Compare the2024 Porsche TaycanVS 2024 BMW i5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Porsche Taycan have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The BMW i5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Porsche Taycan are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW i5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Taycan and i5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Taycan has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The i5’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Taycan helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The i5 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Taycan and the i5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in initial quality. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in long-term dependability. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, BMW is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Porsche 1 place higher in reliability than BMW.

The Taycan has more powerful engines than the i5:

The Taycan offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The i5 doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

For better traction, the Taycan’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the i5 (F:265/35R21 & R:305/30R21 vs. F:245/40R20 & R:275/35R20).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Taycan is 3 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the i5.

For better maneuverability, the Taycan’s turning circle is tighter than the i5’s:

The Porsche Taycan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 350 pounds less than the BMW i5.

The Taycan is 3.8 inches shorter than the i5, making the Taycan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Taycan uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The i5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Taycan has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the i5 (18.7 vs. 17.3 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than BMW. J.D. Power ranks Porsche third in service department satisfaction. With a 13% lower rating, BMW is ranked 7th.

The Porsche Taycan comes in sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the BMW i5 isn’t available as a station wagon.