The Fastest Quarter Mile Cars: The Ultimate Speed List

The quarter mile has long been the gold standard for measuring a car's acceleration. Made famous by drag racing and immortalized in "The Fast and the Furious," it remains one of the most talked-about stats among car enthusiasts. MotorTrend measures the quarter-mile time of every vehicle they test, from economy cars to luxury barges and minivans. But let's be honest – we're all here for the speed demons.

Here's the current lineup of the quickest cars MotorTrend has ever tested in the quarter mile:

12. 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S (Lightweight) | 10.0 seconds @ 137.8 mph

For years, the 911 Turbo S was the acceleration king before high-performance EVs stormed the scene. The Lightweight package shaves off 65 pounds from an already blistering quick car. Its 3.7-liter twin-turbo flat-six churns out 640 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Sometimes physics is all you need.

11. 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance | 10.0 seconds @ 145.3 mph

This 5,256-pound luxury EV sedan packs a serious punch with 1,050 hp and 921 lb-ft of torque. What sets it apart isn't just its acceleration but how it delivers that power – the car shortens distances between corners on mountain roads like nothing else, requiring drivers to rethink their braking points entirely.

10. 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder | 10.0 seconds @ 145.2 mph

When V12s, V10s, and V8s were commonplace, Porsche took a different approach with this hybrid supercar. Its 4.6-liter V8 and electric motors combine for 887 hp and all-wheel drive. Back in 2014, it was one of the cars that made the Bugatti Veyron's once-untouchable acceleration seem almost ordinary.

9. 2022 Ferrari SF90 Spider | 9.8 seconds @ 146.0 mph

This drop-top hybrid proves you can have your cake and eat it too. With 986 hp from a hybrid 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, it offers both face-melting performance and open-air luxury. At the time of testing, it was the quickest gas-powered car MotorTrend had ever evaluated.

8. 2014 McLaren P1 | 9.8 seconds @ 148.9 mph

The spiritual successor to the legendary F1, the P1 packed a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain producing 904 hp. In 2014, its quarter-mile time made it MotorTrend's quickest production car. The tester recalled activating race mode, waiting the required 40 seconds for everything to adjust, and then suddenly finding himself at 160 mph.

7. 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari | 9.7 seconds @ 148.5 mph

Ferrari fans, rejoice – empirical data confirms the LaFerrari rules the holy trinity of mid-2010s hypercars (which included the P1 and 918). Its hybrid 6.3-liter V12 pumps out 950 hp, and despite routing all that power through just the rear wheels, it displayed the fastest launch of the three.

6. 2023 Ferrari 296 GTB (Assetto Fiorano) | 9.6 seconds @ 149.6 mph

Who says sacrilege can't be fast? With a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid making 818 hp, this Ferrari shocked purists but silenced critics with its performance. It remains the quickest rear-wheel-drive production car MotorTrend has ever tested.

5. 2021 Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano | 9.6 seconds @ 145.2 mph

With 986 hp from its hybrid 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and all-wheel drive, the SF90 Stradale still holds the title of quickest gasoline car MotorTrend has ever tested. And it might keep that crown forever, as everything quicker is now fully electric.

4. 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid | 9.3 seconds @ 152.2 mph

The age of practical performance arrived with the Plaid. This five-seat grocery-getter packs 1,020 hp and 1,050 lb-ft from three electric motors. When tested on an unprepped surface (for consistency with other cars), it still managed a jaw-dropping time that made it the quickest production car MotorTrend had tested at that point.

3. 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT | 9.3 seconds @ 148.7 mph

Seeing "Porsche," "Turbo," and "electric" together should prepare you for something special. With a legitimate sub-2.0-second 0-60 time, this Taycan is a force to be reckoned with. But it's not even Porsche's final form...

2. 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire | 9.3 seconds @ 156.0 mph

Lucid took its already quick Air Grand Touring Performance and added more sauce. The result? A 1,234 hp, 1,430 lb-ft monster that edges out the Model S Plaid by mere fractions of a second (9.269 vs 9.343 unrounded quarter-mile times).

1. 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach | 9.2 seconds @ 150.1 mph

The current quarter-mile king boasts 1,019 hp and 914 lb-ft of torque. What's most impressive is how drama-free it all is – no elaborate preparation, just twist to Sport Plus, engage launch control, and hold on. Until something else comes along to steal the crown, this Porsche rules the quarter-mile realm.

The evolution is clear: EVs now dominate the acceleration charts, and it's only a matter of time before another electric monster shaves off more precious tenths.

Source: MotorTrend