The Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist program is about keeping pedestrians and animals safe on the road at night. It can see things beyond your low-beam headlights.
You should still drive as normal, always using low-beam and high-beam lights at night!
It detects people, pets, and wildlife ahead. If they move into your path, the system will sound a warning and the highlighting color will turn red. If applicable, you must react quickly and press the brake pedal to reduce your speed or swerve to prevent a potential collision.
This article will walk you through the Porsche Taycan Night View Assist program and how to turn it on or off. As always, consult your owner’s manual before operating any driver assistance software.
Table of Contents
What is Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist?
The Night View Assist program on the Porsche Taycan is there to warn you of pedestrians or animals you might not see in the darkness.
It uses an infrared camera to spot heat signatures. You can bring up a live feed to see what it’s detecting, even beyond your low-beam headlight range.
The Night View Assist will identify any people or animals either in your path or moving into it. It’ll then flash and sound a warning, prompting you to press the brake pedal. You’ll always need to react to each situation as appropriate – the system can make mistakes.
Night Vision Assist won’t apply the brakes for you.
You can deactivate the Taycan’s Night View Assist and still have the thermal imaging camera feed running. However, it won’t warn you of any dangers.
How to switch Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist on
Switch the Taycan’s Night Vision Assist program on by following these instructions:
- On the central display, go to Assistance.
- Select Basic assistance.
- Open Night View Assist.
- Activate Night Vision Assist.
The infrared camera is now actively monitoring the road ahead of you. It’s looking for pedestrians and animals you might hit due to the darkness. If it detects someone or something, you’ll be given a warning.
Adjusting the settings for Night View Assist
You can adjust the following settings for the Taycan Night Vision Assist:
- Collision warning time
- Early
- Medium
- Late
- Picture contrast
Go to the following menu to alter these settings to your preferences.
- Open Assistance.
- Choose Assistance system settings.
- Bring up Night View Assist.
How to use Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist
Before using the Taycan’s Night Vision Assist, you should know several things about it. Consult your owner’s manual for more information.
How the Night View Assist alerts you and the pedestrian/animal
The Night Vision Assist software highlights all people or large animals on the infrared feed in yellow.
If one moves into your path, they’re highlighted in red. At the same time, there’s an audible warning within the cabin, alerting the driver.
For Taycan models with LED-matrix headlights, the lights will also flash at the pedestrian or animal. This helps warn them of the danger. The only exception is in urban areas, where the lights won’t blink at animals.
Cleaning the infrared camera while driving
You must regularly clean the Night Vision Assist camera. To do this:
- Press the button underneath the wiper stalk.
This cleans the infrared camera and ensures it works as well as possible by giving it a clear line of sight.
Operating Night View Assist safely
Never take your eyes off the road. The Night Vision Assist is an assistance system – you should never rely on it to drive safely. It’s no replacement for a fully aware, competent driver.
The system will warn you when the Taycan’s Night Vision Assist notices a pedestrian or an animal in your path (or moving into it). You’ll have to make a snap decision and decide whether or not to apply the brakes/swerve to avoid a collision.
Note that the system isn’t always accurate and may be affected by factors such as ambient temperature, weather, driving conditions, etc.
If you notice the following icon on your display:
- A person crossing the road with a line crossed through them (yellow)
Then the warning system isn’t working. It can’t detect people or animals. Drive with care.
Switching Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist off
Switch the Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist off by following these instructions:
- Go to Assistance.
- Choose Basic assistance.
- Open Night View Assist.
- Deactivate Night Vision Assist.
This doesn’t deactivate the infrared camera. You can still display this on your screen. However, it does deactivate the warning. You won’t be warned of anything in or entering your driving line.
Check out this PDF from the owner’s manual to learn more about Porsche Taycan Night Vision Assist. Make sure to read the entire manual before operating your car. This contains more information about the system’s limitations.
