Two of the hottest electric vehicles on the market right now, the Rimac Nevera & the recently launched Tesla Model S Plaid, go head-to-head across three-quarter-mile drag races. The DragTimes YouTube Channel has put out a video of one of the best races of the year.

Overview

Red Tesla Model S Plaid
Tesla 

Ever since the Tesla Model S Plaid started hitting showrooms last month, new owners have been taking their cars to drag strips across the country. But, what exactly happens when hypercar royalty, at least in terms of EVs shows up at the track? Well, that's exactly what happened a couple of days ago when the Rimac Nevara was in town.

The Rimac was in fact, in California for the Monterey car week and just a couple of days prior to this showdown, with a time of 8.52 seconds at 167.51 mph. The next one was obvious, to see how the Nevara stacks up against the Model S Plaid, which has to be one of the most highly anticipated EVs of the year.

The Rimac Nevera

It packs an all-wheel-drive system, weighs 4,733 pounds, and costs a cool $2.4 million. Before the race began, the Nevara had an 88-percent charge.

The Tesla Model S Plaid

It does weigh about a hundred pounds more than the Rimac, though, tipping the scales at 4,833 pounds, however the Plaid costs significantly lesser than the Nevara, coming in at $124,000. The Plaid had a 100-percent charge before the race began.

Off To The Races

And with the numbers out of the way, let's race. The showdown took place at the Famoso Dragstrip, in Bakersfield, California. The EVs did a quick burnout to get some temperature into the tires and lined up at the Christmas lights.

Race 1

In the first race, the hammer drops, and the Tesla gets a jump on the Rimac and stays ahead briefly, but that was probably due to a poor reaction time from the Nevara’s driver, regardless, as the race progressed, the Rimac just got past the Tesla, and it's 1,900 horsepower clearly shows what it can do. The Rimac clocked in a time of 8.65 seconds at 166.66 mph while the Tesla managed 9.27 seconds at 152.68 mph, at the quarter-mile.

Race 2

On the second pass, the Rimac got a near-perfect launch, and it was no competition at all, with the Rimac dominating the race from the get-go. The Nevara clocked in a time of 8.64 seconds at 166.44 mph while the Plaid managed 9.31 seconds at 151.34 mph, at the quarter-mile.

Race 3

And with that, both EVs lineup at the lights for one last run. The lights turn green, and this time as well, the Tesla was dominated by the Rimac, with the Nevara clocking in a time of 8.61 seconds at 166.39 mph while the Plaid managed 9.29 seconds at 151.75 mph.

Conclusion

So a definitive win there for the Rimac, although, do keep in mind that the Rimac is packing nearly double the horsepower as the Plaid. While the Nevara is a purpose-built EV hypercar, the Model S Plaid is a practical four-door sedan for the average Joe. So for now, the Rimac is crowned king, however, we’ll have to wait and watch, to see what exactly can the Nevara do when it will get a chance to go up against the upcoming Tesla Roadster. Watch this space.

Watch one of the best drag races of the year and see it unfolds below