This 3000bhp EV is the fastest production car in the world
Since the birth of the motor car, speed has been the ultimate benchmark.
For more than a century, manufacturers have vied for the title of world’s fastest production car, each record standing as a showcase of technical mastery and a statement of ambition.b
From lightweight, early racers to today’s sculpted hypercars, these milestones trace the story of automotive progress itself.
What once belonged solely to roaring combustion engines is now being redefined by electric power.
Electric cars, once seen as compromises, have turned the tables with instant torque and cutting-edge engineering.
And now, in 2025, a new, battery-powered name has clinched the title of the world’s fastest production car.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme, from Chinese car-making giant BYD, snatched the record as the world’s fastest production car and the world’s fastest electric car. It achieved a monumental top speed record of 308.4mph at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg test track in Germany.
That incredible top speed means the U9 is the fastest production car in the world. To achieve the record, it overtook the petrol-powered Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, which previously completed a staggering 304.774mph top speed.
The U9 Xtreme that set the record was largely the same specification as the 30 customer cars which will go into production, apart from a set of “track-level, semi-slick tyres” and bespoke suspension tuning.
Beneath the metal sits a quad-motor powertrain, which produces a staggering 2977bhp.
The U9 Xtreme was driven by Former GT1 world champion Marc Basseng, who said breaking the record was “quite easy”.
"After the first run, for me it felt like this would be quite easy," he said, "because the acceleration of this car and the power is absolutely unbelievable.
"And then I thought it would not take long as well - maybe two or three days. You always have the limit of a time slot at the ATP, so you can't go as fast as you want all the time."
Basseng and BYD's engineers were confident in breaking the record on the circuit's 4.0km (2.5-mile) straight. However, they planned an incremental approach to reach that goal, allowing them to evaluate the car's performance at various speeds.
"Things change dramatically" with tiny increases in speed above a certain point, he explained. "If you go to 400kph (250mph), it's already something special, and then every 20kph [above that] everything changes again and again."
"You need to be so concentrated. The steering controls are so minor. We're not talking about a degree. It's less than a degree," he said, explaining that even an imperceptible steering input at 300mph could result in the car moving "so many metres to the side".
He added that while the U9X's powertrain could theoretically be capable of surpassing that figure in another attempt, "another 6kph more can make a lot of difference - things can be completely different then".
