Living with one of the world’s fastest cars in your garage must be difficult—unless you own a runway, it’s the equivalent of having a really expensive bottle of whisky in your collection. These cars cost millions of dollars, and while you are aware they’re faster than everything else on the road, the double-edged sword is knowing that you’ll never hit top speed. Every car on our list below can go well over 250mph (400km/h), but alas, only a rare few will know what that feels like. Still, there’s something inherently cool about owning a thoroughbred racehorse and driving it slow, knowing it could do it. Sometimes, it’s about the stat sheet, the top trumps, and the fastest cars in the world are just that.
Fastest Cars in the World at a Glance
Highlights from our list include the following options:
- Fastest car in the world: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
- Most powerful on the list: Rimac Nevera
- Quickest car (0-100km/h) on the list: Rimac Nevera
Now that you’ve looked at our favourites let’s check out the complete list.
Table of Contents
RELATED: These are the best luxury car brands in the world, according to us.
1. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
Top speed: 304.77 mph (490.48 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.4 seconds
Price: from USD$3.5 million
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ was the first production car to climb over the 300mph barrier when it set an official top speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) at the company’s test track. It’s an incredible feat and only made possible by the car’s monstrous 8.0-litre W-16 quad-turbo engine that produces 1,578 HP (1,160 kW) and more than 1,180 lb-ft of torque. This helps it achieve the top speed despite a comparatively high drag coefficient of 0.35 Cd, making it more brick-like than the second fastest production car in the world, the SSC Tuatara (0.279 Cd).
It’s important to note that while the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ can achieve these insane speeds, the brand has given it the same top-speed limiting treatment as all of their highest-performing vehicles, including the brand-new Tourbillon. Customer cars are electronically limited to 273 mph (440 km/h). Before you even ask the question, Bugatti says the speed limiter on the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ will never be removed, ever.
- Engine: 8.0-litre W-16, quad-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,578 HP (1,160 kW)
- Maximum torque: 1,180 lb-ft
- Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
- Coefficient of drag: 0.35 Cd
2. SSC Tuatara
Top speed: 295mph (475 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.7 seconds
Price: from USD$1.6 million
When SSC North America announced that its Tuatara hypercar reached an average speed of 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h) on a stretch of highway in the Nevada desert, it shocked the automotive world. It would have bested Bugatti’s top-speed run in the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ by a substantial margin, and finally cracked the 500km/h barrier. However, it turns out that this claim was entirely fabricated.
The brand admitted that the claimed speed was false in a social media post, “If it hasn’t been made clear up to this point, we would like to acknowledge officially that we did not reach the originally claimed speeds of 331 MPH or even 301 MPH in October of 2020,” the post read. We were truly heartbroken as a company to learn that we did not reach this feat, and we are in an ongoing effort to break the 300 MPH barrier transparently, officially, and undoubtedly.”
Still, that hasn’t stopped them from trying. The brand’s most recently recorded attempt, posted to YouTube in May 2022, shows them reaching a speed of 295mph (475 km/h) along a 2.3-mile stretch at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at Space Florida’s LLF, Kennedy Space Center. The scariest part is that the SSC Tuatara was still accelerating past the verified top speed when customer Larry Caplin had to let out, so we can only imagine what the number would be if the runway was longer.
- Engine: 5.9-litre V8, twin-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,750 HP (1,300 kW)
- Maximum torque: 984 lb-ft (1,350 Nm)
- Transmission: 7-speed CIMA single-clutch automated manual
- Coefficient of drag: 0.279 Cd
3. Koenigsegg Agera RS
Top speed: 277.87 mph (446.97 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.9 seconds
Price: from USD$2.55 million
The Koenigsegg Agera RS is the third fastest car in the world and the fastest Koenigsegg to be officially tested. A YouTube video posted by the brand showcases the car reaching an average top speed of 277.87 mph (446.97 km/h). It’s powered by a 5.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine that produces 1,176 HP (865kW) of power and 940 lb-ft (1280 Nm) of torque, making it among the most powerful cars on our list.
We know what you’re thinking: “Doesn’t the new Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut claim a top speed of 330mph?” Yes, but it’s never been tested on official grounds. It’s proven to be faster than the Agera RS and Regera in the 0-250mph-0 test, but the brand has never tested the maximum top speed of the Jesko Absolut in the real world yet. Although, that would surely be Christian von Koenigsegg’s mission.
Like so many cars on this list, the main reason we haven’t seen the Jesko Absolut hit the top speed is that there are only a handful of roads long enough on the planet. Most of them are public roads, or they’re owned by the Volkswagen Group (Bugatti), which won’t let anyone else use them.
- Engine: 5.0-litre V8, twin-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,176 HP (865kW)
- Maximum torque: 940 lb-ft (1280 Nm)
- Transmission: 7-speed CIMA single-clutch automated manual
- Coefficient of drag: 0.33 Cd
4. Bugatti Tourbillon
Top speed: 276 mph (445 km/h) with Speed Key
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.0 seconds
Price: from USD$4 million
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ might be the fastest car ever tested, but the Bugatti Tourbillon is the fastest car Bugatti customers can access. With a top speed of 276 mph (445 km/h) with Speed Key, this is faster than the Chiron 300+ in customer specification, which is electronically limited to 273 mph (440 km/h).
Unlike the Chiron, the Bugatti Tourbillon drops the quad-turbo W16 for a naturally aspirated 8.3-litre V16 hybrid. Still, it produces an earth-shattering 1,800 HP (1,342 kW) of power and 1464 lb-ft (1985 Nm) of torque, which helps it accelerate from 0-100km/h in two seconds flat before going on to that magical top speed of 276 mph (445 km/h). It’s also a Bugatti, so you know it can and will do it easily and comfortably.
- Engine: 8.3-litre V16, naturally aspirated
- Maximum power: 1,800 HP (1,342 kW)
- Maximum torque: 1464 lb-ft (1985 Nm)
- Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
- Coefficient of drag: N/A
5. Hennessey Venom F5
Top speed: 271.6mph (437 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.6 seconds
Price: from USD$1.6 million
Like the space race, the top speed crown is still being fought out between four major companies (Bugatti, Hennessey, SSC, and Koenigsegg). They are all attempting to break the 300mph barrier in a road car, and Hennessey’s weapon of choice is the Venom F5, which is powered by a 6.6-litre V8 twin-turbo engine that produces 1,817 HP (1,355 kW).
While the SSC Tuatara was caught up in controversy around its initial faked attempt, the Hennessey Venom F5 quietly put down a 271.6mph (437 km/h) top-speed run in 2022, which would cement it as the fifth-fastest vehicle of all time. If it had a longer runway, it would’ve gone faster, which is exactly what founder John Hennessey is trying to find.
In a recent update on YouTube, founder John Hennessey said that 2024 would be the year that the Venom F5 officially attempts to break the 300mph barrier. So we’ll quietly wait for the result. If only the Volkswagen Group would allow them to use Ehra-Lessien!
- Engine: 6.6-litre V8, twin-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,817 HP (1,355 kW)
- Maximum torque: 1193 lb-ft
- Transmission: 7-speed CIMA single-clutch automated manual
- Coefficient of drag: 0.33 Cd
6. Hennessey Venom GT
Top speed: 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.9 seconds
Price: from USD$1.4 million
“One day I joked about putting the Venom 1000 Twin Turbo engine (from the Viper) in the back of a Lotus Exige,” said John Hennessey when talking to Road and Track about the idea behind the Hennessey Venom GT. “Then I thought, let’s do a sketch and see what that might look like. When I saw the sketch I stopped laughing and really started to seriously think about this idea.”
“A mid-engine design like the Ford GT will put the weight of the motor and transmission over the rear tyres giving better traction. Design as much downforce as we will need to have a car that handles like a kart on the road or race track. At the same time, we also have a car with the best power-to-weight ratio possible, giving unmatched acceleration. This is how the Venom GT concept was born.”
What happened next was a new world speed record for two-seat sports cars, set on February 14, 2014, at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on the 3.2-mile Space Shuttle landing runway.
Hilariously, you could option your Hennessey Venom GT with a stereo system designed by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
- Engine: 7.0-litre GM LS7 V8, twin-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,244 hp (928 kW)
- Maximum torque: 1,155 lb-ft (1,566 Nm)
- Transmission: Ricardo 6-speed manual
- Coefficient of drag: 0.33 Cd
7. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Top speed: 267.856 mph (431.072 km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.5 seconds
Price: from USD$2.4 million
When it was released in 2010, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s fastest street-legal production car. Today, it’s beaten by its Chiron Super Sport 300+ sibling. Still, the 8.0-litre W-16 quad-turbo engine produced a whopping 1,200 PS (882 kW) of power and 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque, a remarkable amount for its time.
- Engine: 8.0-litre W-16, quad-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,200 PS (882 kW)
- Maximum torque: 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm)
- Transmission: 7-speed Ricardo dual-clutch automatic
- Coefficient of drag: 0.36 Cd (top-speed mode)
8. Rimac Nevera
Top speed: 256mph (412km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 1.8 seconds
Price: from USD$3 million
The Rimac Nevera is the king of electric vehicles, the quickest car on this list from 0 to 100km/h, and one of the fastest cars in the world, with a top speed of 256mph (412km/h).
Rimac was founded in 2009 by Mate Rimac, and today, it is part of the Bugatti Rimac joint company, which includes both Bugatti Automobiles and Rimac Automobili. It’s no surprise that the Nevera cracked the top 10 list then because Bugatti knows how to build some of the fastest cars in the world. However, this time, they’ve squeezed four independent electric motors onto each wheel with 1,888 HP (1,388 kW) of power and 1,741 lb-ft (2,340 Nm) of torque. That also makes it the most powerful car on this list!
- Powertrain: 4x independent surface-mounted, carbon-sleeve, permanent-magnet electric motors
- Maximum power: 1,888 HP (1,388 kW)
- Maximum torque: 1,741 lb-ft (2,340 Nm)
- Transmission: Single-speed direct-drive transmission
- Coefficient of drag: 0.30 Cd
9. McLaren Speedtail
Top speed: 250mph (403km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 3.0 seconds
Price new: from USD$2 Million
One of the best-looking vehicles on our list, the McLaren Speedtail is also one of the most valuable, sought-after, and prized vehicles, too. Its top speed of 250mph (403km/h) is impressive because it’s the least powerful vehicle on this list, with less than half the power of most cars here. Its 4.0-litre V8, twin-turbo engine produces a mere 746 HP (556 kW) of power and just 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. Still, it manages this remarkable speed easily thanks to its slippery body and low 0.278 Cd drag coefficient.
- Engine: 4.0-litre V8, twin-turbo
- Maximum power: 746 HP (556 kW)
- Maximum torque: 590 lb-ft (800 Nm)
- Transmission: 7-speed Graziano dual-clutch
- Coefficient of drag: 0.278 Cd
10. Koenigsegg Regera
Top speed: 249mph (400km/h)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62mph): 2.8 seconds
Price: from USD$1.9 million
One of the fastest cars in the world, from 0-400-0 km/h, the Koenigsegg Regera is likely faster than the 249mph (400km/h) top speed that is electronically limited. Still, the brand has never tested it, as such, it barely scrapes into the top 10 fastest cars in the world.
The 5.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine produces 1,500 HP (1,119 kW) of power and 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm) of torque. This power is sent through an innovative Koenigsegg Direct Drive Transmission (KDD), which saves 88kg and provides a direct link between the engine’s hydraulic coupling and the rear axle.
The result is a car that manages to reach its top speed in just 20.68 seconds, which makes it 0.64 seconds quicker than the Rimac Nevera.
- Engine: 5.0-litre V8, twin-turbo
- Maximum power: 1,500 HP (1,119 kW)
- Maximum torque: 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm)
- Transmission: Koenigsegg Direct Drive Transmission (KDD)
- Coefficient of drag: 0.278 Cd
Why You Should Trust This List
Unlike other lists on the internet, our list of the fastest cars in the world is NOT compiled by using manufacturers’ claims, and it might look a little different because of this. We’re not adding cars to our list that have not been officially tested. While highly reputable brands like Koenigsegg claim their brand new Jesko Absolut can do 330mph, we’ll wait until they’ve proven it can do so before we add it to the list. Of course, adding a car like the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ to the top of this list might raise some eyebrows because customers are not allowed to reach that 304.77 mph (490.48 km/h) top speed. However, it’s proven it can do it.
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