2026 Porsche Macan GTS Electric First Drive Review + Video

When Porsche’s leaders decided to dive headlong into electrification, they likely didn’t expect the sort of challenges they’re facing now — or at least not the extent of them.

Withering electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasm in this part of the world along with domestic brand dominance in the coveted Chinese market have combined to muddy what once looked like a clear path to a bigger and better future for the brand. Instead, it’s experiencing something of a backslide after years of being counted among the industry’s darlings.

Those changing fortunes have forced the powers that be at Porsche to rethink the strategy that previously appeared as if it was on the industry’s leading edge, including the shift to an almost entirely emissions-free lineup. But even as its EV plans change, Porsche is charging ahead with the phased rollout of its Macan Electric, and the latest just might be the best of the bunch.

Oh, sure — there are quicker or cheaper variants, and ones with more range. But the 2026 Porsche Macan GTS Electric offers a unique focus on performance without feeling too much like it was made for nothing else.

GTS is the Answer

Since its introduction in the 1960s, the GTS moniker has been synonymous with sporty driving without compromising comfort. So while a Porsche bearing that badge might not be the most hardcore version available — in the case of the Macan Electric, that title for the time being belongs to the Turbo — it borrows some of the best bits from elsewhere to make it more exhilarating.

For the Macan GTS Electric, that means the same electric motors as its top-of-the-line sibling — although they’ve been detuned to reflect the model’s place in the hierarchy — as well as an electronically controlled differential in the back and a sport-tuned air suspension system that rides slightly lower than the standard setup. It also comes with Porsche’s special Sport Chrono package that has a track-specific setting from the Taycan for better battery cooling to help limit heat-related power loss.

Launch control, long a hallmark of the Sport Chrono kit, is how to uncork the full potential of this crossover’s dual electric motors. The so-called overboost setting that kicks in with the hard-charging mode activated pushes output to 563 hp and 704 lb-ft of torque — enough to propel this particular EV from a standing start to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

That’s about half a second slower than the Macan Turbo takes to reach the same speed, but even EV veterans will find it difficult to discern that type of difference, such is the almost violent way in which this power source makes practical use of all that motive force. It also means making quick work of a wide variety of would-be challengers who might try to stay ahead of this otherwise unassuming Porsche. Proceed at your own peril, boy racers — this isn’t the kind of crossover to take on at a stoplight.

City Streets and Canyon Cruises

The stuff that underpins the Macan GTS Electric makes it an outstandingly smooth crossover to cruise around in, whether along city streets or deep down desolate canyon roads. The standard air suspension is supple enough to make the vast majority of road imperfections fade into nothingness, and that’s in spite of the optional 22-inch wheels the Carmine Red tester pictured here was riding on (21-inch alloys are standard).

The soft suspension tuning conspires with the near silence of the powertrain to make the Macan Electric a uniquely serene machine. If you’re after evidence that electrification and luxury make the perfect pairing, look no further than this Porsche. Yet the same stuff that comes together to make this a congenial crossover also allows it to be a lithesome machine that can make exceptionally quick work of a series of switchbacks.

While the position of the battery deep beneath the Macan Electric’s belly helps bring the centre of gravity down, it makes it feel planted to the road without being noticeably heavy. Again, credit the air suspension, as well as the optional rear-axle steering that allows it to slither through tight turns without much sense at all that it tips the scales at some 2,438 kg (5,375 lb).

About all that’s missing to make it a perfect driving companion — for an electric crossover, that is — is a smaller-diameter steering wheel that would provide even more responsiveness to inputs. Such an addition isn’t without precedent, either, since Porsche did the same with the current-generation Cayenne GTS. But the standard sport seats are spot-on, with the right amount of bolstering to keep you firmly planted along twisting roads without feeling constricting during more mundane drives.

Interesting EV Essentials

While this crossover is the second EV in Porsche’s lineup behind the Taycan, some serious strides have been made between their introductions. In the case of the Macan Electric, the architecture it’s built on is of the 800-volt variety, just like its predecessor, yet some novel software allows it to ostensibly split the 100-kWh battery into two separate 400-volt units for optimized charging (including at Tesla stations that can’t support a higher capacity).

So while the Macan Electric can technically reach peak charging speeds of 270 kW in ideal conditions, the twin 400-volt switch allows each side of the battery to charge at 135 kW. (Range estimates weren’t available at the time of this writing, but it’s reasonable to expect something similar to the 463 km the Turbo trim is rated for on a full charge.)

Even the pack’s makeup is much improved, with just 12 modules compared to the Taycan’s 33, plus the various battery and power management units have also been moved to a stacked location under the rear seat to simplify service and repair. And this being a Porsche, performance has also been optimized, with a slightly rear-biased weight distribution created by the Macan GTS Electric’s electronic locking rear differential being positioned behind the axle. It’s subtle, but it’s entirely in keeping with this brand’s modus operandi.

Final Thoughts

The tides of electrification may be changing, at least in the short term, but the 2026 Porsche Macan GTS Electric is an exhilarating reminder that this brand is and always will be the master of its own fate. Delivering fun-to-drive electric crossovers might be niche, but then that’s the way it’s always been for an automaker that made a name for itself building rear-engine sports cars.

While Porsche may be going through something of a corporate crisis at the moment, this EV is proof its products remain exceptional. Not many brands could make an electric crossover a legitimate pleasure to drive, which is precisely why there aren’t many brands like Porsche out there in the first place.

Being the driver-first variant of a crossover that happens to run on nothing but electrons means the appeal of the Macan GTS Electric is narrow, and its starting price of $122,100 before options, freight, and taxes doesn’t do much to broaden that. But of the variants available — which totals five and counting — this one checks all the boxes that make it the purest Porsche of the bunch.