The electric top speed record, year by year.
The fastest speed ever recorded by an electric car is 496.22 km/h, set by the YangWang U9 Xtreme in 2025. The fastest production EV — a car a customer can order — is the Rimac Nevera R at 431.45 km/h (2024). Faster still, but not a car: the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 land-speed streamliner at 549.4 km/h.
Last verified: July 26, 2026 · Methodology
| Year | Car | Speed | Class | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 | 549.4 km/h | Land-speed streamliner | Two-way average at Bonneville Salt Flats. A land-speed streamliner, not a road car — included for context: this is the outright electric land speed record. |
| 2022 | Rimac Nevera | 412 km/h | Production car | Verified at the Automotive Testing Papenburg oval. First production EV past 400 km/h. |
| 2024 | Rimac Nevera R | 431.45 km/h | Production car | Production-car record run at Papenburg. The fastest EV you could actually order. |
| 2024 | Aspark Owl SP600 | 438.7 km/h | Prototype / one-off | A one-off variant of the Owl. Fastest speed by an electric hypercar prototype at the time. |
| 2025 | YangWang U9 Track Edition | 472.41 km/h | Limited series | Papenburg run with a professional driver. A ~30-unit track-focused series. |
| 2025 | YangWang U9 Xtreme | 496.22 km/h | Prototype / one-off | The fastest speed ever recorded by an electric car — and faster than any combustion production car has ever gone. |
The production/prototype distinction matters. A one-off track car proves what the technology can do; a production record proves what you can buy. Most lists blur the two — we don't, and the table above labels every run. Why top speed is the hard problem for EVs (gearing, cooling, battery discharge rates) is a story of its own; the short version: acceleration came free with electric motors, top speed had to be engineered.
See also: the acceleration record, all fastest electric cars ranked, or the full database.