- The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric is the quickest SUV we've ever tested, reaching 60 mph in just 2.1 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 9.5 seconds.
- The braking performance is also the best among SUVs, matching the result of a Corvette ZR1 by stopping from 70 mph in just 140 feet.
- The Cayenne Turbo Electric also posted the best roadholding figure for an SUV in Car and Driver history at 1.05 g on the skidpad.
Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
Weight is typically the enemy of performance cars. Adding pounds can hamper acceleration, braking, and handling. But modern EVs began to buck that trend with heaps of immediately available torque that override the weight penalty of a battery for brutal acceleration runs. For the 2026 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric, its 5960-pound curb weight is an afterthought in all regards, setting new records for acceleration, braking, and roadholding among SUVs.
The Cayenne Turbo Electric is propelled by a pair of electric motors, one on each axle, that provide all-wheel-drive traction along with a combined 1139 hp and 1106 pound-feet of torque when launch control is engaged. Unsurprisingly, this means the SUV is blisteringly rapid, blasting to 60 mph in a mere 2.1 seconds, making it the quickest SUV we've ever tested.
That result is substantially quicker than other high-powered electric SUVs, such as the tri-motor 2025 Rivian R1S, which did the deed in 2.8 seconds (we're still waiting to test the latest 1025-hp quad-motor R1S, but the 2026 R1T truck managed 2.6 seconds with the same powertrain). The 1070-hp Lucid Gravity Dream Edition was a full second behind at 60 mph, and the quickest Tesla Model X we tested took 3.3 seconds (we never managed to test a Model X Plaid). The Cayenne Turbo's 60-mph time even puts it a tenth ahead of supercars such as the Lamborghini Revuelto and the 1064-hp Chevy Corvette ZR1.
The Cayenne Turbo Electric doesn't let up after you reach 60 mph. The SUV blasts to 100 mph in 4.5 seconds and hits 150 mph in just 10.1 ticks. The quarter-mile run is equally spectacular, with the Cayenne Turbo Electric crossing the line in just 9.5 seconds at 146 mph. Passing performance is also excellent, with the Cayenne needing 1.1 seconds to get from 30 to 50 mph and 1.4 seconds to go from 50 to 70 mph.
That quarter-mile time is especially mind-boggling. The Cayenne's time was 1.6 seconds quicker than the tri-motor R1S, 1.1 seconds ahead of the Gravity, and two-tenths ahead of the Revuelto. And the electric Cayenne absolutely obliterates the top gas-powered SUVs, with both the V-8-motivated Cayenne Turbo GT and Lamborghini Urus Performante needing 11.2 seconds to finish the quarter mile.
Thankfully, the Cayenne Turbo Electric's braking is just as impressive as its acceleration, if not even more so considering the nearly three-ton curb weight. Despite its heft, the Porsche came to a complete stop from 70 mph in just 140 feet thanks to optional $10,900 carbon-ceramic brakes. That's 10 feet fewer than the Cayenne Turbo GT and 12 feet fewer than the Urus Performante. The other EVs aren't even close, with the Rivian needing 173 feet and the Lucid needing 163 feet. In fact, the Cayenne Turbo Electric's braking performance matches that of the Corvette ZR1, which weighs over 2100 pounds less.
The Cayenne Turbo Electric also posted the best roadholding result for an SUV in Car and Driver history, recording 1.05 g on the skidpad. While a lot of credit goes to the Pirelli P Zero R tires, Porsche's trick Active Ride suspension also plays a major role. The Cayenne dethroned the Urus Performante, which achieved 1.04 g, and outdoes the other large electric SUVs by a huge margin, with the Rivian logging 0.80 g and the Lucid registering 0.90 g.
This absurd performance comes at a price: the Turbo starts at $165,350, and the one we tested rang in at $194,600. But that is still an insane amount of performance for the money, considering that it outdoes supercars that cost hundreds of thousands more and can still seat five in luxurious comfort. Ultimately, the Turbo's record-setting results pose the question: where do we go from here?
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Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
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