Porsche Taycan review: brilliant to drive, still an early adopter's car in Bahrain
3.6/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the Taycan for how it drives, not to save money on running costs — servicing and tyres are still Porsche-priced, and the resale curve on early examples has been steeper than on petrol Porsches while buyers wait to see how the battery ages in Gulf heat. It is a realistic daily car only for an owner who can charge at home; without that, the public network in Bahrain is not yet dense enough to make it stress-free.
Pros
- Drives with genuine Porsche steering feel and body control, unlike most EV rivals
- Two-speed rear transmission keeps acceleration strong at real highway speeds
- Battery thermal management is engineered for hot climates from day one
- Brakes last longer than a petrol 911 thanks to regenerative braking
- Quiet, refined cruiser on the causeway run when charged at home
Cons
- Public fast-charging network in Bahrain is still too sparse for charging-anxiety-free ownership
- Real summer range with air conditioning running is well below the quoted figure
- Tyres and out-of-warranty electrical repairs remain Porsche-priced
- Resale value has been less predictable than on petrol Porsches so far
- Not practical for an owner without home charging
Porsche built the Taycan to feel like a 911 that happens to run on a battery, and the two-speed rear transmission on the higher grades is a large part of why: it holds the acceleration through a wider speed range than a single-speed EV rival, and the car simply does not run out of urge the way some electric performance cars do above 150 km/h.
Heat, range and charging in Bahrain
Battery thermal management is genuinely good — Porsche engineered the Taycan for hot-climate testing from the start — but real-world range in Bahrain's summer with air conditioning running hard is meaningfully below the quoted figure, as it is for every EV. Plan around 10 to 15 percent less range than the number on the window sticker once June arrives.
Home charging is not optional for stress-free ownership here. Public DC fast chargers exist in Bahrain but are still sparse compared with the petrol station network, and relying on them for daily top-ups rather than occasional long trips is the wrong way to own this car in 2026.
Running costs and resale
Tyres are Porsche-specific and not cheap, brakes last longer than on a petrol 911 thanks to regenerative braking, and servicing intervals are generous. The unresolved question is resale: early Taycans have depreciated faster than equivalent petrol Porsches while the market works out battery longevity in Gulf heat, which can work in a used buyer's favour if you are comfortable with that uncertainty.