Has Taycan Depreciation Changed the Porsche Experience?

[Ronglos]

This is my first Porsche so I don't have anything to compare this to. The depreciation was a benefit to me given I was able to buy one that's 3 years old at a 50% discount. I think these cars are massively overpriced and it's pretty clear Porsche does everything they can to get you to part with every cent you own. Clearly they know who their market customers are.

My other car is a BMW X5, and the depreciation on that is pretty similar so far. All luxury cars depreciate, and luxury EVs depreciate more. It's a shame that at least in the US, we seem to be digging our heels in and placating Big Oil trying to go backwards instead of progressing forward with EV infrastructure and support. Hopefully that changes with the next administration.

The main concerns I have about this car are:
-Reliability (mine's been fine but I've read the horror stories)
-Porsche's insanely slow service (1-2 days for a software update?)
-The tech is nowhere close to BMW's. My Kia had better tech, actually.
-Backup camera is laughably bad
-I have concerns Porsche will kill off the car and I'll have a high priced, low value discontinued luxury EV that no one wants.

Careful what you wish for.

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[Tooney]

The Three-Year-Old Porsche That Sells For Half Its Original Sticker Price
A three-year-old Porsche selling for half its original sticker sounds like the kind of internet bait that usually comes with a salvage title, six owners, or a story involving flood water. Except this one does not. It is a clean, low-mileage car that wore a six-figure price when new, and it is now changing hands for a little over $50,000.

That is not normal Porsche behavior. At least, not the kind buyers have been trained to expect. The badge is supposed to protect value. Strong residuals, deep enthusiast demand, and a used market that does not like letting good examples go cheap are practically the whole point of buying one. Walk across the same used-car showroom, though, and the story splits in two. Lightly used 911s, especially the right manual or naturally aspirated cars, can still trade at or above their original sticker. Park one of those next to the car in question, and you would never guess they wore the same badge.
. . .
Autoblog's depreciation coverage makes the picture look even harsher. The outlet points to the Taycan's retained values sliding toward the 40 percent mark after five years, which is shocking for something wearing a Porsche badge. Porsche, as a brand, usually benefits from strong residual values, enthusiast demand, and a used market that does not like letting good examples go cheaply. The Taycan has not received that protection.
. . .
A used base Taycan at around $50,000 is no longer competing with new six-figure performance EVs. It is competing with mid-spec luxury sedans, used BMW M cars, nicely optioned crossovers, and the kind of everyday performance cars that do not feel remotely as special. For the money, the Taycan suddenly looks absurd. It is still a Porsche. It still has that low driving position, sharp steering, expensive cabin, and the instant shove that made people take it seriously when new. The difference is that someone else has already paid the premium for being first.

As painful as base Taycan depreciation looks, the upper trims are where the numbers become brutal. Jalopnik has documented massive losses on high-spec Taycans, including examples where owners took depreciation hits approaching and even crossing six figures in just a few years. On Turbo and Turbo S models, the real-world losses can climb into the $90,000 to $110,000 range over four years, depending on original specification and sale price.
. . .
This is what makes the current gap so strange. A new 2026 Taycan still sits deep in premium territory, with the base rear-drive car at a $111,900 MSRP. Yet a lightly used 2023 car can sit near $50,000. That gap is enormous for a vehicle that still looks modern, still drives like a Porsche, and still carries the same basic appeal that made it desirable in the first place. For the second owner, the beating becomes an opportunity. For the first owner, it is just a reminder that being early to expensive EV ownership can hurt.

The Taycan did not suddenly become a bad car. That is the important part. This is not depreciation caused by poor dynamics, weak branding, or a lack of ability. It is market fear dressed up as used-car pricing. Autoblog points to rapid EV development and uncertainty around long-term battery health as major reasons for the Taycan's value slide. That makes sense. EVs are still moving through their early technology curve. Range improves, charging speeds improve, software improves, battery chemistry improves, and buyers know it. A three-year-old EV can feel much older than a three-year-old combustion car, even when it is mechanically healthy.

The market is not pricing the Taycan purely as it sits today. It is pricing what buyers fear it might become tomorrow. That fear may or may not be fair. Porsche engineered the Taycan properly, and the car remains one of the best-driving EVs of its generation. But used buyers are not only thinking about how it drives. They are thinking about battery replacement costs, out-of-warranty repairs, charging network changes, range degradation, and the speed at which newer EVs are moving the game forward.

 

[whitex]

A three-year-old Porsche selling for half its original sticker sounds like the kind of internet bait that usually comes with a salvage title, six owners, or a story involving flood water.

This statement seems to be making false assumptions. Show me a 4 door >$100K MSRP sedan (EV or ICE) that has a 36 month residual value significantly higher than 50%. Now show such residual value for a car with custom options adding 50% to the trim MSRP (all options depreciate at a very high rate, essentially worth $0 after 4-5 years).

I've owned a bunch of cars from new, this doesn't at all surprise me. All options depreciate to $0 after 4-5 years, base trim price is under 50% after 4 years. If you want less, you have to go Toyota or Honda. I remember when I was young driving Honda Civics very cheaply, swapping them every 2-3 years. I even remember leasing a Toyota 4Runner with 4 year lease residual of 54%, which was very good considering a comparable Jeep Grand Cherokee had a 38% 4 year residual at that time (I still remember those numbers because back then I was used to Civic depreciation, so both were a bit of a shock to me). Then I got into more expensive cars, including a loaded 2001 911 C4 which dropped to under 50% MSRP in just 2 years. All these articled must be written by people without much experience with used cars.

PS> Anyone actually tried finding a 2023 Taycan for $50K, as the article suggests?

 

[pbmorrow]

This statement seems to be making false assumptions. Show me a 4 door >$100K MSRP sedan (EV or ICE) that has a 36 month residual value significantly higher than 50%. Now show such residual value for a car with custom options adding 50% to the trim MSRP (all options depreciate at a very high rate, essentially worth $0 after 4-5 years).

I've owned a bunch of cars from new, this doesn't at all surprise me. All options depreciate to $0 after 4-5 years, base trim price is under 50% after 4 years. If you want less, you have to go Toyota or Honda. I remember when I was young driving Honda Civics very cheaply, swapping them every 2-3 years. I even remember leasing a Toyota 4Runner with 4 year lease residual of 54%, which was very good considering a comparable Jeep Grand Cherokee had a 38% 4 year residual at that time (I still remember those numbers because back then I was used to Civic depreciation, so both were a bit of a shock to me). Then I got into more expensive cars, including a loaded 2001 911 C4 which dropped to under 50% MSRP in just 2 years. All these articled must be written by people without much experience with used cars.

PS> Anyone actually tried finding a 2023 Taycan for $50K, as the article suggests?

I had a 2022 RS6 and was shocked how good the resale was. After nearly 4 years of ownership and 40k miles I got 80% of MSRP when I sold it. This was not a trade, but just sold to a dealer I wasn’t buying a car from.

 

[gnr3312]

I had a 2022 RS6 and was shocked how good the resale was. After nearly 4 years of ownership and 40k miles I got 80% of MSRP when I sold it. This was not a trade, but just sold to a dealer I wasn’t buying a car from.

We also got a very good resale value on a 4 year old Defender that we got in July 2021 for $80k MSRP and got 70% back in 2025 when the warranty expired.

 

[PorscheTaycan]

2022 RS6

I bought a brand new Audi RS3 just before the pandemic. Drove it for 3 years. Sold it for a PROFIT above purchase price just after the pandemic when used car prices went crazy. Those were the good days.

 

[whitex]

I had a 2022 RS6 and was shocked how good the resale was. After nearly 4 years of ownership and 40k miles I got 80% of MSRP when I sold it. This was not a trade, but just sold to a dealer I wasn’t buying a car from.

There are definitely exceptions. When I sold my 2013 Model S60 just under 2 years later I got ~85% MSRP back. Given that I got a federal rebate which was over 10% MSRP, I almost drove it for free (didn't even lose sales tax as EVs were exempted from sales tax in my state back then). I was unable to repeat such a feat with the next 3 Model S'es I bought.

For typical depreciation, just ask your local dealer for lease residuals. Ignore residuals from leases during the pandemic, those were insane, as were used car values, including Taycans - 2 year old Taycans were getting traded in at near MSRP, people with custom ordered Taycans were offered thousands to abandon their orders (e.g. $5K or $10K cash in exchange for walking away from your custom ordered car, letting the dealer keep it).

 

[Gkwan]

This statement seems to be making false assumptions. Show me a 4 door >$100K MSRP sedan (EV or ICE) that has a 36 month residual value significantly higher than 50%. Now show such residual value for a car with custom options adding 50% to the trim MSRP (all options depreciate at a very high rate, essentially worth $0 after 4-5 years).

I've owned a bunch of cars from new, this doesn't at all surprise me. All options depreciate to $0 after 4-5 years, base trim price is under 50% after 4 years. If you want less, you have to go Toyota or Honda. I remember when I was young driving Honda Civics very cheaply, swapping them every 2-3 years. I even remember leasing a Toyota 4Runner with 4 year lease residual of 54%, which was very good considering a comparable Jeep Grand Cherokee had a 38% 4 year residual at that time (I still remember those numbers because back then I was used to Civic depreciation, so both were a bit of a shock to me). Then I got into more expensive cars, including a loaded 2001 911 C4 which dropped to under 50% MSRP in just 2 years. All these articled must be written by people without much experience with used cars.

PS> Anyone actually tried finding a 2023 Taycan for $50K, as the article suggests?

My thinking is similar to yours. Bought my CPO turbo my20 in Dec 25 for 74K€ incl 3Y PA (original sticker 180K), looked today the European market there are hundreds of 4S for 50 to 60 usually, less than 10 Turbo (only 1 in France) and for once a few more Turbo S. Could still sell it quickly at 65-68K, ie ~900€ cost per month of ownership which was my calculation.

 

[prj]

I had a 2022 RS6 and was shocked how good the resale was. After nearly 4 years of ownership and 40k miles I got 80% of MSRP when I sold it. This was not a trade, but just sold to a dealer I wasn’t buying a car from.

Seems like people's memories are max 5 years. During the pandemic due to the shortage all car prices went crazy. It was just scarcity driving the price up. Add to that the massive money printing and inflation, and that's the result you get.

Take any normal time before that and it's completely ordinary for a new car to lose 50% of it's value in like 2-3 years.

 

[chun]

So from what i understand from this thread, we need to ask china to release a new virus in the world, for the value of our taycans to go up? Sounds like a plan

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