Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motor1
Motor1
Business
Bob Sorokanich

20 Most Powerful Cars In the World

We are living in a golden age of power, with supercars routinely delivering 1,000 horsepower or more. Some SUVs and family sedans even match or exceed that number, too. Internal combustion engines are now cranking out more horsepower than ever before, and electric vehicles make it easy for engineers to cram big-time power and torque into everyday vehicles. A hybrid can be the best of both worlds, combining the instantly available torque of an electric motor with the screaming high-end horsepower of a gasoline engine. The result? Rocket-like acceleration whenever you want it.

The horsepower war shows no signs of slowing down, so we figured it’s time to take a look at the most powerful production cars available for the 2024 or 2025 model year. We’re focusing on stock, street-legal vehicles in factory spec—track-only special editions and modified tuner machines don’t count.

Even with those limitations, the 2024 power list includes a huge variety of vehicles, any of which will satisfy your desire for ultimate power.

Ferrari Daytona SP3

829 Horsepower / 514 Pound-Feet

The Daytona SP3 is part of Ferrari’s Icona Series—ultra-limited-edition commemorative cars reserved for the brand’s most treasured customers. That’s why this wild-looking machine gets the most powerful engine ever installed in a Ferrari road car: a 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated V-12 cranked up to 829 horsepower. It’s a screamer with a 9,500-rpm redline and 514 pound-feet of torque. Just don’t expect to see a Daytona SP3 on your daily commute; Ferrari will only build 599 examples with a starting price of more than $2.2 million.

Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast

845 Horsepower / 864 Pound-Feet

The first electric vehicle on our power list, the Cybertruck is also the first off-road-ready vehicle to make the roster (but certainly not the last). The top-spec version, the Cyberbeast, packs three electric motors for a total of 845 horsepower and 864 pound-feet of torque—good enough to push this huge stainless-steel wedge to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds.

Ferrari SF90

986 Horsepower / 590 Pound-Feet

Ferrari makes a strong showing on our list of the most powerful production cars of 2024, and the SF90 is the top dog of the Ferrari lineup. A twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 sits behind the passenger compartment, aided by three electric motors to crank out a total of 986 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. When the folks at Car and Driver tested an SF90 Stradale, they measured a zero-to-60 time of 2.0 seconds flat—and the track-only SF90 XX should be even quicker.

GMC Hummer EV Edition 1

1,000 Horsepower / 1,200 Pound-Feet

Yes, it feels crazy to have a GMC pickup truck beating a Ferrari supercar in a horsepower ranking. The GMC Hummer EV, available as a short-bed pickup or a four-door SUV, packs a walloping 1,000 horsepower in top-spec Edition 1 trim. Activate Watts-To-Freedom Mode (yes, that’s actually what it’s called), and this huge, heavy off-roader will sprint to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds flat, making it one of the quickest utility vehicles on earth.

Lamborghini Revuelto

1,001 Horsepower / 595 Pound-Feet

Lamborghini’s all-new supercar has a naturally aspirated V-12 engine at the heart of its hybrid drivetrain. The mid-mounted 6.5-liter engine screams to an eye-watering 9,500-rpm redline. Paired with three motors—two on the front axle, one between the engine and the rear wheels—the Revuelto makes 1,001 horsepower and 595 lb-ft of torque.

Tesla Model S Plaid / Model X Plaid

1,020 Horsepower / 1,050 Pound-Feet

The Model S and Model X are the oldest models in the Tesla lineup, but when you choose top-spec Plaid trim, they’re also the fastest and most powerful. Thanks to 1,020 horsepower and a whopping 1,050 pound-feet of torque, the Plaid models are some of the quickest-accelerating street-legal cars on earth. And unlike most of the gasoline-powered cars on this list, Tesla’s horsepower kings also offer some of the best driving range, claiming nearly 350 miles on a fully-charged battery.

Rivian R1S / R1T

1,025 Horsepower / 1,198 Pound-Feet

EV motors are small, meaning carmakers can cram them into spaces where an old-fashioned combustion engine simply can’t go. If you’re buying a Rivian R1S SUV or R1T pickup truck, you can spec two motors, three motors, or, starting later this year, four motors, for a total of 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 lb-ft of torque. We’ll know exactly how much performance the new Quad Motor layout brings when Rivian starts building them later this year.

Mercedes-AMG One

1,063 Horsepower

No surprise, when you shove a Formula 1 hybrid drivetrain into a street-legal supercar, you get an outrageous amount of power. The Mercedes AMG One pairs a tiny 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 with a complex hybrid powertrain resulting in 1,063 horsepower. How much torque? Mercedes hasn't published an exact rating, citing the complexities of the AMG One’s hybrid drivetrain. The horsepower figure alone should give you an indicator that the AMG One is a serious machine, and at a price of $2.7 million, it’s an exclusive one too.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

1,139 Horsepower / 682 Pound-Feet

Not to be outdone by Mercedes, Aston Martin built its own hybrid hypercar. But while Mercedes uses a V-6 engine similar to its Grand Prix cars, Aston Martin uses an enormous 6.5-liter V-12 for the gasoline-burning half of its hybrid drivetrain. If that’s not enough, Aston Martin will also sell you a track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like either Valkyrie will be legal to drive on the road in the US.

Lucid Air Sapphire

1,234 Horsepower / 1,430 Pound-Feet

Once again, the absurd power output of electric motors leads to an entry that seems like it comes from the upside-down world: A long-wheelbase four-door luxury sedan that makes more horsepower than the most powerful offerings from Ferrari and Lamborghini. That’s what Lucid has achieved with the Air Sapphire. Three electric motors combine to make 1,234 horsepower and 1,430 lb-ft of torque, good enough 0-60 in just 1.9 seconds. And it’s not just a straight-line bruiser: Lucid updated the suspension and chassis to make sure the Air Sapphire can handle corners too.

Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily.
For more information, read our
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Czinger 21C VMax

1,350 Horsepower

You may not recognize the name Czinger right away, but this California supercar maker has one of the most powerful cars on the planet. The 21C VMax is a follow-up to the original 21C that debuted in 2021. The VMax model has a more potent twin-turbocharged 2.88-liter V-8 engine that makes up to 1,350 horsepower and 1,350 pound-feet. Its streamlined body also gives it a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds and a top speed of 253.

SSC Tuatara

1,350 Horsepower / 984 Pound-Feet

The SSC Tuatara broke its own speed record by hitting 295 miles per hour last May. The rare hypercar has a twin-turbo V-8 with an 8,800-rpm redline that makes 1,350 horsepower on 91 Octane fuel—or up to 1,750 horsepower on ethanol. Best of all, it comes paired to a seven-speed manual transmission.

Koenigsegg CC850

1,385 Horsepower / 1,020 Pound-Feet

As crazy as it might seem, the Koenigsegg CC850 is sort of a throwback machine. Styled to look like the CC8S, the very first model Koenigsegg ever sold, this so-called "megacar" squeezes an insane 1,385 horsepower out of its twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 when it’s running on E85. That gives the CC850 a power-to-weight ratio of one horsepower per kilogram. Even more wondrous, the Koenigsegg is one of only two vehicles on this list with a manual transmission, sort of: The nine-speed multi-clutch transmission can shift itself, or you can switch it to manual mode, where a gated shift lever and clutch pedal make it behave exactly like an old-fashioned stick-shift.

Bugatti Tourbillon

1,775 Horsepower

In the near-ish future, Bugatti will transition to all-electric drivetrains, courtesy of the brand’s recent partnership with Croatian EV innovator Rimac. So consider the Tourbillon, with its hybrid drivetrain built around a naturally aspirated V-16 engine, a farewell party for internal combustion. The engine alone makes 986 horsepower. Add two electric motors on the front axle and one driving the rear wheels, and you get 1,775 horsepower. Zero to 60 should take 2.0 seconds, and Bugatti estimates a top speed of 277 mph. And while we’re talking numbers, let’s hit the biggest one of all: $4.6 million, a price that puts this amazing machine just a bit out of reach for most of us.

Rimac Nevera

1,813 Horsepower / 1,741 Pound-Feet

Rimac clearly knows how to make bonkers power from electric motors. The Nevera EV supercar boasts a total of 1,813 horsepower, good enough to sprint to 60 mph in a claimed 1.85 seconds. The Nevera has broken a ton of records, including one for the fastest EV ever made, with a top speed of 258 mph. If you want one, you’ll have to pony up more than $2.2 million.

Hennessey Venom F5

1,817 Horsepower / 1,193 Pound-Feet

Technically speaking, the Venom F5 coupe is completely sold out. But if you have a few million dollars lying around, you can still apply for an F5 Roadster droptop or a new F5 Revolution with track-focused aerodynamics. Either version gets you into a hypercar with a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-8 engine making 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 pound-feet of torque, with a top speed of over 300 miles per hour.

Pininfarina Battista

1,900 Horsepower / 1,741 Pound-Feet

The Pininfarina Battista is the Rimac Nevera's svelte Italian counterpart. It also has a bit more power than its Croatian cousin, packing 1,900 horsepower and 1,741 pound-feet of torque courtesy of four permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors. Its top speed sits at 218 miles per hour. 

Lotus Evija

1,972 Horsepower / 1,254 Pound-Feet

This isn’t the "simplify and add lightness" Lotus of founder Colin Chapman. Now owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely, Lotus is focused on high-performance EVs, and the Evija supercar, with nearly 2,000 horsepower, certainly fits that bill. The model nearly made it to the top of our power list, and while Lotus is still building examples, they’re all spoken for—not that any of us could afford one at $2.3 million.

Aspark Owl

1,984 Horsepower / 1,475 Pound-Feet

If you've never heard of the Aspark Owl—now you know exactly what this vehicle is all about. This obscure Japanese hypercar debuted in production form in 2020 but you can still buy one today... assuming you have $3.1 million to blow. The all-electric hypercar has 1,984 horsepower and 1,475 pound-feet of torque, and it can hit 60 mph in a ridiculous 1.72 seconds.

Koenigsegg Gemera

2,300 Horsepower / 2,028 Pound-Feet

One more Koenigsegg rounds out our list of the most powerful cars of 2024, and it’s a knockout. The Gemera is a four-seat supercar that pairs Koenigsegg’s twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 with a complex electric drivetrain to make a jaw-dropping 2,300 horsepower. Of course, at this end of the automotive market, there’s no such thing as a list price. If you have to ask how much it costs, you definitely can’t afford it.

Most Powerful Cars

  1. Koenigsegg Gemera - 2,300 Horsepower
  2. Aspark Owl - 1,984 Horsepower
  3. Lotus Evija - 1,972 Horsepower
  4. Pininfarina Battista - 1,900 Horsepower
  5. Hennessey Venom F5 - 1,817 Horsepower
  6. Rimac Nevera - 1,813 Horsepower
  7. Bugatti Tourbillon - 1,775 Horsepower
  8. Koenigsegg CC850 - 1,385 Horsepower
  9. SSC Tuatara - 1,350 Horsepower
  10. Czinger 21C VMax - 1,350 Horsepower
  11. Lucid Air Sapphire - 1,234 Horsepower
  12. Aston Martin Valkyrie - 1,139 Horsepower 
  13. Mercedes-AMG One - 1,063 Horsepower
  14. Rivian R1S / R1T - 1,025 Horsepower 
  15. Tesla Model S / Model X Plaid - 1,020 Horsepower
  16. Lamborghini Revuelto - 1,001 Horsepower
  17. GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 - 1,000 Horsepower
  18. Ferrari SF90 - 986 Horsepower
  19. Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast - 845 Horsepower 
  20. Ferrari Daytona SP3 - Ferrari Daytona SP3
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.