New Porsche Panamera vs Tesla Model S
Porsche and Tesla both offer luxury hatchbacks that combine scorching performance with surprisingly sensible running costs. But which car is better?...
What will they cost?
Neither Porsche nor Tesla gives any discounts, but a £4500 government grant is available for the Model S, making it much cheaper to buy. Road tax is lower, too, with a £310 annual charge for cars costing more than £40,000, something you have to pay for years two to six of ownership. The Panamera is clobbered by an £800 charge in the first year and £450 per year after.
On contract hire, the Panamera costs £1333 per month to lease – £18 less than the Model S. But the tables are turned on a 36-month, 12,000-mile-a-year PCP finance deal with a £15,000 deposit; here, the Model S will cost £1085 a month – £52 less than the Panamera. However, the Model S is predicted to be worth just 35% of its original price after three years, compared with 49% for the Panamera.
The Model S is more appealing for company car drivers. It will cost you a staggering £27,674 less in benefit-in-kind tax over three years if you’re a 40% tax payer, and the difference is even greater if you’re in the top tax bracket.
Then there are fuel costs. Charging the Model S from flat will cost you around £9 (based on a figure of 10 pence per kilowatt hour, a typical night rate on a two-rate electricity tariff); that should get you more than 250 miles of range (if you drive sensibly and the weather isn’t too cold). As a result, over 12,000 miles, it’ll be more than £1100 cheaper to charge the Model S than to fuel the Panamera, which is likely to achieve an average fuel economy figure in the mid-30s (mpg). Insurance premiums are similar for both cars, but the Panamera will be around £500 cheaper to service over three years.
Both cars come well equipped as standard, with electric leather seats, climate control, sat-nav, a DAB radio and front and rear parking sensors. The Panamera also gets Apple CarPlay, so you can control your iPhone via the car’s screen, while the Model S adds a reversing camera.
Euro NCAP awarded the Model S a five-star safety rating but hasn’t yet tested the Panamera. The Model S gets standard automatic emergency braking; this is £1787 (with adaptive cruise control) on the Panamera.
