When modern, highway capable electric cars began to rise in popularity in the early 00’s, they had a reputation for being slow and boring to drive. However, with the rise of Tesla, the push towards electric cars as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly means of transportation and the ever-increasing popularity of Formula E, the performance of street-legal electric cars has made tremendous strides in recent years.
The Pininfarina Battista, the electric hypercar is reported to do 0 – 60 in less than two seconds, making it the fastest production car in the world when it hits showrooms in 2020. With this in mind, the virtual drag race created by Select Car Leasing tests the 30 fastest cars on the planet to understand how electric cars compare to the best petrol supercars.
It finds that:
9 of the 30 fastest cars in the world over a quarter mile are now all-electric or hybrids.
The two cars with the fastest 0 – 60 time are all-electric or hybrid.
Electric cars accelerate quicker than petrol cars but lack the top speed to win over a quarter mile.
Tesla produces five of the quickest 30 cars to reach 60 MPH, and they’re all-electric.
The myth that electric cars are slow and boring to drive is eroding by the year, beating the performance of traditional petrol cars.
Six of the 10 fastest cars over a quarter mile are now either all-electric or hybrids. Electric cars are still unable to clinch the top two spots - with the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and Bugatti Veyron Super Sport completing a quarter mile in 9.65 and 9.7 seconds respectively to take these coveted positions. However, a total of 9 all-electric or hybrid cars make the ‘fastest 30’ list - a hugely impressive feat considering the relatively short history of the mainstream electric car, in comparison to its petrol counterparts.
The Fastest Cars over a ¼ mile are:
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon - Petrol
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport - Petrol
Faraday FF91 – All Electric
Maclaren P1 – Hybrid Electric
Porsche 918 Spyder – Hybrid Electric
Fastest cars over a quarter of a mile
Even though petrol still holds the crown in a quarter mile race, it’s an entirely different story in a 0-60 sprint. Electric and Hybrid power to victory in this regard, with the two top performing cars, the Porsche 918 Spyder and Tesla Model S P100D Ludicrous topping the list. In total, 7 all-electric cars appear in the top 30 to 60 mph list, along with 3 hybrids. The signs look great for the future for alternative fuel, as well - with high-power electric offerings from Aston Martin, Tesla, Audi and BMW all in the pipeline.
Top Gear fans will be familiar with the best performing petrol car on the list, the Ariel Atom, which caused the infamous Jeremy Clarkson 'Face Ripple. Capable of reaching 60 mph in a ridiculous 2.3 seconds, the Atom was limited to just 25 production cars when it was released in 2007. Nine years later, it still remains the fastest 0-60 mph petrol car of all time.
A general trend between both drag races seems to be that electric cars are tremendously fast in getting up to 60 mph, but beyond that, are slow and get overtaken by traditional, petrol cars in a quarter mile drag race. Many electric cars, including Tesla’s, have a limited top speed, which may affect their performance over longer distances.
The Fastest Cars to 60 mph are:
Porsche 918 Spyder – Hybrid Electric
Tesla Model S P100D – All Electric
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – Petrol
Ariel Atom 500 (V8) - Petrol
Lamborghini Huracan Performante - Petrol
It’s safe to say the current crop of petrol supercars will be looking over their shoulder and finding electric cars are a little too close for comfort. The bad news for fans of the combustion engine is that from 2019 onwards, the gap is closing further. High-performance battery powered arrivals from Aston Martin, BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche are on the way in 2020 and 2021 and look set to tip the balance further in favour of the electric car. With innovation from the motor industry firmly set on electric cars, it could be that we are already seeing the best that petrol cars have to offer.
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