Ranked: The fastest electric cars

Japan’s nascent electric hypercar company has wasted no time in staking its claim to the title of ‘world’s quickest car’. It is without question one of the fastest cars ever built. 

It set two world records in 2023, completing an eighth of a mile at an average speed of 192.03mph (309.02kph) and the quarter mile at an average speed of 198.12mph (318.85kph).

Roll on November 2024, where it achieved a Guinness world record for the fastest battery-powered electric prototype hypercar in the world, hitting a top speed of 273 miles per hour. 

Powered by four electric motors with a staggering combined output of 1985bhp, the Owl has already rattled off the 0-60mph sprint in 1.72sec, and its creators reckon there’s the potential to shave a further few tenths from this figure.

Its specially developed 64kWh battery gives a claimed range of 280 miles. Aspark plans to build just 50 examples of the Owl, each priced at a cool £2.5 million.

Rimac the company has gone from almost nothing to EV industry leader as quickly as its flagship Nevera gets from 0-60mph (it takes 1.85 seconds for the record, while 185mph comes up in just 11.8 seconds). 

With investment from Porsche and now part of the Bugatti family, the Croatian firm has got the jump on many established manufacturers when it comes to high-performance electric car tech. 

In the warm and dry and on a straight road, the Nevera accepts an astonishing amount of power without fuss in what is an extremely uncomfortable experience for my insides.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

The Nevera itself is a carbon fibre-bodied two-seater that packs four torque vectoring motors (one for each wheel) with a total output of 1887bhp.

These are powered by a 120kWh battery that promises 340 miles between charges, a number that’s almost as eye-catching as the £2 million price.

There’s a higher-powered version - the Nevera R - on the way, too. That car gets 2078bhp and a 0-62mph sprint of 1.81sec. And it’ll hit 186mph faster than a Volkswagen Golf will hit the national speed limit… 

Under the Battista’s curvaceous carbon fibre skin is the same powertrain used in the Rimac Nevera.

With four motors and a combined output of 1876bhp, performance is ferocious and the company claims a 0-62mph time of less than 2.0sec. 

In the Battista, the front ones make 335bhp apiece and the rears 603bhp each. Any one of them would be enough; all four together make the full 1876bhp.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

Despite being closely related to the Rimac, the two share only about 50% of their components, so the 150 purchasers of the £2 million Pininfarina will be getting a bespoke machine.

 In fact, the Italian styling house says the Battista is more of a grand tourer than the rather rawer Rimac.

Four years after its initial debut, the first Lotus Evija production cars have finally started to reach their very patient owners. 

The 2011bhp Evija is not only one of the fastest electric cars on sale but also one of the fastest cars ever built. Lotus claims it can sprint from 0-62 mph in “less than three seconds,” but it can also accelerate from 0 to 190mph in a staggering 9.1se. 

The lack of an engine and gearshifts definitely alters the experience of pushing a hypercar on track, much more so than when driving a regular EV on road.

Even so, while the performance figures attract the headlines, Lotus is keen that its mid-engined machine stays true to the firm’s lightweight roots and delivers on its reputation for thrilling handling. 

A target mass of 1700kg looks a little hefty in isolation, but it undercuts many similar electrically powered supercars, while its carefully developed driver modes and four-wheel torque vectoring have already impressed us in a brief drive of a prototype.

Any Taycan you choose will be brilliantly quick, but none more so than the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, which is one of the fastest electric cars money can buy today. 

It uses the same battery and twin-motor hardware as a Taycan Turbo S and dials it up to 11 thanks to software derived from Porsche’s Formula E exploits. Total power stands at 1093bhp and 988lb ft, which means 0-62mph in a face-melting 2.2sec. 

The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT can play the all-conquering GT department track car with enormous pace, and very well - to a point

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

If you’re not keen on having your foot to the floor at all times, though, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Taycan’s big 105kWh battery, which is good for 345 miles of range. 

Add the Weissach package and you’ll also get a larger rear wing, more aerodynamic underbody panels and you’ll also drop 70kg in weight thanks to lighter glass, removal of the back seats and other components. 

Arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated EVs of the year, the enigmatically titled Lucid Air isn’t short of headline-grabbing numbers. 

Developed in California and featuring jaw-dropping concept car looks, in flagship Dream Edition guise the luxurious four-door saloon promises up to 1065bhp from twin electric motors, promises a top speed of 235mph and claims it’ll travel 520 miles between recharges. 

The Air does its best work as a truly innovative, efficient and desirable luxury saloon, and this is the direction in which Lucid should hone the car.

Mark Tisshaw, Editor

Of course it's quick off the mark too, despite weighing just over two tons, and can zap from standstill to 60mph in just 2.5 seconds.

It’s not just the car itself that’s fast either, because it’s claimed the Air can handle rapid charging of up to 300kW, meaning 300 miles of range can be added in only 20 minutes.

Now, come on Lucid. Get it into the UK!

The Model S Plaid is only available from stock and in left-hand-drive in the UK, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the fastest electric cars on sale. 

The brand’s flagship saloon isn’t wasting any time hanging about, with its 1006bhp tri-motor layout delivering the 0-60mph sprint in a claimed 1.99 seconds. 

While the Plaid is sufficiently pleasant on the daily grind, its refinement isn’t enough of a distinguishing feature to excuse the handling, which is at best lacklustre

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

Bear in mind the brand uses the North American roll-out acceleration standard, which only starts timing the run after the car’s moved about a third of metre. In reality, this shaves around a tenth of a second from the true standing start figure.

Our tests actually measured a more accurate time of 2.4sec in its most intense driving mode. Regardless, that’s certainly nothing to scoff at and is faster than a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. 

Yes the Model S’s handling remains as involving as a conversation with a dry stone wall, but for out and out acceleration there’s not a four-door family car in the world that can touch the Tesla.

Lots of changes were made to the Audi E-tron GT at the end of 2024, including efficiency boosts, weight saving and, most importantly in the context of this list, performance. 

In its most powerful form, the E-tron GT RS Performance, you’ll get dual motors and 912bhp (with launch control) and will be blasted from 0-62mph in just 2.5sec. 

With the upgraded battery pack and significantly improved efficiency, this E-tron GT is much more capable of actual grand touring than the original.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

If you do manage to drain the batteries (an easy task, trust us), you’ll be able to take advantage of the E-tron GT’s 320kW charging speed. Audi also claims up to 365 miles on a charge, but our real-world tests achieved closer to 280 miles. 

While the RS Performance is indeed blisteringly fast, we’d argue you don’t even need all that power. Our pick of the range is the S with 671bhp, which already feels seriously quick. 

While it’s late to the EV party, Maserati has made sure it’s made a big entrance. 

Based on its all-new GranTurismo sportscar, which has been engineered to accommodate both ICE and electric powertrains, the Italian newcomer is packed with cutting edge kit designed to boost performance. 

It is rather a likeable machine, despite lacking the overt sonic charm of Granturismos of yesteryear and carrying around with it nearly 2.4 tonnes.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

Three electric motors (two at the rear and one at the front) provide 751bhp, which combine with the weight-saving aluminium construction to help the Maserati streak from 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds. 

The Folgore also gets 800V architecture that allows rapid DC charging of the battery from 20 to 80% in as little as 18 minutes. Better still, it’s good to drive, the rapid acceleration joined by agile and engaging torque-vectored handling.