Porsche’s entrance into the electric vehicle market, the Taycan, was received with great fanfare. Adding battery power into the company’s most popular model, the Macan, feels like a natural progression of the company’s EV plans. We’ve already driven the range-topping Macan Electric Turbo, but now we’ve also experienced the basic model in the family, the entry-level Macan Electric RWD, testing it out in southern Germany. Happily, the slowest Macan EV stays true to its Porsche roots, even if the powertrain doesn’t knock your socks off.
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The Lowdown
The Macan Electric range is building to the point where it will completely replace the previous-generation internal combustion Macan, which is still being sold alongside it. The entry-level, rear-wheel-drive Macan Electric is being added to the lineup for the 2025 model year beneath the 4, 4S and Turbo. While lacking the traction of all-wheel drive, the RWD version offers a more affordable path to Macan Electric ownership — but it is still more than $12,000 pricier than the base ICE version.
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Vehicle Tested: 2025 Porsche Macan Electric
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Base Price: $77,295
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Price as tested: $TBA
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Location: Stuttgart, Germany
More Specs
Powertrain: single motor, rear-wheel drive
Power: XXX hp (system peak – include overboost or other unlocked functions)
Torque: XXX lb-ft (system peak)
0-60 mph:
Battery capacity: ideally quote both total and usable
Weight: XXX pounds
EPA range: XXX miles (if provisional, unconfirmed or targeted just put “(estimate)” after it.
How Does It Drive?
With the introduction of a base model to the Macan Electric lineup, the delta in performance between the bottom end and the top of the line has become staggering. While the rear-driver makes a healthy 355 horsepower, the Turbo makes 576 hp. That said, their range numbers only differ marginally, with the RWD claiming 315 miles and the Turbo 288. All Macan Electric models are powered by the same 100-kWh battery and built on the VW Group’s relatively new Premium Electric platform.
The result of this shared heritage is that driving differences are felt primarily in the power delivery. The base Macan Electric definitely feels like a poor relation compared to its more potent siblings, despite its headline power figure and ability to deliver 415 lb-ft of peak torque.
The RWD lacks the ability to push its driver forcefully back into the seat during a hard launch, a sensation you might reasonably expect any electric Porsche to deliver. This could partially be due to a taller ratio for its single-speed transmission versus the rest of the range, one that improves efficiency but also contributes to an official 5.4-second 0-to-60-mph time. That just isn’t quick by modern EV standards.
Despite that, Porsche deserves praise for the linearity of its accelerator response, feeding power to the rear wheels in seemingly perfect correlation to the pedal position — an attribute that definitely isn’t shared with all electric competitors. It’ll chirp its rear tires under hard acceleration from standstill but only with the traction control turned off.
The Macan EV might be the slowest of the company’s electric cars, but its Porsche-born attributes are readily apparent. The steering is well-weighted for every speed, surface, and drive mode. Turn-in is rapid, and the responses linear. Even on a derestricted section of German autobahn, the front end felt unaffected by lift as speeds rose well beyond what would have been legal in the U.S. With a drag coefficient of 0.25 and self-leveling active air suspension (standard on all Macan Electric variants in the States), the RWD Macan felt entirely comfortable doing big velocities.
The addition of rear-wheel steering on my test car (set to be a $2030 option) enhanced agility even further, both in low-speed maneuvering and in tight corners. The braking system works well at combining regeneration and friction seamlessly. Porsche doesn’t offer a one-pedal drive mode, nor does it allow much adjustment of regeneration levels, but the company’s engineers have done a fine job in making it feel natural. The brakes in my test car possessed the linear pedal feel and forceful bite that Porsche is known for.
What’s It Like To Live With?
The Macan Electric’s cabin feels like a substantial upgrade over that of its gasoline-powered sibling, which is no surprise, given the ICE version is a heavy facelift of a car that was launched a decade ago. The new car has more technology and an improved sense of solidity, which is apparent even when doing something as simple as operating a window switch.
The Macan RWD might be the entry-level model, but buyers still have myriad choices when it comes to trim colors and extra equipment — although indulging in many of them will quickly move the RWD well beyond the base price of its quicker siblings. Even if you don’t tick a single box, it’s a classy, well-finished place to be.
Two screens come as standard: a 12.6-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen in the center of the dashboard. It’s also possible to add another 10.9-inch screen as a display for the front passenger (a $1570 option) and an augmented-reality head-up display for an extra $2530. The user interface features swift responses, crisp graphics, and intuitive menu construction, but I loved the passenger’s screen’s ability to control music and navigation, transferring such duties to the non-driving partner.
Climate control is managed by a panel that combines a digital display with analog control switches, the best of both worlds in terms of usability. And you’ve got to love an EV that still gives features a volume knob rather than just a touch-sensitive panel.
My only real complaint was with the more intrusive elements of the ADAS assistance systems on my Euro-spec test car, with an incessant alert whenever a speed limit was broken — and this reset every time the car was turned on. Steering intervention for the lane-keeping function felt abrupt as well. Fingers crossed that U.S.-spec cars will be spared quite so much nannying.
Finally, I found the seats in the Macan Electric to be agreeable but not particularly comfortable over longer periods of driving, though the adjustable bolstering was welcomed.
Should I Buy One?
Even the most basic Macan Electric feels like a true Porsche, from its dynamic responses to the tightness of its fit and finish. But although this 5000-pound crossover is impressively nimble for what it is, it also lacks the engagement that comes as standard with the gasoline Macan in terms of noise — or even the simple pleasure of paddle-shifting a PDK transmission.
The RWD version significantly broadens the appeal of the Macan Electric range, being priced close enough to rivals to trigger defections for those who are willing to sacrifice performance (and driven-wheel count) for a Porsche badge and driving experience. It’s not the most exciting Macan Electric, but the rear-wheel-drive version is likely the easiest for potential buyers to justify.
Highlights and Lowlights
We Love:
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The quick, well-weighted steering system, no matter if rear-wheel steering is fitted.
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Modern, well-designed infotainment system paired with a passenger’s screen.
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The ability to match seat belts to paint color, for a price.
We Don’t Love:
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It’s slow for a top-end EV
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The silent powertrain lacks the character of its combustion sister
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Way too much ADAS intervention (on the European version)
Favorite Detail:
My initial queasy impressions of Porsche’s augmented-reality display were based on an uneasy disconnect between my eyes and brain, but reading the moving, active heads-up display became routine after half an hour or so. The distance-centered directions were particularly helpful while driving in an unfamiliar country.
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