Roadster vs 20 fastest cars in the world

The NHRA Top Fuel dragster at 4.42 seconds and 328 mph, a recorded figure from before the class moved to 1,000 feet. It is a race machine with no road use. The quickest road car in the lineup is the Tesla Roadster at 7.40 seconds, which is our estimate, because the car has not been tested.

On the race page it is the Tesla Roadster at 0.81 seconds, a claimed figure. Among timed runs by road cars, the Rimac Nevera R leads at 1.66 seconds, recorded on Rimac's record day with Dewesoft timing; the track-only McMurtry Spéirling's prototype recorded 1.40 seconds with carwow. Makers time 0-60 differently, so every figure carries a label.

Claimed means the maker said it. Recorded means timed on an actual run: an instrumented test, a certified or verified record run, or a maker's own pass on a drag strip's timing system. Verified means an official body lists or confirms it, and reported means press we couldn't trace to a primary source. Converted is a 0-100 km/h claim converted to 0-60 mph, derived is our arithmetic from published data, and estimate is modeled for our race because no published figure exists.

Of cars built for customers, the Rimac Nevera R: 7.90 seconds, recorded on Rimac's own record day with Dewesoft timing, with an estimated 186 mph trap. Rimac plans 40 cars. The Tesla Roadster's 7.40 seconds is our estimate for an untested car, and the McMurtry Spéirling's 7.97 seconds was run over 400 meters by its 2021 prototype in 2022, with a speed limiter capping it at 150 mph.

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme. BYD says it reached 496.22 km/h (308.3 mph) on a one-way run at ATP Papenburg on September 14, 2025, a claimed figure with no independent certifier. The Top Fuel dragster holds a verified NHRA record of 346.95 mph, but that is measured at the end of a 1,000-foot run, not a top-speed test.

Tesla says the new Roadster hit 60 mph in 0.81 seconds on Tesla's own stage timer at its reveal, a claimed figure. No outlet has tested the car and Tesla hasn't published how the run was timed, so our 7.40-second quarter mile for it is an estimate. The Roadster profile lists every claim with its source.

Three things move the number. Most American tests subtract the first foot of rollout, worth about 0.2 to 0.3 seconds. A prepped drag strip grips far better than ordinary asphalt. And tires and temperature matter. The Tesla Model S Plaid shows the spread: MotorTrend recorded 1.98 seconds on a prepped strip and 2.28 seconds from a true standstill, against Tesla's claimed 1.99.

Drag strips coat the launch area with traction compound and rubber, so tires grip far harder than on a road. The Dodge Demon 170 shows the gap: Hagerty recorded 11.2 seconds for the quarter mile on ordinary asphalt and 9.721 seconds on a prepped strip. Chevrolet's recorded 8.675-second Corvette ZR1X pass was also on a prepped strip.

Off the line, mostly yes. Electric motors deliver full torque from a standstill, and four-motor cars can meter it to each wheel, so the Rimac Nevera R's recorded 7.90 seconds leads every gas road car. The quickest gas-only road car with a recorded run is the Dodge Demon 170 at 8.91 seconds, on E85 fuel. Hybrids such as the Corvette ZR1X, at a recorded 8.675 seconds, can split the two, though most hybrids in the lineup are slower than the Demon.

In our lineup, the Lucid Air Sapphire. MotorTrend recorded 1.881 seconds to 60 mph and 9.03 seconds at 154.8 mph for the quarter mile on Lucid's optional track tires, and in its 2024 comparison the Sapphire beat a Tesla Model S Plaid, 9.27 seconds to 9.55. The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra's 9.20 seconds in our race is an estimate.

Fans pull air from under the car, sucking it onto the road with up to 2,000 kg of downforce even when it is standing still, McMurtry claims. That grip lets it launch without wheelspin: carwow recorded 1.40 seconds to 60 mph with the 2021 prototype in 2022. The same suction let the car drive upside down in 2025. The McMurtry profile explains the system.

F1 cars are built for corners, not launches. They are rear-wheel drive and traction-limited off the line, and teams publish no acceleration times, so our 2.6 seconds to 60 mph and 8.6-second quarter mile for the F1 car are estimates. In carwow's 2023 drag race, a 2012 Red Bull RB8 ran 9.5 seconds while a Rimac Nevera and a McMurtry Spéirling both did 8.4.

On paper, yes. Formula E and the FIA claim 1.82 seconds to 60 mph for the Gen3 Evo with all-wheel drive, in a run at Misano that Formula E's CEO says the FIA timed. F1 publishes no figure, so our 2.6 seconds is an estimate. Over a quarter mile the F1 car's extra power should win: our race has it at 8.6 seconds against Formula E's estimated 9.00.

The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. Chevrolet timed its quarter mile at 8.675 seconds at 159.57 mph on its own pass, a recorded figure, and claims 1.68 seconds to 60 mph. Our race gives the Ferrari F80 and McLaren W1 estimated 9.00 seconds; MotorBox reported 8.8 seconds over 400 meters for the F80, and McLaren spec tables say under 9.6 seconds for the W1, also reported. Edmunds recorded 9.9 seconds at 143.7 mph for the Lamborghini Revuelto.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance. Car and Driver recorded an 11.0-second quarter mile at 125 mph, and Electrek reported its price as $54,990 before destination. The Ford Mustang GT starts at $47,800 before destination, Ford's claimed price, and the GT Premium that Car and Driver tested ran a recorded 12.2 seconds.

Because the race needs one quarter-mile time and trap speed for every car, and for some cars no complete, comparable run exists. The Tesla Roadster, Yangwang U9 Xtreme, F1 car, Bugatti Tourbillon and Formula E Gen3 Evo have no timed quarter mile at all. Others have partial figures that their profiles report: carwow recorded 9.3 seconds twice for the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, MotorBox reported 8.8 seconds over 400 meters for the Ferrari F80, and McLaren spec tables say under 9.6 seconds for the McLaren W1. The race still includes these cars, with those times labeled estimate, as the methodology guide explains.

Trap speed is how fast a car is going as it crosses the finish line, measured by timing lights at the end of the run. It tracks power more than launch: the Top Fuel dragster trapped a recorded 328 mph over the quarter mile, the Rimac Nevera R about 186 mph (an estimate), and the Ford Mustang GT a recorded 118 mph.

Several. Dodge says it built 3,300 Demon 170s and finished the last on December 22, 2023. The last R35 Nissan GT-R left its plant on August 26, 2025, Nissan says, and Tesla stopped building the Model S Plaid in May 2026. Car and Driver reported in December 2024 that BMW told dealers 2025 would be the last model year for the BMW M8 Competition coupe. Rimac plans 40 Nevera Rs, with about 20 reported to be in build; McMurtry says it will build at most 100 Spéirling PUREs, and BYD 30 or fewer U9 Xtremes.

It is the only car in the lineup most people can buy for under $50,000. Its 12.20-second quarter mile comes from an instrumented test and is quick by any normal standard; it is here as the everyday reference point.

Yes. The quarter-mile simulator lines up to five of the 21 cars side by side on the same strip, using the figures shown here.

Yes. The race page has a vote for the next challengers. Signing in with Google counts your vote, and racing never needs an account. You can also ask to be emailed when your car is selected and when it is added, and every car that joins gets a profile here.

Each profile shows the date it was last updated and is re-checked when a new test or record is published; everything on this page was last checked on October 25, 2026. Profiles also carry a live feed of news, posts and videos about each car.