Porsche 718 Cayman review - MPG, running costs & CO2
It seems almost alchemy that a car as fast as the Porsche 718 Cayman offers the economy it does
We’ve already discussed how the Porsche 718 Cayman’s personality suffers slightly due to its turbocharged engines, but it’s only fair to also look in more detail at the advantages this technology brings with it.
Porsche 718 Cayman MPG & CO2
A decade or two ago, cars with the 718 Cayman's performance used to be the preserve of the seriously wealthy. True, at more than £50,000, the 718 costs significantly more than most people will spend on a set of wheels for the family, but if you're in a position to afford and justify the initial outlay, fuel economy and VED tax are comparatively palatable.
The standard 718 Cayman returns up to 31.7mpg and stepping up to the 718 Cayman S sees economy barely drop at all – you won't really notice the difference on the road. While the move towards turbocharging was ostensibly to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions, the margin when you finally step up to the 4.0-litre, six-cylinder and naturally-aspirated GTS isn’t as big as you might expect – with combined economy as high as 28mpg and CO2 emissions from 230g/km, it’s only about as far behind the Cayman S as the S is to the entry-level car.
Road tax is charged at the standard rate a year but because every Cayman costs more than £40,000, a £570 surcharge is added in years two to six – making tax £750 a year in that period. If you’re lucky enough to drive a 718 Cayman as a company car, every version sits in the top Benefit-in-Kind band.
Insurance
One thing that’s likely to cost you dearly if you choose a 718 Cayman is insurance. Cars as fast and desirable as this tend to be – rightly or wrongly – penalised by insurance ratings. The old Cayman sat in groups 37-43 out of 50, while the new 718 Cayman sits in group 42 and the Cayman S is in group 44.
Servicing
Another unavoidable area of expense here: sports cars use sophisticated parts and require specialist knowledge when being worked on. The good news is that Porsche offers fixed-price servicing and long service intervals, so budgeting should be easy.
Warranty
All new Porsches come with a three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty. The timeframe of this is nothing to write home about, but the lack of a mileage cap is praiseworthy.
