The 911 is going electric, but Porsche is not rushing the transition. It’s been around for more than 60 years, and during that time it’s remained the definitive sports car through a process of constant evolution, not overnight reinvention.

Step one towards full electric was the last year’s GTS hybrid, a new 992.2-generation 911 with a 54bhp electric motor that massively improves performance over the previous GTS. But it has no EV-only mode, so you’re never without that magnificent six-cylinder engine. It’ll be 2030 at the earliest before we see a fully electric 911.

So what do you buy if you want a car that gives you the thrill of a 911, but with a plug instead of pistons, and you want it today? The premium end of the EV market has developed much more slowly than the mass market, and car makers have been cautious about jumping in to such a high-profile, low-volume part of the market, so options are limited. But they are out there, some of them wearing very familiar badges.

These are the electric cars that could replace a 911 in your garage – at least until the real 911 EV lands.

From the mid-engined Merak to the three-box Biturbo, the curvy 3200 GT and Coupe and, more recently, two generations of GranTurismo, Maserati has been trying to steal 911 sales almost as long as there’s been a 911. Can electric power finally give it an edge?

The latest GranTurismo and its GranCabrio sister start at £125,355 in the UK and come with a twin-turbo, 3.0-litre V6 lifted from the MC20 supercar, making between 483 and 542bhp depending on which version you go for. But add £53k to the pot and you can swap six pistons for three electric motors and gain a spaghetti western’s worth of additional horses in the process.

Power jumps to 751bhp, launching the £178,650 Folgore version (Italian for ‘lightning’) to 62mph in 2.7 seconds and on to a 202mph top speed, versus 2.9sec and 194mph for a new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS hybrid. Maserati has even repurposed the big aluminium shift paddles as brake regeneration controllers to let you dial in the amount of g-force working in the opposite direction.

Supple damping means the Folgore isn’t only faster than a 911 GTS, but rides better too. And that doesn’t mean handling takes a back seat (which is much roomier than the Porsche’s, in case you were wondering). Because two of the three motors are mounted at the rear axle you get true torque vectoring to help point the trident badge on the wing into corners and convince you the GranTurismo EV isn’t really hauling around 460kg of extra baggage over the V8 version.

A big 92.5 kWh battery shoulders much of the blame for the 2260kg kerbweight, and for shrinking the boot space. But even with that big battery the Maserati’s range looks off the pace in an era of 350-mile EVs. Maserati quotes 275 miles, but 240 miles is a more realistic figure in our experience.

At least the 270 kW charge rate is rapid enough to not leave you hanging around at chargers too long. Because idle hands will only get frustrated with the sluggish response of the dual-screen infotainment system and cheap-feeling buttons in an otherwise handsome interior whose quality missteps are the Maserati’s Achilles’ heel.

MG’s most famous car made its debut in 1962, the year before Porsche unveiled the 911. But while a time-travelling Porschephile would still just about recognise the original in the shape and basic mechanical layout of today’s 911, the MG Cyberster’s electric power and Lamborghini-style scissor doors mean it bears little resemblance to the MGB beyond having two seats and no roof.

A two-seat roadster – and later this year a coupe – styled like a 1990s Tokyo motor show concept, the Cyberster’s not a direct 911 rival in pedigree, polish or price. The base, single-motor Trophy costs £54,995 and the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive GT is £5k more. Hardly traditional MG territory, but still half the price of the cheapest 911, the £104,700 Carrera.

Against the clock, though, the gap narrows. The 503bhp Cyberster GT makes as much power as Porsche’s red-hot 911 GT3, never mind that base 911, and a 3.2sec 0-62mph time puts it 0.7sec ahead of the 389bhp Carrera too. But as much as the pace, it’s the refinement of the Cyberster that really stands out. It rides bumps like it’s just flattening them as it goes down the road. Which, given it weighs 1985kg, it probably is.

But for Porsche fans the Cyberster probably nudges the ride/handling ratio a little too far in the cushy direction. It’s controlled, stable and inspires confidence, even disguising its weight well at medium-fast speeds. But it lacks that sizzle, that connection through the steering that the 911 – any 911 – delivers, and the arthritic doors and too-high driving position mean you’ll feel let down before you’ve got to the driving bit.

The Cyberster’s not a bad first effort, and the electric convertible angle gives it a nice USP at the £55k-£60k mark, but we think it’ll find life tougher when Porsche’s electric Boxster and Cayman, and Alpine’s A110 EV, arrive in showrooms.

The electric Boxster, Cayman and A110 are currently scheduled to arrive in 2026, and none of those cars will have the little rear seats some 911 owners swear by, even if it is just because they’re a handy place to throw a squashy bag. But there is a new EV, one that looks a bit like a 911 and accelerates like a 911, and though if it doesn’t quack like a 911 (despite the availability of an optional sound generator) it does at least have a Porsche badge. We’re talking about the Taycan.

Yes, the Taycan is technically a sports saloon and estate, not a sport car, but drive one and you’ll soon be convinced that labels are overrated. The original was great fun but hamstrung by a so-so electric range. The recently facelifted Taycan’s legs are both longer and more muscular, making it more decathlete than dedicated sprinter.

For the £100k-plus a base 911 Carrera costs you can take home a Taycan 4S with 200bhp more than the 911 when overboost is active, and the 690bhp, £118,200 Taycan GTS and 872bhp, £135,200 Turbo versions both come in under the £144,400 you’d spend on a new 911 GTS 4 hybrid.

Zero to 62mph times range from 3.7sec to 2.7sec, and even down to an unholy – and frankly uncomfortable – 2.2sec if you splash out £189k on the Nürburgring-crushing Turbo GT with the optional Weissach pack, whose tricks include deleting the back seat for an even more 911-like experience.

The law of diminishing returns means a 4S or GTS is arguably the sweet spot, delivering more kick than you’ll ever need and a connection to the road that lifts the Taycan above other EVs. Brakes, steering, body control: they might not be up to 911 spec, but there’s no mistaking the family connection, particularly when equipped with rear-axle steering and torque vectoring, which come standard on the GTS.

All UK Taycans get the 97kWh Performance Battery Plus that’s an extra-cost option on the bottom-rung models in the US and some other markets, and out in the wild the slinky saloon can swallow 320kW charge loads. That can take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 18 minutes, though WLTP range figures of up to 400 miles on the 4S – call it a still solid 330 real miles – mean you won’t need to make those charging stops very often.

If you’re less concerned about a sporty shape, and more interested in driving dynamics, the Porsche Macan Electric is also well worth a look, and costs less than the Taycan.

The Taycan is one of our favourite EVs and makes it easier for us to imagine what an electric 911 might feel like a few years from now. But it isn’t a 911, and if only a 911 will do then you’ve got two options: sit tight and wait for 2030, or hang on tight as you push the floor-hinged throttle pedal of a real 911 EV into the bulkhead. Porsche might not be ready to sell you a battery-powered new 911, but specialists including Electrogenic, Fellten and Everrati have perfected the art of adding electric power to an old one.

It’s a controversial swap, we know. A 911’s flat-six isn’t some boring 1.6-litre turbo four, the kind of white-goods engine you find in every modern crossover – it’s the heart of the car. But come to one of these conversions with an open mind and you’ll find that they still retain some soul. One or two even retain the manual transmission.

All of the available electric 911s are based on classic air-cooled Porsches, which you need to bear in mind, as there are two major consequences. One is they’re old cars and will feel old, even freshly restored and with 50 per cent more power and performance than they had when new. That’s fine for weekend duties, but the novelty might wear off if you’re looking for a daily driver.

They’re also pricy due to the high cost of the donor car, the EV powertrain components and the labour to marry them together. Expect to pay £150k-£250k, and don’t expect Taycan-level range figures or top-up times. Around 200 miles between fills and 50-150kW peak charge speeds are the norm.

Which of these truly replaces a 911? Truth is, none of them, not exactly. The 911’s mix of heritage, versatility, sophistication and mechanical authenticity is hard to beat. You can see why Porsche is taking its time over building an electric version. But each of our rivals makes a case for itself. The Maserati has the glamour and the MG is big on value, but we’d go with the Taycan. It might not be a true 911 replacement, but it’s a true Porsche, just without the petrol.