Used Porsche Cayenne for sale: everything you need to know
The shock of Porsche producing an SUV has long since died down, and what’s left is simply a great car. Porsche’s decision to expand beyond sports cars was justified pretty much as soon as the original Cayenne went on sale in 2002, and it’s been one of the firm’s biggest sellers ever since.
This is good news for used buyers too, because while the Cayenne isn’t cheap, the sheer number of them out there, the breadth of models available, and Porsche’s continuous updates and improvements mean that used models can be surprisingly good value even at just a year or two old, while going back five or ten years can turn up some real bargains. Below we’re focusing on the third generation car launched in 2018, but specifications aside, much of what you’ll read applies to almost any Cayenne - it’s one of the best all-rounders in its class.
Should you buy a Porsche Cayenne?
The shock value of the Porsche Cayenne has long since been usurped by cars like the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga, but the Cayenne’s abilities as a practical, luxurious and high-performance SUV haven’t diminished over time. Some cars might beat it in one or two areas, but very few are as consistently able across the board.
Under the skin the Cayenne is still related to nothing more exotic than a Volkswagen Touareg, but then so are that Lamborghini and Bentayga. The important thing is that each brand puts its own spin on the platform, and in the Porsche’s case, that means typical Porsche styling features, responsive and powerful engines, and excellent handling for something so large and heavy - but maintaining the same kind of practicality as the Volkswagen.
More powerful versions of the Cayenne perform and handle like you wouldn’t believe, but the only real tradeoff is quite a firm ride on some models, and a prodigious thirst for unleaded if you’re driving quickly. Porsche does offer plug-in hybrids to slightly offset that, but there’s no diesel option any more. Inside, quality is up to the usual Porsche standards - you get an excellent driving position and high-quality materials wherever you lay your hands.
Depending on the model, the Cayenne competes with everything from BMW X5s and Mercedes GLEs, to the Urus and Bentayga mentioned earlier. A left-field option is the Maserati Levante, and more recently, cars like the plug-in hybrid BMW XM are also an option if you’ve got your eye on a Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
What’s the best used Porsche Cayenne model to buy?
Ever since the first Cayenne arrived in the mid-2000s it’s been among the best premium SUVs on sale, and that applies whichever model in the range you’re looking at. The mighty Turbo and Turbo E-Hybrid models obviously attract the most attention but a Cayenne, E-Hybrid, or Cayenne S are all great all-rounders and hardly short of performance or equipment in their own right. If you have a place to charge then the E-Hybrid can be surprisingly thrifty for a large SUV, but we suspect most buyers will be prepared to put up with higher fuel bills for the sound of a V8, so the Cayenne S is a good place to start.
Porsche hasn’t offered a diesel Cayenne since 2018, but if you’re shopping among older models, it’s still worth a look - the 48.2mpg economy figure of the old 262PS 3-litre V6 diesel is more frugal than all but the plug-in hybrids in the current range.
Used Porsche Cayenne fuel economy and performance
- Porsche Cayenne: In basic form the Cayenne uses a 3-litre turbocharged V6, making 353PS. In regular form it gets from 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds, and 5.7 seconds with the Sport Chrono package. Combined economy is 26.2mpg.
- Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid: With electric assistance for the V6, power jumps to 470PS and the acceleration figure drops to 4.9 seconds. With 46 miles of EV range, combined economy is quoted at 188.3mpg.
- Porsche Cayenne S: S models use a twin-turbo 4-litre petrol V8, with 474PS. 0-62mph comes up in 5.7 seconds, or a second quicker with Sport Chrono, while combined economy is 22.8mpg. Some earlier Cayenne S models used a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6.
- Porsche Cayenne GTS: The driver-focused GTS came with a 4-litre turbocharged V8 engine (earlier cars again used a 2.9-litre V6) with an output of 460PS. All came with Sport Chrono for a 4.5-second 0-62mph time, while economy was 20.9mpg.
- Porsche Cayenne Turbo: Turbo models turn up the wick on the V8, with a full 550PS on offer. That gets the standard car from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds, or 3.9 with Sport Chrono, while economy matches the GTS at 20.9mpg.
- Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid: A mix of twin-turbo V8 and electric power results in a massive 739PS for the Turbo E-Hybrid, for 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds. It’ll do 45 miles on electric power, which helps the Cayenne to a combined economy figure of 166.2mpg.
What used Porsche Cayenne trim levels are available?
Despite a wide range of models, Porsche keeps things relatively simple with its model ranges. Like Boxsters and 911s, each engine is effectively its own trim level too, which means there’s a fairly linear correlation between how much power you get and how many toys the Caynne comes with. We’ve covered the significant models below.
- The Porsche Cayenne is well-equipped from the off, coming with 20-inch alloy wheels, partl-eather trim, eight-way power seat adjustment, LED headlights, a 12-inch touchscreen display, and new buyers had plenty of option boxes to tick, so most will have even more kit than listed here.
- The Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid has similar equipment to the car above but features a different style of alloy wheels.
- The Porsche Cayenne S is once again differentiated mainly by its unique alloy wheel design, with other changes up to the original buyer and the options list.
- The Porsche Cayenne GTS gets a different look befitting its driver-focused setup. Porsche’s SportDesign exterior pack came as standard, as did a sports exhaust, and interior trim was in a houndstooth pattern.
- The Porsche Cayenne Turbo came with another specific 20-inch alloy wheel design but otherwise equipment is similar to most of the models above, optional extras aside. The main draw though is that enormously powerful V8 engine.
- The Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is most easily identified by its neon green E-Hybrid badging, but you’ll spy other changes too, such as body-coloured wheel arch mouldings, more aggressive front and rear bumpers, 21-inch wheels, and 18-way adjustable leather seats.
Used Porsche Cayenne dimensions and boot size
The Porsche Cayenne’s dimensions are:
- Length: 4930mm
- Width: 1983mm (mirrors folded), 2194mm (with mirrors)
- Height: 1685mm
- Ground clearance: N/A
The Porsche Cayenne’s boot size is:
- 539-698 litres
- 1557-1708 litres (with the rear seats folded)
Used Porsche Cayenne road tax
Thanks to high initial list prices, tax is quite expensive on the Cayenne. All regular petrol models registered since April 2017 get a flat rate currently set at £600 per year, and hybrid and plug-in hybrids are a scant £10 cheaper. When those earliest cars reach their seventh year of registration though that will drop to a more palatable £190 for petrols and £180 for the hybrids.
How much is it to insure a Porsche Cayenne?
Cayenne insurance is predictably towards the upper end of the 1-50 group scale, with the regular V6-engined Cayenne, the S, and the E-Hybrid starting in group 44, and the Turbo and Turbo E-Hybrid maxing out the scale at group 50. Insurance costs shouldn’t be massively different from other large and powerful SUVs however.
