Electric vehicles (EVs) have been with us for many years but used to be quite a sore thumb amongst other cars; especially performance ones. The first-ever EV was a motorized carriage built in the 1830s by the Scottish Robert Anderson and it had a top speed of 4 mph (that's about an average human's walking speed). They weren't as big as hit as he'd hoped, and the EV only found its feet more than a century and a half later. Cars like the General Motors EV1 and Nissan Leaf showed the world that electric cars would be the future of commercial vehicles.
However, in 2007 Elon Musk proved that electric cars aren't just for boring old folk. Tesla showed off their all-electric Roadster that reached 60 mph in only 4 seconds. 5 years later, Tesla unveiled their new sedan, the Model S that easily competed with gasoline supercars when it came to acceleration. But does that mean EVs are already superior to their gas-powered counterparts? To settle that conundrum, here's a rundown of the quickest EVs and gasoline cars down the quarter mile.
10 EV: Tesla Model S P100D (10.4 Seconds)
Back in 2017, Tesla burst into supercar performance territory with their everyday family car powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Model S. Having a sleek, unintimidating design, and a literally mute exhaust note, the Model S made for a perfect sleeper.
Thanks to instantaneous torque and a neat little tool called Ludicrous Mode, the Model S is capable of doing things to your spine no road-legal car should be able to do. Obliterating hypercars from a standstill to 60 mph in just 2.27 seconds and even humiliating them with a quarter-mile time of a short 2.5 seconds. This won't be the last Tesla on the list.
9 EV: Porsche Taycan Turbo S (10.2 Seconds)
Weighing as much as a baby rhinoceros, the Taycan Turbo S (it doesn't actually have a turbo) has been deemed the fastest electric Porsche up to date. The big brother 911 Turbo S may be a bit faster, but only time will tell what the brother rivalry's outcome will be.
The 2.4-ton EV reaches a speed of 60 mph in a very respectable 2.4 seconds and does the entire quarter-mile in barely 10.2 seconds while carrying 4 doors. Porsche has successfully created a driver-focused EV without a sense of feeling disconnected, and we applaud them for that.
8 EV: Tesla Model X Plaid (9.9 Seconds)
Who would have thought we'd reach a day where an electric SUV that weighs 2 and a half tonnes that seats 7 people would be able to do the quarter-mile faster than Lamborghini's top range model, the Aventador SVJ?
Elon Musk reshaped the world of performance SUVs back in 2016 with the Model X. But Tesla didn't stop there; they continued to develop a faster Model X, and today we have the Plaid edition. 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and it ran the quarter-mile just shy of 10 seconds. This also won't be the last Tesla on the list.
7 Gasoline: Ferrari SF90 Stradale (9.6 Seconds)
Ferrari's new flagship model, the SF90 is a plug-in hybrid supercar. Improving on the incredible V8 used in earlier Ferrari models, the new F154FA engine gets a futuristic touch by adopting hybrid technology into the equation.
The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 receives unfair support from 3 electric motors. Add all of this up and you're left with 986 Italian hores. That means the rearing horse will reach 60 mph in a sparse 2.5 seconds and does the quarter-mile in merely 9.6 seconds.
6 Gasoline: Bugatti Chiron Sport (9.4 Seconds)
The Bugatti Chiron Sport is a lightened Chiron with a pretty $40,000 bow on top. Sharing the exact same mechanicals as the Chiron. The only 2 differences are the 40 lbs weight reduction and increased handling capabilities of the Sport. These minor tweaks will be tailored for a $40,00 tip of course.
The prodigious quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 puts out the exact same 1,479 hp as the base Chiron, but on the track, there is quite a difference. Completing the quarter-mile in 9.4 seconds and achieving 0-60 in 2.4 seconds. Just a teensy more impressive than the already groundbreaking Chiron.
5 Gasoline: Tesla Model S Plaid (9.34 Seconds)
If Bruce Wayne were a car, this would be it. The Model S Plaid looks like any ordinary Tesla on the road if you didn't know what it was capable of. Just like Bruce Wayne looks like any ordinary citizen, but little do people know what he is really capable of.
The Model S Plaid packs a 1020 hp electric-sized punch that deems it the fastest production 5-seater to exist. Having a 0-60 time of 2 seconds dead and a quarter-mile time of 9.34 seconds. Tesla is playing in hypercar territory and we love to see it.
4 Gasoline: McLaren 765LT (9.33 Seconds)
The McLaren 765LT isn't just a longer, wider version of the 720S with 2 more exhausts poking out the back. The truth is, it once was a 720S who hit puberty and started experimenting with performance-enhancing drugs.
That meant that, behind the driver's seat, evolved a dangerous 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that fabricates 754 hp. The matured motor now shoots the 3000-lb young adult to 60 mph in a droplet over 2 seconds. All of these factors combined, form a supercar with carbon fiber rear wheel arches that finishes the quarter-mile In 9.33 seconds.
3 Gasoline: Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport (9.3 Seconds)
Based on the already bonkers Bugatti Chiron, the Pur Sport is everything you'd expect from a $3.6-million ultimate Bugatti: A gargantuan 8.0-liter W16 with 4 turbochargers, 3-D printer exhaust system, mammoth-sized rear wing, rollercoaster-firm ride, expeditious transmission, and an exclusive production number of 60 units.
All 1479 hp jumps the lightened 2-ton Pur Sport to 60 mph below 2.3 seconds and reaches the quarter-mile mark in just 9.3 seconds. Even with earth-shattering performance figures, Bugatti decided to withhold reaching to the Chiron's true potential.
2 Gasoline: Ultima Evolution (9.2 Seconds)
Ultima is famous due to their barely road-legal race cars that absolutely obliterate any track they're put on, but the Evolution had another goal in mind. The top-spec Ultima is a 1,020-hp piece of glass-reinforced plastic. The colossal 6.8-liter supercharged LS V8 propels the 950 kg plastic toy to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds.
Because of the near 1:1 power to weight ratio, a quarter-mile time of 9.2 seconds is possible. And all of this could be yours for less than $150,000 (which is a bargain in comparison to its competition).
1 GasRimac Nevera (8.582 Seconds)
Deemed the fastest production car to reach 60 mph and the fastest to finish the quarter the mile; the Rimac Nevera is the true pinnacle of automotive engineering. The Croatian EV is powered by 4 electric motors that accumulatively generate 1914 hp. It is deemed the world dominator of the drag strip.
The Nevera reaches 60 mph in just 1.97 seconds and finishes the quarter-mile in an unearthly 8.582 seconds. Your neck is properly wrung out after one run in this vicious robot. That performance also comes with a price...a price of $2.4 million, that is. This EV truly massages your brain just by stepping on the go-pedal.