We believe we’ve featured enough Tesla drag races to prove that the Model 3 is a quick EV, enough to match supercars in straight-line matchups. But is it quick enough to beat a Porsche Taycan Turbo S?
That’s the question this drag race video from Yiannimize wanted to answer, with the owners of each performance EV putting their names on the line. Then again, we couldn’t help but notice that this is a mismatch, considering that this is the top-dog Taycan going up against a lower-level Tesla.
Comparing the numbers, the Model 3 Performance is a lot less powerful than the Taycan, with the Tesla producing 483 horsepower (360 kilowatts) and 486 pound-feet (659 Newton-meters) of torque. On the other hand, the German EV makes 751 hp (560 kW) and 774 lb-ft (1,049 Nm) of torque – a massive advantage, we reckon.
While the Taycan is much heavier than the Model 3 by 994 pounds (451 kilograms), we thought that the former’s power advantage was enough to offset the additional meat.
Sure enough, that’s what transpired in the drag race above. Done on a prepped surface at Santa Pod Raceway in the UK, the Porsche obliterated the Tesla completely in a quarter-mile sprint.
That said, we think the Model S Plaid should have been here to face the Taycan. We’ve seen the newest Tesla complete a prepped surface in under 10 seconds, not to mention its current standing as the quickest production car ever. We’ve seen this matchup before, and Porsche should really consider creating a worthy rival to the new Model S Plaid.
Then again, going back to the Model 3, considering the price difference between a Model 3 and a Taycan Turbo S, do you think the Tesla is an attractive proposition despite its loss here?