Porsche Cayenne Review & Prices

The Porsche Cayenne might just be the quintessential posh SUV. It’s big, spacious, luxurious inside and almost as capable off-road as it is sporty to drive. It could be a bit more comfortable, though, and you’ll pay a pretty penny for the Cayenne’s optional extras.

It’s not the only premium family SUV to consider, with the BMW X5, Audi Q7, Range Rover Sport and Mercedes GLE to cross-shop it against. None of those cars is quite as fun to drive as the Cayenne, that being said - and only the Rangie matches it for badge clout.

Think of the Porsche as that lithe mate who turns up to the pub in £300 running shoes, then. There’s an air of poshness and sportiness about it that the rest can’t quite match.

Group test: Audi Q7 v BMW X5 v Mercedes GLE v Porsche Cayenne v VW Touareg

You can tell that it’s a Porsche within a second of looking at it, too. The latest Cayenne has ditched the curves and soft edges of its predecessors, but the window line, pronounced wheel arches and rear light bar are classic Porsche design features. The headlights are now a bit less blobby than before, making this a properly handsome SUV.

At least, it is if you take it easy on the options sheet. Entry-level versions are classy enough, but if you get your wallet out you can have some pretty outrageous paint and wheel combos - especially on the range-topping GTS and Turbo models.

It’s much the same story inside, which features a similar dashboard to the Panamera and Taycan saloons and a largely subtle design. The vertical air vents are a long-standing Cayenne touch - as are the centre console grab handles - and it’s all fairly restrained unless you splurge on a funky leather colour and grippy bucket seats.

Speaking of which, even the non-sports seats are hugely comfy and supportive. The back seats are spacious and recline, easily accommodating three tall adults. The big door bins are handy but there’s a lack of cubbies for smaller items, and the 12v electrical plug between the cupholders seems like an oversight. Water and electricity don’t mix very well.

At 772 litres the boot is enormous, too, though this drops down to 627 litres (621 in the Turbo) in the plug-in hybrid models. Hardly deal-breaking.

Entry-level and E-Hybrid Cayennes feature a 3.0-litre V6 engine under the bonnet, while the S and GTS models are V8-powered and significantly quicker. The Turbo E-Hybrid electrifies the V8 for a whopping 739 horsepower. All of the PHEV models offer between 45 to 52 miles of claimed range, but we managed 54 miles in real world testing. Impressive, going some way to offset the 29.9mpg fuel economy.

Around town the Cayenne certainly feels its size, but good all-round visibility and the optional four-wheel steering system (it’s worth paying extra for) help when manoeuvring. It’s not as comfortable as a BMW X5 or Range Rover Sport, though, even if it is a consummate motorway cruiser. You can have a proper blast on a country lane, too.

Verdict

The Porsche Cayenne is a brilliant SUV that offers a sporty take on the posh family car recipe. It’s not quite as capable an all-rounder as a BMW X5 on account of its firmer suspension, but it’s worth the trade-off if you value a Porsche badge on your steering wheel - and the fun driving experience that comes with it.

Check out the latest Porsche Cayenne deals and lease offers to see how much you could save. You can also browse used Porsche Cayennes on Carwow, or see other used Porsches for sale. And remember, when the time comes for a change, you can sell your car online through Carwow’s network of trusted dealers.

The Porsche Cayenne range starts at just over £78,000 in entry-level trim, climbing to £87,000 for the E-Hybrid model. A Cayenne S jumps to almost £94,000, with £3,000 on top again for the Cayenne S PHEV.

If you want an SUV with a serious emphasis on ‘Sports,’ you’ll want the £108,000, 500hp Cayenne GTS, while the crown-jewel Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid has a whopping 739hp and starts at an eye-watering £141,000.

Where the Cayenne can really get ridiculous is the options list, because you can add over £17,000 to the price of an entry-level car just with a fancy paint, wheel and upholstery choice. If you tick (almost) every box, you can even add £85,000 in options to your £78,000 Cayenne. Yes, really.

A Mercedes GLE and Range Rover Sport are both similarly priced, whether in entry-level or full-fat V8 performance guise. The Cayenne e-Hybrid splits the price difference between the equivalent Range Rover Sport and GLE.

The Cayenne is about as fun to drive as an SUV can get, but it could be comfier over rough roads in town

In town

The Cayenne isn’t too difficult to drive around town. It’s a big car, but visibility isn’t bad thanks to the tall windows and good-sized door mirrors. Surround-view cameras with park assist come as standard, too.

The PHEV models are best for city slickers, and we just about managed to surpass Porsche’s claimed 52-mile range in a Cayenne E-Hybrid. Whichever engine you go for, there’s an extremely slick eight-speed automatic gearbox that’s totally unobtrusive shuffling through the gears.

The Cayenne’s suspension is sporty, rather than comfy, so it does thud over bumps more than a Mercedes GLE or Range Rover Sport - even on models with the optional air suspension. The rear-wheel steering is a great boon in tight parking spaces, and worth adding to any model.

On the motorway

With plenty of power in even the cheapest Cayenne, you won’t find yourself lacking when making a decisive overtake or gunning it on a slip road. In the more powerful Cayenne S, GTS or Turbo S E-Hybrid, you’ll leave most sports cars for dust.

The Porsche Cayenne isn’t bad at coping with the softer lumps and bumps of a British motorway, though again, a Range Rover Sport is more cosseting. The Cayenne is very refined, though, with even the most sporty engine options setting down at speed.

On a twisty road

It’s here where the Cayenne shines. For such a large and heavy SUV, it’s as much fun to drive as some dedicated sports cars. The steering is heavy, but it’s pin-sharp and you can feel what the front wheels are doing in the corners. There’s barely any body lean in bends, too. The sporty seats help, holding you in place without knackering after a long drive.

The optional air suspension can wallow a bit if you hit a big bump midway through a corner, so keen drivers should stick with the standard steel springs. Alternatively you can specify the Cayenne with an off-road pack and underbody protection, which makes it capable of tackling rough roads or some light green-laning - though a Range Rover Sport is more accomplished here.

The Cayenne is very spacious and practical, but it could do with more cabin storage for small items

As standard, the Cayenne comes with supportive, heated ‘comfort’ seats, but you can upgrade them to 14-way or 18-way adjustable sporty items, and add ventilation or massage functions. You’ll pay a pretty penny for them, though.

Whichever kind you opt for, you’ll find them very comfortable and supportive. Even the basic seats have more than enough adjustment for most drivers, and the steering wheel telescopes in and out a long way too.

Storage isn’t the best - there’s a wireless phone charging pad, a pair of cupholders and an under-armrest storage bin - but the most convenient place to fling keys or loose change is in the middle of the dashboard, in full view of passers-by.

Space in the back seats

Rear passengers have a pretty good time in the Cayenne. There’s leg and headroom aplenty, and enough space under the front seats for long-legged passengers to slide their feet underneath. The rear seats even recline for a little extra luxury, while the central armrest is wide and comfy.

The rear bench is wide enough to fit three, though the central seat is significantly narrower and higher than the outer two. The door bins will fit a one-litre bottle, while there are cupholders in the centre armrest and a small storage slot in between the front seats with two USB-C charging ports underneath.

Boot space

With a massive 772 litres of space, the Cayenne has one of the biggest boots around. This drops down to 627 litres if you option the plug-in hybrid, though, or 621 in the Turbo model. Only the 780-litre Range Rover Sport beats this - the BMW X5 and Mercedes GLE have 650 and 630 litres respectively.

The seats fold down in a 40:20:40 split, so you can carry two passengers and still have space between them for longer items. What's slightly annoying is that there are no levers in the boot to fold the seats, requiring you to fold them each individually from the back seats.

The boot shape is nice and square, and there’s an area over one of the wheel arches with a storage net that’s perfect for holding loose items. The seats don’t fold down completely flat, but it’s very near, and there’s no step between the boot floor and the folded seat backs.

There’s also a modicum of storage under the floor, or space for an optional spare wheel. If you’ve optioned the air suspension, you can drop the back of the car down low to help load in heavy items.

It’s spacious and luxurious inside, but some of the standard trims don’t feel that special

The Cayenne’s latest interior makeover goes heavy on the screens. Not only is there a digital instrument cluster with a massive 12.6-inch curved screen, but a high-resolution 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and an optional display for the passenger, too. 

The passenger display is particularly clever, as it’s invisible from the driver’s seat. It’s an option you could manage without, though, as it doesn’t really add anything essential to the Cayenne’s interior - if your front seat passenger wants to adjust the media or see where you are on the navigation, it’s not exactly a stretch to the central screen.

All three screens look fantastic and are really responsive to the touch, though the interface isn’t quite as straightforward as BMW’s - some functions are a little less obvious. You can bypass it with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, of course.

Build quality is like a bank vault, with high-quality materials. Everything you touch feels dense and solid, and there’s no sign of any creaks or rattles. Some of the materials look a little low-rent, particularly the top of the dashboard - but again here it’s the options list to the rescue, as it’s not too expensive to have this swathed in leather.

Porsche Cayenne economy covers quite the range. At the low end, you’re unlikely to see more than 20mpg from the V8, and even the V6 struggles to crest 30mpg on a long run. However, the plug-in hybrid models have the potential for very low running costs indeed - provided you plug them in regularly and make use of their electric capabilities with plenty of short journeys.

On long journeys with a depleted battery, though, fuel economy is near-identical to the petrol V6 - and drops down to near-20mpg if you drive in battery charging mode.

The BMW X5 and Mercedes GLE can both go further on a charge, but we managed to achieve 54 miles with the Cayenne E-Hybrid, which actually beats Porsche’s claim by two whole miles. Neither alternative has a ballistically powerful halo model like the Cayenne’s Turbo E-Hybrid, either.

Other running costs will also be high. Benefit-in-kind is moderate on the E-Hybrid models, but the V8 emits over 280g/km of CO2 - that means high rates, plus very expensive road tax.

Porsche Cayenne Euro NCAP score (2017): 5/5

Adult occupant: 95%
Child occupant: 80%
Vulnerable road users: 73%
Safety assist: 62%

The Porsche Cayenne was tested by Euro NCAP when it launched in 2017, and scored a full five stars. The updated model hasn’t been re-rated, though, and the tests have changed significantly in that time - so this shouldn’t be taken as totally representative.

However don’t panic that the Cayenne is an unsafe car. First, the four-wheel drive and excellent handling go some way to helping keep you out of harm’s way in the first place. All models also have autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping aids and traffic sign recognition with speed limit assistance - and these are easily toggled on and off from the infotainment touchscreen. There are a pair of ISOFIX points in the outer rear seats, too.

Maintaining the Cayenne is a pricey business, but if you want to get yourself on the waiting list for the next limited-edition 911 - buying a new Cayenne is a good first step.

Porsche is too niche a manufacturer to have been featured in the 2026 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, but as far as luxury car manufacturers go, Porsche is pretty dependable. Sharing many of its parts with other Volkswagen Group products means many of the Cayenne’s components are tried-and-tested, though the previous model was subject to a fair few recalls for remedial work.

You get a three-year, unlimited-mile warranty with a roadside assistance package included. That’s broadly in line with what’s offered by other premium brands, though the cheaper Lexus RX comes with up to ten years of warranty.