496km/h YangWang U9 Xtreme EV is the world's fastest car
Epic power and upgraded electrics see U9 Xtreme overtake Bugatti, Koenigsegg and SSC to nab top speed crownThe News
It's official, the world's fastest car is now electric after the 2026 YangWang U9 Xtreme was clocked at an astonishing 496.22km/h at Germany's Papenburg proving ground, beating the SSC Tuatara's 2021 record of 455.3km/h.
The Key Details
- YangWang 496.22km/h Vmax faster than SSC Tuatara's 455.3km/h record
- To achieve it, EV hypercar uses quad-motors that produce 2221kW
- BYD hypercar also runs 1200V electrics
- YangWang U9 already the fastest EV around the Nurburgring
- In China, the U9 is priced from $360,000, well below its $1m+ rivals
The Finer Details
The bad news for BYD's fledgling hypercar brand is the new production car top speed record set by the battery-electric YangWang U9 Xtreme is to remain unofficial.
For an official record, rulings dictate that a Vmax run must average over two runs set in opposing directions, something that isn't possible at the Papenburg high-speed oval in Germany.
There was also no mentions of any independent adjudication from either Guinness World Records or the FIA but even without, the YangWang's record remains an incredible feat as it not only surpasses the official SSC Tuatara record (455.3km/h) but it also overtakes the incredible 490.48km/h unofficial record set in 2019 by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.
Like BYD, the French hypercar maker's top speed run was also set in a single direction ruling it out for an official world record.
Following on from the recent 472.41km/h set by the YangWang U9 Track Edition last month, the new U9 Xtreme's top speed was achieved by some significant powertrain upgrades.
One thing the U9 Xtreme doesn’t get, or didn't need, was more power, with the new four-wheel missile still coming with four e-motors that produce 555kW each, with total power exceeding 2221kW.
To ensure its battery delivered the highest amount of current possible engineers swapped out the standard car's 800-volt electrics and installed an even higher output 1200V system.
During an onboard video of the attempt, driver Marc Basseng, was on track to break 500km/h with the U9 appearing to accelerate to more than 470km/h+ with ease.
The 500km/h run was aborted as the car began to drift off to the left, forcing its driver to lift off.
BYD has already confirmed that a YangWang U9 has set a new Nurburgring record for an EV following it set a 6:59.157 lap earlier this year.
It's not known if the brand plans another crack at breaking the 500km/h with an officially verified run.
The Road Ahead
Just 30 of the new 2026 YangWang U9 Xtreme hypercars will be produced, says the new BYD-owned brand, with the premium over the $360,000 charged for the standard U9 yet to be disclosed.
YangWang could arrive Down Under before the end of this year with its Range Rover-rivalling U8 set to be the luxury brand's first offering.
There's still no word on whether the U9 might be used to spearhead the brand's arrival with an officially verified world record exceeding 500km/h would serve as a talking point for the little-known brand and a powerful advert for its advanced EV powertrain tech.
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