v14. This made its $15,000 upfront price a hard sell for consumers.
Tesla’s move to a subscription-only model could then streamline how the company sells FSD. It also lowers the entry price for the system, as even price-conscious drivers would likely be able to justify FSD’s $99 monthly subscription cost during periods when long-distance travel is prevalent, like the holidays.
Musk’s compensation plan and FSD subscription targets
Tesla’s shift to a subscription-only FSD model comes amidst Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, which was approved by Tesla shareholders at the 2025 Annual Shareholders Meeting with roughly 75% support. Under the long-term compensation plan, Musk must achieve a series of ambitious operational milestones, including 10 million active FSD subscriptions, over the next decade for his stock awards to vest.
The 2025 CEO Performance Award’s structure ties Musk’s potential compensation to Tesla’s aggressive targets that span market capitalization, vehicle deliveries, robotics, and software adoption. Apart from his 10-million active FSD subscription target, Musk’s compensation is also tied to Tesla producing 20 million vehicles cumulatively, delivering 1 million Tesla bots, and having 1 million Robotaxis in operation. He must also lead Tesla to a market cap of $8.5 trillion.
If successful, Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award could make him the world’s first trillionaire. It could also help Tesla become the world’s most valuable company by market cap by a notable margin.
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y earn Euro NCAP Best in Class safety awards
