BMW i4 vs Porsche Taycan (2020-2024)

The Porsche Taycan costs £29,962 more than the BMW i4. For that premium it adds 25 kW faster peak rapid charging, 140 kW more power and a 2.0s quicker 0-62mph time. The BMW i4 is not just cheaper - it also offers 114 miles more WLTP range, 63 litres more boot space and 1 more seat (5 versus 4). On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BMW i4 comes out ahead overall.

The BMW i4 is £29,962 cheaper to buy. The BMW i4 is cheaper to charge, roughly £176 a year versus £216 for the Porsche Taycan, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BMW i4 comes out roughly £30,162 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 261 miles for the BMW i4 and 211 miles for the Porsche Taycan - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The BMW i4 goes roughly 50 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 31 minutes in the BMW i4 and 18 in the Porsche Taycan, so the Porsche Taycan loses less time at each stop. So the BMW i4 stops less often while the Porsche Taycan stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The BMW i4 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 114 mm narrower than the Porsche Taycan. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 548 mm of total clearance for the BMW i4 and about 434 mm of total clearance for the Porsche Taycan. The Porsche Taycan also turns in a 0.8 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the BMW i4 and 84% for the Porsche Taycan. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.