Electric Porsche 718 (Boxster and Cayman): release date, price, what we know

Porsche's electric 718, the successor to the petrol Boxster and Cayman, is due to be unveiled in 2027, and Porsche says 2028 will be its first full year of production. Its price is not yet known, nor are its power output and range.

Porsche did, however, confirm on 7 October 2026 that there will be no more petrol version. On the same day, several magazines published accounts of their first lap in a prototype and revealed its main innovation, a battery placed behind the seats, where the engine used to be. Here we separate what Porsche has announced from what journalists estimate, citing each source, as of early November 2026.

What is the electric Porsche 718?

It is the next generation of the Boxster and Cayman, Porsche's mid-engined convertible and coupé, sold under the 718 name since 2016. Its internal code is 983, according to Autocar, and it should have arrived in 2025, when the petrol generation ended. Porsche postponed it because of delays in battery cell supplies and doubts about demand for an electric sports car, the British magazine explains.

Its future was even in doubt, with several observers expecting the project to be dropped, Caradisiac reports. Porsche's new chief executive, Michael Leiters, settled the matter in an interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published on 4 August 2026. “We will build the model, because it is the best solution economically and it will be a fantastic car,” he said.

• Body styles: the Boxster convertible comes first. The Cayman coupé is due to follow, according to Auto Express.
• Powertrain: electric only, with no petrol version, even for the sportiest models.
• Name: Porsche refers to the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, but there is no guarantee these names will stay.
• Status: testing on roads and circuits, no production model unveiled yet.

While you wait for the electric 718, here is the electric Porsche you can already drive.

Why will there be no more petrol 718?

In 2025, Porsche still planned to keep a petrol engine for the most exclusive versions of the future 718, InsideEVs recalls. On 7 October 2026, presenting its strategy called Sportwagenschmiede '35 to investors, the brand changed course. The 718 will be electric only, and Porsche is counting on it to support sales from its first full year of production, in 2028.

The petrol 718, for its part, is no longer built. Its sales had already ended in Europe, apart from a few limited series, and the last cars left the Zuffenhausen factory in October 2025, according to Porsche.

The combustion engine is not disappearing from Porsche, though. On the same 7 October, the brand announced a mid-engined supercar that will sit above the 911 in its range, unveiled on 15 October as the Mission S concept. Michael Leiters also said the 911 would never be electric, Electrek reports.

Where is the electric 718's battery?

This is the big difference from most electric cars, whose battery is spread under the floor. On the 718, Porsche has placed it behind the two seats, in the space taken by the engine in the petrol versions. It is made of prismatic cells, split into three modules on two levels, and forms part of the car's crash structure, according to CAR and Auto Express.

This layout keeps the seats low and the balance of a mid-engined sports car. The prototype carries 55.2% of its weight on the rear axle, against 59.8% for the petrol Boxster, according to figures given to Car and Driver and reported by Electrek. For Robert Meier, who heads vehicle architecture at Porsche, the point is not simply to electrify a sports car but to preserve its character.

Porsche knows this layout well and calls it e-core. It had already shown it in 2021 on the Mission R racing concept, whose 82 kWh battery sat behind the driver.

What power and what range?

Porsche has given neither the power output, nor the battery capacity, nor the range. The brand only confirms an 800-volt architecture, as on the electric Macan, combined with temperature and charging management designed to allow fast and consistent charging, according to Robert Meier.

The prototype driven for the press is rear-wheel drive. An electric motor powers the rear wheels through a single-speed transmission, according to Auto Express. In the absence of official figures, here are the estimates of the journalists who rode in it.

• Auto Express: in the region of 500 to 600 bhp, the British unit, or about 510 to 610 hp, for a weight of about 1,700 kg.
• CAR: 0 to 100 km/h in just over 4 seconds, and about 210 km/h reached at the end of the straight on the Weissach track.

For driving feel, Porsche borrows the E-Shift system from its electric saloon. It simulates the gear changes of a dual-clutch gearbox, controlled by paddles on the steering wheel, with the sound of an older six-cylinder Boxster GTS. Drivers can also stay in automatic mode and use the paddles to adjust energy recovery under braking, Auto Express explains.

What price for the electric Porsche 718?

Porsche has not published any price for the electric Boxster or Cayman, in France, Belgium or Luxembourg. The press expects a clear increase over the petrol 718. Auto Express estimates that the electric Boxster will cost more than £100,000 in the United Kingdom, as Porsche's new strategy aims for higher prices.

The electric 718 should nevertheless remain the cheapest two-door sports car in the Porsche range, according to InsideEVs. The electric Cayman, which will arrive after the Boxster, has no price yet either.

When will the electric Porsche 718 be released?

Porsche has not yet given an unveiling date. The brand only says that 2028 will be the first full year of production, which puts the car's debut in 2027. Autocar expects a launch in 2027, and Auto Express an on-sale date the same year, with the coupé to follow.

Development is well advanced. To show the prototype to the press on the Weissach track, Porsche's development centre, the brand put Walter Röhrl, two-time world rally champion, behind the wheel. He told CAR he was sceptical when he first drove the car a few weeks earlier, before coming to enjoy it.

What will it look like?

Prototypes spotted on the road keep a silhouette close to the outgoing generation, with a charging flap in the centre at the rear, according to InsideEVs. On the car tested by Auto Express, the side air intakes were only stickers, a nod to the vanished mid-mounted engine, and the wheels measured 21 inches at the rear and 20 inches at the front.

The final name has yet to be confirmed. Porsche still refers to the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, but Auto Express doubts the brand will keep these names on a car that costs much more than the one it replaces.

Our view

Porsche has not simply slipped a battery into a 718. It has reworked the whole architecture to keep low seats and the balance of a mid-engined car, and the first passengers come away convinced. The success of the electric 718 will depend on figures Porsche has not yet released, its weight, its range and above all its price, expected in 2027.

FAQ: the electric Porsche 718

In summary

• The electric 718 will replace the petrol Boxster and Cayman, whose production ended in October 2025.
• Porsche confirms an electric-only version, a battery placed behind the seats and an 800-volt architecture.
• Unveiling expected in 2027, first full year of production in 2028.
• No official price, power or range for now. The press estimates power at roughly 510 to 610 hp.