The top 10 fastest cars in the world in 2026 – Carwow
January 19, 2026 by Jamie Edkins
These are the fastest road legal cars in the world right now, so strap in for some insane top speeds.
Top speed is one of the first stats most people ask for in a game of Top Trumps, and it’s a number by which all bonkers hypercars are judged. Car makers just keep wanting to go faster, and in 2026 there are plenty of models out there which will exceed 250mph.
There are also some dragsters which can do over 700mph, but these are basically just jet engines with a chair strapped to the front. You couldn’t take one anywhere near a public highway, so here are the 10 fastest cars which you can max on a runway before driving home in.
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This is Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, a more powerful and sleeker version of the brand’s already bonkers hypercar. It has a twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8 engine pushing out 1,600hp and 1,500Nm of torque, and it only weighs 1,390kg.
It has a theoretical top speed of 310mph, however it’s never actually done this in the real world. The Jesko Absolut holds plenty of other records which suggest it’ll be able to deliver on this promise, including the world record for the fastest time taken to go from 0-400kmh (249mph) and then back to zero again, completing the run in 27.83 seconds.
The new Yangwang U9 Xtreme set the official record for the world’s fastest production car in September 2025 with a recorded top speed of 308mph on a runway in Germany, which is a huge moment in the history of electric cars.
The U9 Xtreme is powered by four electric motors putting out a combined 3,000hp, and it has an extremely powerful 1,200-volt electrical system. For context, your average family EV would use a 400-volt setup. Just 30 models of the U9 Xtreme will be available to buy, with prices expected to start north of £200,000.
The Americans know how to make a V8 engine, and the SSC Tuatara (Too-ah-ta-ra) has a twin-turbocharged eight-cylinder which puts out up to 1,750hp when it’s running on ethanol rather than petrol. However, there is some controversy around the official top speed.
You see, SSC claimed the Tuatara actually managed 331mph in October 2020 to make it the world’s fastest car — but later admitted to a GPS error that depicted that speed wrongly. Tests in early 2022 saw the car hit an actual top speed of 295mph, not exactly slow.
If you grew up in the 2000s, the term ‘fastest car in the world’ will probably bring back memories of the Bugatti Veyron racing against fighter planes on Top Gear. Well that car’s spirit has been carried on over the years and now we have the new Tourbillon.
It has a 1,800hp V16 hybrid engine which will launch this £3.2 million luxury missile from 0-60mph in under 2.0 seconds. There’s likely to be an even faster version in a few years as well, after all Bugatti managed to get over 300mph out of the old Chiron.
The folks in the USA are smashing the top speed game recently, with fourth place going to another all-American supercar. The Hennessey Venom F5 has a 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with 1,817hp and 1,617Nm of torque.
That’s enough to launch it from 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds, and it’ll go onto a top speed of 272mph – for now. Hennessey wants to get even more out of the F5, with the firm targeting a top speed of over 300mph in 2024
The Bugatti Mistral is the fastest convertible car in the world, with a blistering top speed of 270mph. It’s also the last Bugatti which will ever feature the iconic 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine.
It puts out 1,600hp and 1,600Nm of torque, and power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Driving at 270mph must be the most incredible wind-in-the-hair experience on earth, but Mat Watson managed to pick a rainy day to test it.
The original Rimac Nevera was already a bonkers electric hypercar, but now the Croatian firm has come up with the Nevera R – which is even more insane. Power from its four electric motors is up from 1,914hp to 2,107hp, and the top speed has gone from 256mph to 267mph.
It’ll also do 0-60mph in a blistering 1.7 seconds. When we drag raced the standard Nevera against the McMurtry Spierling, it was just pipped at the post by the single-seater race car. A rematch against the Nevera R may go a different way.
Never heard of Aspark? You’re probably not alone. It’s a small-volume Japanese hypercar maker, and the Owl is a sleek EV with four electric motors and 1,953hp. It’ll do 0-60mph in 1.7 seconds, before blasting on to a top speed of 256mph.
There is a faster version of this car as well, called the Owl SP600, which can do 272 mph, however this one isn’t road legal.
The Czinger 21 C looks insane. It has two seats laid out one behind the other, so you end up with a little bubble on top of the car to contain the passengers. This not only makes it look like a Le Mans racer, it also helps make the body as slippery as possible.
Combine this with the featherweight carbon fibre panels and the 1,250hp 2.9-litre V8 hybrid system, and you have a road legal racecar which does 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds and will go on to a top speed of 253mph.
McLaren didn’t design the Speedtail to chase world records, but, with a 250mph top speed, it’s the fastest road car it has ever built. Even the new flagship W1 will “only” do 237mph.
That’s also faster than its last three-seat car — the legendary McLaren F1. Its super-slippery bodywork lacks drag-inducing wings and means it looks like something ripped straight from a futuristic cyberpunk film. Just think about carrying two of your mates at that speed…
Matching the Speedtail is the Koenigsegg Regera, the second car on this list from the Swedish brand. It touts a twin-turbo V8 engine and an electric motor that produce a total of 1,500hp.
Unlike any other car on this list, the Regera can go from 0-250mph using just one gear. Yep, no matter if you’re cruising at 30mph or aiming to hit its 250mph top speed (on a closed course, not the M1) you’ll be in the same gear. Seems a little bonkers.
The latest Mercedes-AMG GT takes everything which was great about the previous car and turns it up a notch. It’s great fun to drive, looks good and it’s even pretty practical for a 196mph supercar. That turn of speed comes courtesy of a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with 585hp and a thunderous soundtrack.
Fancy a ballistic saloon car? Look no further than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. This twin-turbo V6 saloon delivers a stonking 510hp, all of which is sent to the rear wheels only. Keep it straight and it’ll manage 191mph with enough space. And, this is in a car that you could quite easily take the kids to school in — and probably embarrass them a bit with the raucous exhaust.
For something just as capable on a track as it is crossing the continent, the BMW M8 Competition is a seriously impressive GT car. Given enough room, it’ll top 190mph if you splash out for the M Driver’s Pack. It’s not a stripped-out race car, though. It’s laden with luxury touches, has an impressive infotainment system and it’s genuinely very comfortable.
If the M8 doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe the Audi RS7 Performance will. It’s a GT car with a 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet, just like the BMW, however it can’t quite match it in terms of top speed. Despite this, when we drag raced an RS7 against an M8 the Audi emerged victorious over the quarter mile by almost half a second.
Looking for a slightly left-field alternative to the typical German GT cars? The Lexus LC500 is a gorgeous coupe with a thumping great V8 engine under the bonnet. The interior is a lovely place to eat up the motorway miles, and it’s properly rapid as well. With a top speed of 168mph, and 0-60mph taken care of in 4.6 seconds, you’re not going to be disappointed when you plant your right foot.
On paper, this accolade goes to the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut with a theoretical top speed of over 310mph, however that’s based on a computer simulation. Until the Jesko actually achieves this on the tarmac, the Bugatti Chiron Supersport 300+ holds the title of the fastest car in the world with a top speed of 304mph.
The fastest car of all time is the Thrust SSC, which hit 763mph back in 1997 making it the first car to break the sound barrier. It’s essentially a massive jet engine with a chair strapped to the front, so it’s not even close to being road legal.
The Bugatti Mistral is the world’s fastest convertible, with a dizzying top speed of 270mph. You wouldn’t want to drive it after a trip to the hairdressers…
The fastest-accelerating car in the world right now is the McMurtry Spierling, an electric track car which can do 0-60mph in just 1.4 seconds. It left our own Mat Watson speechless, and you can check out our list of the fastest accelerating cars to see other models which will leave you breathless off the line.
The fastest road-legal car you can officially buy in the UK is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, a bonkers Swedish supercar with a 5.0-litre V8, 1,600hp and a theoretical top speed of over 310mph.
The Napier L48 was the first car to reach 100mph, hitting a top speed of almost 105mph in 1904. It was powered by a 15-litre straight-six engine with 240hp, but fast forward to 2026 and it’ll get out-dragged by a 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsa.
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