Cars that are capable of the highest top speeds – over 250mph – tend to cost multiple millions to buy, with seriously bespoke engineering. They’re compromised in the relentless pursuit of speed records.
But is top speed relevant to anyone these days? Even if you take the fastest cars on a track, there are only a handful of circuits on earth where you can get anywhere near to their maximum velocity. It’s a nice stat to regale down the pub, but that’s it.
Our list of the fastest cars on sale today focuses instead on acceleration – something more relevant and usable in a safe and controlled environment, such as a track. We've ranked the fastest cars in the world based on their ability to rocket from a standing start to 60mph.
Acceleration can be experienced by everyone legally on the road. This is particularly the case with today’s fast cars with easy automatic gearboxes, all-wheel drive and the latest tyre technology. The cars in this list are so fast, though, we recommend taking them to a track – being reckless on the road or exceeding the speed limit can cause you to lose your licence if you’re lucky, and endanger lives if you aren’t.
While there are still plenty of expensive and bespoke models in this list, there are also a couple of surprises. With the electric car revolution (it’s relatively easy to make an EV go faster compared to a combustion engine car) searing acceleration has been democratised. The Tesla Model 3 Performance, for example, offers a 0-60mph time of under three seconds – that’s true supercar pace for a fraction of the cost.
But is that fast enough to make it into our list of the fastest cars in the world? Read on to find out.
World's fastest cars: the top 10
10: Lamborghini Revuelto
0-60mph: under 2.5 seconds
It’s only fit and proper that probably the ultimate bedroom wall poster supercar brand has an entrant in the top 10 fastest cars on sale. Some past Lamborghinis have been more about drama than outright speed, but the replacement for the long-lived Aventador certainly isn’t all mouth and no trousers.
The Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid, but it’s not all about saving the planet – two electric motors drive the front wheels but a thumping great 6.5 litre naturally aspirated V12 sends its fury to the rear wheels. The result is a combined 1001bhp, a claimed 0-60mph time of less than 2.5 seconds and 0-124mph in 7.0 seconds.
9: BYD Yanwang U9
0-60mph: 2.36 seconds
You should’ve heard of BYD by now. The Chinese brand has a global presence and is on track to shift more EVs than Tesla this year. But speed enthusiasts might not have BYD on its radar, as if we ignore the Model 3-rivalling Seal most of its models major on affordability rather than acceleration.
Until, that is, the Yangwang U9 arrived. Yangwang is BYD’s premium brand, and the striking two-door certainly sets up its stall well with 1287bhp from two electric motors and a quarter-mile time of well under ten seconds. The U9 also has a strange trick in the form of active suspension that can move individual wheels and briefly jump the car off the ground.
8: Tesla Model S Plaid
0-60mph: 1.99 seconds
Fear not, Tesla fans: the mighty Model S Plaid makes it into this list to prove – like a certain other four-door saloon further below – you don’t need to sacrifice practicality in the pursuit of savage acceleration.
We can view the Model S Plaid as the budget option in this list (yes, budgets are relative here) with pricetag of ‘just’ £113,000. It features all the technology we’re used to seeing on Teslas but adds into the mix a full 1020bhp via three electric motors. There’s some controversy here, however – Tesla’s claimed sub-2.0 seconds 0-60 time uses a one-foot rollout, where the car is only timed once moving. Timed in a comparable way to the other cars on this list the Plaid manages 0-60 in around 2.3 seconds, though, which isn’t exactly slow.
7: Pininfarina B95
0-60mph: < 2.0 seconds
Automobili Pininfarina’s best-known creation is the Rimac-based Battista, which would be higher up this list were it not sold out and thus disqualified. But don’t fear, the Italian brand’s latest EV creation isn’t exactly a slouch.
The B95 is a roofless – yes, really – hypercar with a mammoth 1876bhp power output unleashed onto the road via no fewer than four electric motors. Pininfarina claims a 0-60mph sprint time of sub-two seconds, which should be quite alarming in a car with no roof and – shudder – no proper windscreen. Happily, you can order bespoke helmets to match the car.
6: Bugatti Tourbillon
0-60mph: < 2.0 seconds
It might surprise you that Bugatti’s latest model doesn’t quite make it into the top five fastest accelerating cars. But in top speed terms, the new, £3.2 million Tourbillon is right up there. It replaces the Bugatti Chiron, ditching the now-legendary quad-turbo W16 engine for a screaming new naturally-aspirated V16.
That on its own produces 986bhp, which is a lot but not enough for this list. No, it’s the trio of Rimac-sourced electric motors that gives the plug-in hybrid Tourbillon real pace thanks to 1775bhp. Despite weighing two tonnes it’s claimed to do the 0-60mph sprint in under two seconds and 0-124mph in five. And this is Bugatti, so we know those numbers haven’t been plucked out of thin air.
5: Lucid Air Sapphire
0-60mph: 1.93 seconds
Not all of the world’s fastest accelerating cars have seven-figure price tags and look like something Batman takes on a track day. The Lucid Air is a posh but unassuming-looking luxury electric car that looks more of a cruiser than a bruiser. Don’t judge a book by its cover, however.
The Sapphire version of the Air is tuned for maximum performance, putting out over 1200bhp using three electric motors. Despite weighing nearly 2.4 tonnes, Lucid has demonstrated that’s sufficient for a 0-60mph time of just over 1.9 seconds and 0-100mph in under four seconds. For any car that’s an achievement, for a big luxury limo with a comfort focus it’s astounding.
4: Koenigsegg Gemera
0-60mph: under 1.9 seconds (claimed)
Unhinged Swedish hypercar maker Koenigsegg is well-versed in the art of performance, having claimed its first production car speed record way back in 2005. That record was beaten just seven months later by the iconic Bugatti Veyron, but Koenigsegg wasn’t deterred.
Since then we’ve seen all sorts of wild creations from the firm, making the latest model – the Gemera – look surprisingly civilised. It has four seats, for one, and is branded as a ‘grand tourer’, but how many GT cars do you know with 2268bhp. No, that isn’t a typo, with the Gemera’s hybrid twin-turbo V8 making it the most powerful production car in history. It’s also the only petrol model to feature in the top five in this list.
3: Rimac Nevera
0-60mph: 1.74 seconds
Croatian outfit Rimac is no small-fry car company. It might only be 15 years old, but in that time company boss Mate Rimac has gone from EV conversions of old BMWs to leading the Bugatti Rimac joint venture. Ah yes, Bugatti – a company which knows a thing or two about speed.
The Rimac Nevera is an EV hypercar with extraordinary talents, not least an output of 1888bhp via four electric motors. In 2023 it secured no fewer than 23 independent speed records in a single day, including a 0-186mph time of just 9.22 seconds. To put that into perspective, that’s about as long as an average family car takes to do 0-60. Oh, and an even faster Nevera R is on the way, if such a thing was ever needed…
2: Aspark Owl
0-60mph: 1.72 seconds
The curiously-named Aspark Owl is no cute nocturnal bird. It’s a bit of a monster, what with its four electric motors pumping a ridiculous 1985bhp through all four wheels. Unlike the fastest car in our list it’s also road-legal – although with a list price of around £2.5 million your chances of seeing one cruising down the M4 are slim.
Aspark has tested the Owl at the Misano World Circuit in Italy, where it achieved 0-60mph in 1.72 seconds with road-legal tyres. It also holds the Guinness World Record for the highest average speed over a quarter of a mile, at over 198mph. The Rimac Nevera, however, claims the quickest overall quarter-mile time – and runs the Owl tantalisingly close for the 0-60mph sprint.
1: McMurtry Speirling
0-60mph: 1.5 seconds
Be still for a moment of national pride: the fastest accelerating car on the planet is British built. You might never have heard of McMurtry before the small but mighty Spéirling came along and monstered the hillclimb record at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed. But it’s certainly made a statement.
The electric single-seater, which puts out 1000bhp while weighing less than 1000kg, is capable of 0-60mph in under 1.5 seconds and 0-100mph in an astonishing 2.6 seconds. It’s as close to a racing car as it’s possible to be, but McMurtry will sell track-only versions to well-healed customers in 2025 at just under £1 million a pop. A road-going version is in the works, though, which is why it makes this list.
The Spéirling’s biggest party-trick is its Formula 1-inspired underbody fan that sucks the car to the road surface, developing 2000kg of downforce on-demand.
Fastest cars in the world FAQs
What's the number one fastest car in the world?
If you’re looking for the fastest accelerating car money can buy, then the incredible McMurtry Spéirling holds that title. Its 0-60mph time of less than 1.5 seconds is mighty enough, but it’s the 0-100mph time of 2.6 seconds that really excites.
If your definition of the fastest car in the world is the one with the highest top speeds, then the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut’s absurd 330mph claimed maximum sits at the top of the production car tree.
What’s the fastest street legal car in the world?
The McMurtry Spéirling might be the fastest car available to purchase, but it’s not currently road legal. Until then, the Aspark Owl is the fastest street legal car in terms of acceleration, while the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut holds the record for the highest top speed.
What's the fastest car ever recorded in history?
It stretches the definition of ‘car’, but the World Land Speed Record was claimed by ThrustSSC way back in 1997. Driven by Andy Green across a US desert, the twin turbofan jet-powered ThrustSSC achieved an astonishing 763.035mph over one mile – exceeding the sound barrier. That record still stands today.
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