The 12 Fastest Cars in the World Ranked

McLaren Speedtail: 250 mph

One of the newest cars on our list, the McLaren Speedtail, was introduced in 2019, and it’s considered a spiritual successor to the iconic F1. But that’s mostly because it features a three-seat layout with the driver’s seat in the center. Unlike other cars on this list, the Speedtail is a hybrid, combining a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8 gasoline engine with an electric motor. McLaren says that the Speedtail is able to hit 250 mph, which makes it the company’s fastest vehicle yet. However, the British firm has yet to release proof that the Speedtail is indeed capable of such speeds.

Read our full review on the McLaren Speedtail:

Bugatti Veyron: 253.8 mph

The fourth Bugatti on our list, the standard Veyron, is the first production car that surpassed the 250-mph mark. And it did it back in 2005 when it put an end to McLaren’s long-standing record set with the F1 in 1993. The Veyron, fitted with an early version of the 8.0-liter W-16, hit a top speed of 253.8 mph on April 19, 2005. Its record stood for two years, but it was recaptured by the SuperSport version and then by its successor, the Chiron. This is the only Bugatti in our list that generates less than 1,000 horsepower. The W-16 used in the original Veyron cranks out 987 horses and 922 pound-feet of torque.

Read our full review on the Bugatti Veyron:

SSC Ultimate Aero: 256 mph

The Ultimate Aero is the car that briefly stole the record from the Bugatti Veyron. Until the Veyron Super Sport came to take it back. SSC set its record in 2007 with a twin-turbo version of the car. The Ultimate Aero hit a top speed of 256.1 mph somewhere in West Richland and held the record until 2010. The Ultimate Aero was discontinued in 2013 after several limited-edition models, but SSC is now working on a new contender for the world’s fastest production car, the Tuatara. While the record car came with 1,183 horsepower and 1,094 pound-feet of tap, SSC increased power to 1,300 horses toward the end of production. It also switched the original 6.3-liter V-8 with a 6.9-liter engine.

Read our full review on the SSC Ultimate Aero:

Koenigsegg Agera R: 260 mph

The Agera RS may be the fastest of its kind, but the Agera R isn’t far behind. Produced from 2011 to 2014, the Agera R featured the company’s legendary 5.0-liter V-8 engine, capable of up to 1,124 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. The Swedish firm used this car to set a handful of records for production cars in 2011, but these were eventually reset by the Agera RS. Although it didn’t set a record for top speed, the Agera R was nearly as fast as the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at 260 mph. This benchmark places it in fifth place on our list and makes it the second Koenigsegg to make our top 10.

Read our full review on the Koenigsegg Agera R:

Bugatti Chiron: 261 mph

The standard Bugatti Chiron made it on our list as one of four Bugattis. Introduced in 2016 as a replacement for the Veyron, the Chiron retains the quad-turbo W-16 engine, but power was upgraded to 1,479 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. The Chiron’s top speed is officially limited to 261 mph, which is a bit below the Veyron Super Sport. On the other hand, the Chiron Super Sport tops the list with more than 300 mph, so we know there’s plenty of potential under the hood.

Read our full review on the Bugatti Chiron:

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: 268 mph

The Bugatti Veyron may be 16 years old as of 2021, but it’s still among the fastest supercars ever built. Actually, the record set by Bugatti in 2010 places the Veyron in fourth place with a top speed of 267.8 mph. This benchmark was achieved with a beefed-up model called the Veyron Super Sport. Bugatti built a special run of 30 cars called World Record Edition to celebrate the event, but these vehicles are limited to 258 mph to protect the tires. The Super Sport was also the most powerful version of the Veyron, with its 8.0-liter W-16 rated at 1,184 horsepower, 197 more than the regular model.

Read our full review on the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport:

Hennessey Venom GT: 270 mph

The Venom GT was introduced in 2011 and remained in production until 2017. Despite the seemingly long run, only 13 cars were built. Based on the Lotus Exige, the extensively modified Venom GT features a twin-turbo, 7.0-liter V-8 engine under the hood. Based on General Motors’ LS7 V-8, the unit pumps out up to 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 pound-feet of torque. The Venom GT hit its highest top speed in February 2014, when it reached 270.4 mph on Kennedy Space Center’s shuttle landing strip in Florida. Although the speed was higher than the world record at the time, it did not qualify for the Guinness Book of Records because Hennessey’s run was in a single direction. Also, the limited production run of only 13 cars went against Guinness rules.

Read our full review on the Hennessey Venom GT:

Koenigsegg Agera RS: 278 mph

The most powerful version of the Agera, the Agera RS, became the world’s fastest car on November 2017, when Koenigsegg hit an average speed of 277.9 mph. The record lasted less than two years, but the Agera RS still owns a handful of benchmarks, including acceleration from 0 to 200 mph, braking from 200 to 0 mph, and 0 to 200 mph and back to full stop. Unlike Bugatti, Koenigsegg didn’t build a limited-edition version of the Agera RS to celebrate the record, but the RS itself was limited to 25 examples.

Read our full review on the Koenigsegg Agera RS:

SSC Tuatara: 295 MPH

It’s not uncommon to see controversy surrounding top speed records, especially when it comes to breaking the once-mythical and downright impossible 300-mph barrier. It all started in October of 2020 when the SSC Tuatara supposedly hit a high speed of 331 mph, which would have made it the fastest car in the world by a long shot. It took mere hours before people started pointing out discrepancies in the videos and, sure enough, what would have been a record-breaking run just couldn’t be verified. SSC is still anxious to prove that the SSC Tuatara is the fastest car in the world, and it made a second attempt. Unfortunately, that second attempt wasn’t as good as the first, but it did set an official record of 282.6, pushing the Koenigsegg Agera RS out of the second position, leaving the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ as the current fastest car in the world. Although there have been a lot of controversies surrounding the SSC Tuatara’s top speed in the past, it looks like we have finally have a conclusion. The automaker decided to put it all to bed by attempting one other run and putting all skeptics to rest. While it’s not a 316 mph run – or even over 300 mph, for that matter - but it’s definitely better than the 282.6 mph. The Tuatara touched 295 mph, thus beating its own record and claiming the third spot on this list of fastest cars in the world.

Read our full review of the SSC Tuatara

Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 304 mph

The standard Bugatti Chiron is already among the fastest cars in the world with a top speed of around 261 mph, but the French firm wanted to set a new record, so it created an even more potent beast. Bugatti took the slightly more powerful engine from the Centodieci, rated at 1,578 horsepower (99 more than the standard Chiron), added longer gear ratios to the gearbox, and crafted a revised aerodynamic package that increases the car’s length by almost 10 inches. The modified car hit a top speed of 304.7 mph on August 2. To celebrate the even, Bugatti is building a production model based on the prototype called the Chiron Super Sport 300+. This car is limited to 30 examples, enough to validate the speed record with the Guinness World Records.

Read our full review on the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+

Hennessey Venom F5: 311 mph

Hennessey is known for its insane builds over the years, so the Texas-based tuner decided to give a shot at making a car from the scratch. It came up with the Venom GT back in 2011 and stayed in production until 2017, although only 17 examples were built. But, it was in 2016 when we got to know that Hennessey is working on the GT’s successor, which is going to be even better than the model it replaces. In all honestly, the successor didn’t disappoint. Called the Venom F5, the supercar featured a brand new V-8 that churned out over 1,800 horses and close to 1,200 pound-feet of torque. All the oomph was routed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic. The tuner-automaker claims that the Venom F5 can sprint to 60 mph in under three seconds and will have a top speed of 311 mph! It has been improving in each of its runs, with the last one at NASA’s runway in Florida clocking 271.6 mph. But, Hennessey is not done yet and plans to reach its ultimate goal of 311 mph, so we won’t rule it out just yet. Do you think the Hennessey Venom F5 will be able to achieve the 311 mph milestone?

Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut: 330 mph

Just when you thought the Jesko was the ultimate machine from the Swedish automaker, it decided to come up with a hyper version of the supercar with the ‘Absolut’ suffix. The Jesko Absolut was revealed in 2020 and the company worked on its aerodynamics and high-speed road behavior to make it “unbelievably fast”. It boasts of a drag coefficient of just 0.278, courtesy of changes like an extended rear hood, covered rear wheels, and a lowered suspension. It misses out on front-wheel louvers and the massive rear wings, whereas the front hood air ducts are also closed. The 1,600-horsepower, $2.8 million Absolut Jesko has a top speed of 330 mph. But but but, it must be noted that this is a theoretical top speed and the car hasn’t achieved it in reality yet. We could probably see it out in the open soon since the first model came out of the oven in May 2022. All said, we will definitely be disappointed if this turns out to be another Tuatara kind of a fiasco. But, for now, we’ll take Koenigsegg’s word for it and give it the crown for being the fastest car in the world.

FAQ

What Is the Fastest Car In the World 2019?

The fastest car in the world in 2019 was the Bugatti Chiron Sport with a top speed of 261 mph. It beat out the Mercedes-AMG Project One with a rating of “at least 217 mph” and the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ with a top speed rating of 217 mph.

What Is The Fastest Car in the World 2020

Controversially, the SSC Tuatara was the fastest car in the world in 2020, a record that was set by combining a one-way run of 330 mph with a second run of 301 mph, averaging a Guinness-certified world record of 316 mph. However, this record’s validity has been called into question, so Koenigsegg Agera RS is still the official fastest car of 2020

What Is the Fastest Car In the World 2022?

The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is the fastest car in the world in 2022, with a top speed of 330 mph. In all fairness, it is a theoretical figure and hasn’t been tested in the real world yet, but we’ll take Koenigsegg’s word for now and hope to see it achieve this figure soon. The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ still holds the official record at 304 mph

What Is The Fastest Commercial Production Car In The World?

In 2021, Bugatti unleashed the Chiron Super Sport 300+, which set a new and verified record of 304 mph

How Fast Is The Fastest Car In The World?

If you believe in unverified records, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is the fastest car in the world with a top speed of 330 mph. This is a theoretical top speed and hasn’t been tested yet. However, in terms of verifiable records, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ holds the current record.

What Is The Fastest Street Legal Car In The World?

The SSC Tuatara might not hold the fastest speed record, but it did manage to capture a verified two-run average of 282.9 mph, making it just a bit faster than the Koenigsegg Agera RS.