The 10 Fastest Sports Cars in the World (2025): Definitive Top-Speed Ranking

What counts as the “fastest car in the world” changes every time a manufacturer or privateer braves a runway, proves a new tire compound, or bolts on a longer tail. For 2025, the top-speed leaderboard has shifted again—most dramatically because an all-electric hypercar just eclipsed Bugatti’s long-standing 300-mph milestone.

To keep things fair (and useful), this ranking follows a clear rule: we order cars by the highest verified top speed a production-intent, road-legal model (or its record-spec variant) has achieved on a recognized test venue or public road, measured by independent timing equipment where available. 

Where a run was one-way (not an average of opposite directions) or used a prototype/record configuration, we say so explicitly. Claimed/simulated speeds don’t count toward rank, but we mention them for context.

 

1) Yangwang U9 Xtreme (U9X) — 308.4 mph (496.22 km/h)

In September 2025 at Germany’s ATP Papenburg, BYD’s luxury sub-brand Yangwang ran the U9 Xtreme to 308.4 mph, dethroning Bugatti’s 2019 304.773-mph mark and, more importantly, becoming the first EV to top 300 mph. Coverage from mainstream automotive press reported the figure and details like the 1,200-volt system, four motors (~3,000 hp combined), and semi-slick rubber. The car is planned as a limited run (~30 units), keeping it in “production-intent” territory rather than a one-off prototype.

Why it matters: it’s not just a new record—it shows what next-gen motor/inverter efficiency, battery cooling, and torque-vectoring can do for V-max. The feat also continues Papenburg’s role as the place where ultimate top-speed battles are decided. (Background coverage of Yangwang’s high-velocity program at ATP appeared weeks earlier in European EV trade press, noting a 472.41-km/h EV mark with a track edition.)

2) Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ — 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) (one-way prototype)

Bugatti’s longtail Chiron Super Sport 300+ shattered the psychological 300-mph barrier at Ehra-Lessien in 2019 with factory driver Andy Wallace. The 304.773-mph speed was an independently verified one-way pass in a pre-production, record-spec car; customer Chiron Super Sport models are limited to 273 mph. Even so, the run stood for six years as the benchmark everyone chased.

Why it matters: Ehra’s long, banked straight, bespoke Michelin tires, and the elongated “longtail” body turned the Chiron into a land rocket. Bugatti later pivoted away from top-speed record-hunting, but the 300+ achievement still shaped how hypercars approach aero stability and tire integrity at ~500 km/h.

3) SSC Tuatara — 282.9 mph (455.3 km/h) (two-way average)

After a controversial first attempt in 2020, SSC returned with instrumented, independently overseen sessions. In January 2021 at Space Florida’s Shuttle Landing Facility, owner-driver Larry Caplin recorded a two-way average of 282.9 mph (peaks of 279.7 and 286.1 mph). In May 2022, the Tuatara hit 295.0 mph in a single direction at the same site. Those runs used multiple data systems (Racelogic VBOX, Life Racing) and outside observers.

Why it matters: Two-way averages are the gold standard because they cancel out wind and grade. The Tuatara’s verified 282.9-mph average is still the highest two-way result for a road car by 2025.

4) Koenigsegg Agera RS — 277.87 mph (446.97 km/h) (two-way average)

On public highway NV-160 in 2017, a customer Agera RS driven by Niklas Lilja set a two-way average of 277.87 mph and peaked at 284.6 mph. This remains the fastest two-way public-road speed ever recorded by a production car. Koenigsegg documents the achievement extensively, and it’s widely corroborated by independent outlets.

Why it matters: Doing it on a real (closed) highway is a different level of bravery and validation—surface imperfections, crown, and ambient conditions make control and tire load far more difficult than on a perfectly groomed test oval.

5) Aspark Owl SP600 — 273.0 mph (438.7 km/h) (EV prototype record)

In 2024, Aspark’s Owl SP600—a prototype based on the production Owl—set a Guinness-recognized record as the fastest battery-powered electric prototype hypercar with 273.0 mph at ATP Papenburg. It doesn’t represent the standard production Owl, but the run is instrumented and certified, and it pushed EV top-speed envelopes beyond Rimac’s previous mark.

Why it matters: Even as a prototype category, SP600 proved an EV can eclipse the Veyron Super Sport’s 2010 figure—foreshadowing the Yangwang U9X’s 300-mph breakthrough for production-intent EVs in 2025.

6) Hennessey Venom GT — 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h) (one-way)

A decade ago at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the Venom GT—a hand-built, limited-production, manual-transmission monster—ran 270.49 mph in a single direction. Because it wasn’t a two-way average and production numbers sparked debate at the time, Guinness didn’t crown it overall “fastest production car,” but the number itself is real and timed. Hennessey still cites it as the fastest manual-transmission road car.

Why it matters: Venom GT proved boutique manufacturers could push beyond Bugatti’s era-defining numbers. It also set the stage for Hennessey’s current Venom F5 program, which targets a verified 300-mph two-way result (still pending by 2025).

7) Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport — 267.8 mph (431.072 km/h) (two-way average)

The 2010 Veyron Super Sport lit the modern top-speed arms race by averaging 267.8 mph at Ehra-Lessien with TÜV and Guinness oversight. Customer cars were later limited to 257.8 mph, but the record-setting example met Guinness’ criteria after review.

Why it matters: It laid down the template: fortified W16 power, aero refinement to keep the car planted, and tires capable of surviving loads measured in literal tons. Many of today’s techniques (e.g., specific load-indexed tire development) trace back to the Veyron program.

8) Rimac Nevera — 258 mph (412 km/h) (EV production car)

In a controlled high-speed session at Papenburg, the Nevera reached 412 km/h (258 mph), verified by on-site instrumentation and independently observed. Until 2025, this stood as the definitive EV production-car top speed; it now serves as the production-EV baseline that the U9X eclipsed.

Why it matters: Nevera proved EVs aren’t just about 0–60 fireworks. Cooling strategy, motor gearing, and aero stability at V-max became core Rimac competencies now influencing other brands (Rimac supplies systems and tech partnerships across the industry).

9) Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut — 256 mph (412 km/h) observed during record program (with much higher potential claimed)

Koenigsegg’s low-drag Jesko Absolut is designed explicitly to go faster than anything else the company has made, with simulations pointing toward 330-mph-class potential. In 2024–2025 record activity, Jesko Absolut reclaimed the 0–400–0 km/h crown and, during the run, was captured at ~256 mph while still focusing on acceleration/braking records rather than a dedicated V-max attempt. Koenigsegg’s own pages and independent outlets document those milestones; the long-awaited two-way top-speed run has not yet been published.

Why it matters: The Absolut’s “Overdrive” updates and validated 0–400–0 supremacy show headroom. When Koenigsegg turns it loose for a full-chat V-max attempt, expect the top three of this list to shuffle again.

10) McLaren Speedtail — 250 mph (403 km/h)

McLaren’s streamlined hybrid Speedtail is officially rated to 250 mph, making it the fastest road car the brand has ever built—edging the legendary F1’s 240.1 mph. Unlike many in this list, the Speedtail’s genius is rapid, low-drag acceleration to V-max while retaining a usable, GT-like character.

Honorable mention: Aston Martin Valkyrie (road car) and Valkyrie AMR Pro (track special) are quoted at ~250 mph, and the road car has demonstrated extraordinary lap speed; however, formal V-max validation data remains scarcer than McLaren’s.