Ranked: The fastest road-legal cars

Top speed: 308.4mph

It seems as if a new hyper-EV is launched every week, but few can lay claim to bragging rights like China's Yangwang U9 Xtreme. 

It previously dethroned the Rimac Nevera as the world's fastest electric car, recording a speed of 293.54mph. But that wasn't enough for the high-ups at Yangwang (BYD's luxury car brand) so it went back to the ATP test track in Germany where it recorded a top speed of 308.4mph, making it the fasted production car on the planet. 

The U9 Xtreme makes a searing 2978bhp, is claimed to hit 60mph in under 2.0sec and costs around £200,000 in China. 

Top speed: 304.7mph

Many would argue that the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is the world’s actual fastest production car because it has actually officially clocked its ridiculous headline speed. 

Based on the regular Bugatti Chiron, the Super Sport 300+ was launched by Le Mans winner and Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace to an eye-watering 304.7mph in Germany back in 2019.

Power comes from a W16 engine with 1578bhp and 1180lb ft, which is capable of sprinting from 0-124mph in 5.8sec and 0-186mph in a scarcely believable 12.1sec.

The record-breaking car was also fitted with lighter seats, a lowered ride height and a roll cage. 

Just 30 Chiron Super Sport 300+ production cars were built, but these all had a limited top speed of 273mph.

Top speed: 282.9mph

With 1750bhp and an 8800rpm redline, the SSC Tuatara means business. Power is sent to the rear wheels from a 5.9 litre V8 engine.

Mired in controversy from the outset, the SSC Tuatara’s initial claim of an ‘official’ 331mph top speed run was quickly debunked following accusations of misleading video ‘evidence’ and some belated admissions that there may have been ‘accuracy’ issues with the data logging kit.

The Tuatara returned for another attempt in 2021, hitting an average speed of 282.9mph over two runs on the same stretch of road. It might not be the initially quoted 316mph, but that’s still unbelievably quick. 

Top speed: 282mph

The Bugatti Mistral is officially the world’s fastest open-top car, achieving a top speed world record at 282mph in 2024. 

Although it might look like a Chiron with the roof chopped off, the Mistral is its own unique beast with bespoke bodywork. 

It marked the final use of the brand’s famed W16 engine that first came into production with the Veyron. 

If you want one, you unfortunately can’t have one. Just 99 cars were built and sold before the car was revealed, at a price of £4.17 million a pop. 

Top speed: 277mph

The Bugatti Tourbillon is the firm’s latest ultra-powered hypercar and arrives 20 years after the hallowed Bugatti Veyron. 

Its plug-in hybrid 8.3-litre, naturally aspirated V16 engine pumps out 1775bhp, which means a 0-62mph of just 2.0sec and a top speed of 277mph, though customer cars are limited to 236mph. 

We doubt this will matter to most buyers, but as it’s a PHEV with a 25kWh battery, it can also travel up to 37 miles on electric power alone.

Top speed: 271mph

Unlike its Lotus Exige-based predecessor, the Hennessey Venom F5 is a bespoke build from the ground up - a first for the American firm.

Featuring a carbonfibre tub and a twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V8 that packs a monstrous 1817bhp and gearbox-shredding 1193lb ft, the F5 sprints from 0-250mph in just 15.5sec – half the time of the Bugatti Chiron.

Hennessey also promises a top speed of 341mph, although 271.6mph is as fast as the car has gone so far.

Top speed: 268.2mph

The 2078bhp Nevera R became the world’s fastest electric car early this year, clocking a top speed of 268.2mph.

While that title has now been eclipsed by the beguiling Yangwang U9 Xtreme, the hardcore Nevera R is still a rocketship, with a higher top speed than the Bugatti Veyron Supersport. 

The R can also sprint from standstill to 249mph and back to zero in a record-breaking 25.79sec. 

Top speed: 268mph

When it used a customer's Agera RS to earn the outright world record top speed in 2017, Koenigsegg also took the record for the highest speed ever recorded on a public road.

Mercedes had held that particular crown since 1938, when a highly modified W125 grand prix car managed 268mph on a closed stretch of autobahn.

As an indication of 80 years of progress, the Agera RS was entirely standard, with Koenigsegg's optional 1MW engine package producing a colossal 1360bhp.