The fastest production cars in the world
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=9. Aspark Owl – 258mph
It seems as if a new hyper-EV is launched every week, but few can lay claim to bragging rights like Japan’s Aspark Owl can. Like the Nevera (below), the Owl claims a clutch of records: at 258mph, it’s the fastest electric car money can buy, and it also recorded 192mph average speed over an eighth of a mile, and 198.12mph in the quarter mile. Aspark says the Owl is fitted with a “unique” battery pack and claims a 280-mile range – although its 64kWh lithium-ion battery pack is smaller than those fitted by Rimac and Lotus.
The Aspark Owl set its quarter-mile record in the UK in 2023
=9. Rimac Nevera – 258mph
If ever there was a car that put to bed the myth that electric cars are slow, it’s the Rimac Nevera. The Croatian hypercar has clocked 258mph, making it the joint-fastest electric car in the world. It’s also the world’s fastest accelerating production car over the quarter mile (8.582sec), can accelerate from 0-62mph in 1.95sec and 0-100mph in 4.3sec. If there’s a caveat, it’s that customer cars are limited to ‘just’ 219mph, but Rimac can override this to achieve V-max at official Rimac events.
Read our Rimac Nevera review here
10. SSC Ultimate Aero TT – 256.1mph
SSC, then known as Shelby Supercars, produced the Ultimate Aero for seven years – not a long lifespan, but long enough to overtake Bugatti in the top speed stakes. In September 2007, the 1183bhp, twin-turbocharged V8 hypercar used a temporarily-closed two-lane stretch of public road near the Washington company’s headquarters to set an average top speed of just over 256mph.
Read our SSC Ultimate Aero TT first drive review from back in 2007
11. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 – 253.8mph
At the time it was the most expensive and most powerful road car ever built, but VW Group bosses wanted the Bugatti Veyron to be officially the fastest car in the world as well. An 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine produced 987bhp from the factory, with a seven-speed automatic gearbox sending power all four wheels. The car had to be put into its Top Speed Mode for the run, activated with a special key that retracts the rear spoiler, shuts the front air diffuser and lowers the ground clearance to just 6.5cm. The result? A record-breaking 253.8mph at VW’s Ehra-Lessien test facility.