Watch Porsche’s Taycan retake Nürburgring lap record for production EVs

Porsche has retaken the honors for turning the fastest lap among production EVs on the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife track in Germany, with the Taycan Turbo S besting the 2021 record set by a Tesla Model S Plaid by just over two seconds.

“We’re delighted that the Nürburgring record for electric cars is back in Porsche hands,” says Kevin Giek, vice president for the Taycan line. “This lap time not only shows how much potential lies in our new performance kit, but also confirms once again the sports car genes of the Taycan.”

The Tesla’s lap was seven minutes, 35.579 seconds. The Taycan Turbo S took seven minutes at 33 seconds. At the wheel was Lars Kern, Porsche’s only performance test driver, and a man who has studied the twists and turns of the Nürburgring Nordschleife since he was a boy.

The sports sedan was equipped with the new performance kit and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and aside from the required roll cage and racing seats was an entirely standard production vehicle. It weighs the same as the series-production car. A notary was on hand to verify the new record time on the 20.8-kilometer circuit in Germany’s Eifel region, while TÜV Rheinland confirmed that the record-breaking road car was a standard production model.

The performance kit includes 21-inch, RS Spyder–design wheels with road-approved, Pirelli P Zero Corsa sports tires that are now available for the Taycan. The performance kit has is a software update to the Porsche 4D Chassis Control so that it works in harmony with the sports tires. The system synchronizes all the chassis systems of the Taycan in real time.

“In the past, only thoroughbred super sports cars got into the 7:33 range,” says Kern. “With the new performance kit I was able to push even harder, and the car was even more precise and agile to boot.”

Lest you plan to buy a Taycan and set a new record yourself, be advised that the performance kit is presently only available in Germany. Porsche plans to produce the kit alone and make it available for retrofit.

This is the second time a Taycan Turbo has set the electric record. Elon Musk, the ball’s in your court. Kern, incidentally, holds the ICE road-going record in a Porsche 911 GT2 RS at 6:38.835.

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S starts at $187,400.