The fastest accelerating electric cars in the world

Fast acceleration is one thing that almost all electric cars have in common. Whether a Tesla Model 3, a McLaren F1, a Rimac Nevera with 2,000 hp or a Porsche Taycan that brings a family of four with luggage to sixty in three seconds, most electric cars are really fast.

And without changing gears (Porsche Taycan excluded for technical reasons), the way an electric car fires off the assembly line is different from anything that is powered by a combustion engine.

This is also helped by the fact that an electric motor can deliver its maximum torque from zero rpm instead of developing as the speed increases. With all-wheel drive and a heavy battery to aid traction, electric cars are some of the fastest on sale today.

Here are the ten fastest accelerating electric cars currently available.

Rimac refrigerator

(Image credit: Rimac)

As one of the newer kids on the block, the Nevera is the production-ready version of the Rimac C_Two concept that we first saw in 2018.

With 1,900 horsepower available and a T-shaped 120 kWh battery between and behind the driver and passenger, the Nevera can reach 60 mph in 1.85 seconds.

The Croatian hypercar is also the current holder of the quarter mile record in production at 8.58 seconds, reaching 167 miles per hour. Tesla says the Model S Plaid has a quarter mile time of 9.23 seconds.

Pininfarina Battista Automobile

(Image credit: Cars)

Just as Audi and Porsche are related, Automobili Pininfarina’s Battistia shares much of its powertrain with the Rimac Nevera.

This means a similar output of 1,900 hp from an all-wheel drive system and a sprint time from 0 to 100 km / h of around 1.9 seconds.

The Battista has an equally impressive top speed of 217 mph, a claimed range (presumably when driving quietly) of 280 miles, and can sprint from rest to 300 km / h in less than 12 seconds.

Production is due to start soon and is limited to just 150 copies worldwide.

Tesla Model S plaid

(Image credit: Tesla)

The Tesla Model S has been a speed king since it arrived in 2012, and the latest incarnation is really fast-paced.

Although it won’t be available in the UK until the end of 2022, the Model S plaid can now be ordered in the US. With over 1,000 horsepower from a new tri-motor drivetrain, the Model S Plaid has a claimed 0-60mph time of 1.99 seconds.

It’s just absurdly fast. But it’s also a bit of a misnomer, as Tesla gives acceleration times with a one-foot rollout so the stopwatch won’t start until the car has started moving and has traveled 12 inches. Rather, think of it as a 6 to 60 mph time.

Tesla Model X plaid

(Image credit: Tesla)

The situation is similar with the Tesla Model X, which recently received plaid treatment and promises a time from zero (ish) to 60mph of 2.5 seconds.

Even if Tesla does a one-foot rollout, that still means a seven-seater sprints to sixty as fast as a Formula 1 car.

As a sign of how much faster the Plaid upgrade makes the Model X, the regular long range version sprints from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds.

Clear air

(Image credit: Lucid)

Lucid, another American electric car startup, finally unveiled the production version of its first car called Air in late 2020.

As a rival of the Tesla Model S, the Lucid Air is offered with up to 1,080 hp and a 0-60mph time of just 2.5 seconds.

Lucid also claims a quarter mile of 9.9 seconds at 144 mph and an EPA estimated range of 517 miles from a less powerful version of the Air.

Perhaps the toughest competition against the Tesla Model S, the Lucid Air is expected later in 2021 with prices between $ 95,000 and $ 169,000.

Porsche Taycan Turbo S.

• 0-62mph (100km / h): 2.8 seconds

(Photo credit: Porsche)

The most powerful version of the first fully electric car from Porsche has a specified time from 0 to 100 km / h of 2.8 seconds. But Porsche is known to be conservative with its own KPIs, and some testers have seen Taycans go 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds.

What is unusual is that the Taycan has a two-speed transmission in which first gear is engaged when Launch Control is activated so that the car can sprint from a standstill as quickly as possible.

The Taycan then shifts into second gear, complete with a synthetic switching noise from its speakers.

Lotus Evija

• 0-60mph: under 3.0 seconds

(Image credit: Lotus)

The flagship of a resurgent Lotus, backed by investments from Geely, is the Evija, an all-electric 1,972 horsepower hypercar.

The power that is brought to the road by four electric motors is so great that each wheel is more powerful than any previous road-going Lotus.

Lotus has not yet committed itself to a specific 0-60mph time, instead saying that the Evija will take less than three seconds. Given the tremendous power, we suspect the time is much closer to two seconds than it is to three.

Even more impressive is a claimed 0-186 mph time of nine seconds. Nine. That’s potentially 25% faster than the aforementioned Pininfarina Battista, thanks to a smaller, lighter 70 kWh battery.

Audi RS e-tron GT

(Photo credit: Audi)

A close relative of the Porsche Taycan, sister company Audi, says that the RS e-tron GT has a time of 0-60 mph of 3.0 seconds.

Not quite as fast as the Taycan Turbo S, but we cannot imagine that the Volkswagen Group would allow an electric Audi super sedan to be faster than the Porsche, with which it shares a drive train.

However, it looks like Audi is also underplaying its performance statistics, as some testers saw the RS e-tron GT 60 mph in a little less than 2.9 seconds. As always, these values ​​depend on the tires, the road surface and the ambient temperature.

Rivian R1T

(Image credit: Rivian)

Moving away from super sports cars, we now have the R1T electric pickup from US startup Rivian.

The R1T, which will be presented in Long Way Up on Apple TV +, is due to reach buyers later in 2021 and, thanks to a quad-motor drive train and 800 hp, promises a time from 0 to 100 km / h of 3.0 seconds.

Rivian plans to follow up the R1T with the R1S, an electric SUV built on the same platform and offering the same level of straight-ahead performance and off-road capability.

Tesla model 3

(Image credit: Tesla)

Back to Tesla and the Model 3, which offers a 0 to 100 mph time of just 3.1 seconds if you opt for the flagship performance variant.

The Model 3’s acceleration has always felt significant to car enthusiasts of a certain age, having previously hit the 3.2-second sprint time of the McLaren F1, the supercar that once belonged to Elon Musk (and crashed) before it did lost a tenth due to a software update.

Tesla hasn’t announced any plaid plans for the Model 3 yet, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it followed the Model S and X in the years to come.