China’s YangWang U9 Xtreme Is Now The Fastest Street-Legal Car On The Planet

The hypercar world just got a major wake-up call, and it’s not from Bugatti, Koenigsegg, or Rimac. The crown for world’s fastest production car now goes to a brand most of us haven’t heard before: YangWang, BYD’s ultra-luxury performance brand from China.

Their latest creation, the brutally fast, all-electric YangWang U9 Xtreme, just rocketed its way into history with a jaw-dropping verified 308.4 mph top speed, a number no road-legal car, gas or electric, has ever reached. And in the process, it dethroned some of the most iconic speed machines on Earth.

Keep in mind, this isn’t just a straight-line one-trick pony. The YangWangU9 Xtreme is a fully realized electric hypercar that combines mind-blowing top speed with precision engineering, advanced aerodynamics, and next-level power delivery. From its quad high-speed motors to its 1,200V architecture, every detail is designed to push the limits of what a road-legal car can do.

From EV Record-Breaker to All-Out Speed Demon

Weeks before setting the ultimate top-speed record, the U9 Track Edition version of the car had already claimed the EV-only benchmark with 293.5 mph (472.41 km/h). But BYD didn’t stop there. They pushed the limits further, upgraded the aerodynamics, and fine-tuned the powertrain to create a car that didn’t just dominate EVs — it dominated every production car on the planet.

“YANGWANG is a brand that does not recognize the impossible, and only through this commitment to what’s coming next can you end up with a vehicle like the U9X,” said Stella Li, BYD’s Global VP.

Top-Speed Madness: 308.4 MPH

On September 14, 2025, professional driver Marc Basseng piloted the U9 Xtreme around the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg high-speed oval in Germany, hitting 308.4 mph (496.22 km/h) under controlled conditions.

“This record was only possible because the U9 Xtreme simply has incredible performance. Technically, something like this is not possible with a combustion engine. Thanks to the electric motor, the car is quiet, there are no load changes, and that allows me to focus even more on the track,” Basseng said.

That quote sums up what makes this car extraordinary: an EV that doesn’t just match gas-powered hypercars, it beats them at the thing that matters most: pure speed.

The Tech Behind the Madness

The U9 Xtreme isn’t just fast, it’s engineered to stay planted and precise at insane velocities:

• Quad High-Speed Motors: Each motor spins up to 30,000 rpm, producing a combined 2,977 horsepower.
• 1,200-Volt Architecture: Faster power delivery, lower thermal stress, and sustained extreme-speed performance.
• Race-Grade Suspension: The DiSus-X intelligent body control system dynamically adjusts ride height and damping for stability at over 300 mph.
• Aerodynamics & Tires: Semi-slick tires, a narrowed front track, and fine-tuned aero components keep the car glued to the track.

How It Compares to Legends

The YangWang U9 Xtreme isn’t just a record-breaker — it’s a record obliterator. It dethrones the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which managed 304.8mph in 2019. It also blows by the SSC Tuatara (295mph), Koenigsegg Agera RS (277.87mph), Hennessey Venom F5 (271.6mph) and Rimac Nevera R (268.2mph), among other storied hypercars.

In fact, the only car that proves to threaten YangWang’s celebration is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, another electric hypercar, which has a “theoretical” top speed of ~310mph. But only time will tell if they actually are able to put down those numbers or not.

Limited Run, Maximum Impact

If you were thinking about buying one… well good luck. Production is capped at just 30 units worldwide, keeping the YangWang U9 Xtreme in the ultra-exclusive hypercar territory.

This isn’t a car most of us will ever see in person (especially here in the states), but its record-setting performance is shaking up the automotive world and shows that EVs can dominate in ways internal-combustion engines never could.

Why This Matters (And Why You Should Care)

The YangWang U9 Xtreme isn’t just a hypercar headline, it’s a signal of where the automotive world is headed. Electric vehicles aren’t just about range and efficiency anymore, something the Tesla Model S Plaid proved to us awhile back. They can also be crazy fun if equipped so.

It just goes to show you that the fastest car in the world doesn’t need a V16 or quad turbos. It just needs some batteries, a bit of genius engineering, and a refusal to accept “impossible” as an answer.

A few years ago, no one would have guessed that a Chinese EV would dethrone Bugatti and Koenigsegg as the kings of speed. But here we are: 308.4 mph, street-legal, all-electric, and rewriting the record books.

Photos courtesy of BYD