What’s a Fast Quarter-Mile Time?
If you ask 10 gearheads what constitutes a fast car, you’ll likely get 10 answers. There’s top speed, obviously. Another is 0-60 mph clock time. Yet another way the definition of “fast car” was standardized was the quarter-mile test. Basically, it’s how long it takes a car to complete .25 miles of straight, even pavement. So, in the car world, what’s considered a fast quarter-mile?
Fastest quarter-mile times for production cars
Just as there are many opinions about how fast “fast” is, there are opinions about what a fair quarter mile is. Some purists believe stock, or production, cars are all that counts. Others feel that a car is a car, however Frankensteined, and all’s fair in love and war.
Regardless of these stances, knowing how fast today’s production cars can complete a quarter-mile is a good place to start.
Here are the five fastest quarter-mile production cars listed by duPont Registry:
- Pininfarina Battista: 8.55 seconds
- RIMAC Nevera: 8.58 seconds
- Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170: 8.91 seconds
- Lucid Air Sapphire: 9.20 seconds
- Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 9.40 seconds
The list goes on, but it clearly starts with some incredible machines. The Battista is a 1,900-hp all-electric supercar that costs over $2 million. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the most reasonably priced of the above group at about $100K and touts the infamous 1,025-hp Hellephant engine.
Quick, fast, or mind-blowing?
Most “regular” daily drivers finish a quarter-mile in double the times posted above, 15+ seconds. For example, the 2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid Nightshade Edition does .25 in 15.8 seconds.
You can expect the most accessible high-performance sports cars to land somewhere in the 11-13 second mark. For instance, the 2024 Ford Mustang GT stopped the clock at 12.5 seconds.
In general, quarter-mile times of around 13 seconds mean “quick.” Anything between 10 and 12 seconds is fast. Under 10 seconds, and we’re beyond fast – more like mind-blowing.
