An electric car has just exceeded a speed that very few land vehicles can reach, and its feat has been officially verified.
On November 1, 2026, a Yangwang U9 Xtreme reached 503.17 km/h on a closed section of the E11 highway near Abu Dhabi. German driver Marc Basseng was behind the wheel. Guinness World Records certified this performance in the production-car category, based on a run in a single direction.
The record-setting car and its driver.
At that speed, the car covers nearly 140 meters every second. A simple irregularity in the road can therefore become very troublesome. The team chose a straight section about seven kilometers long and carefully inspected the road, notably to remove small debris that could damage the tires.
The vehicle is not an ordinary electric car. It has four motors, one for each wheel, with a combined output exceeding 2,200 kilowatts. This makes it possible to transmit considerable force to the ground. But having powerful motors is not enough to remain stable above 500 km/h.
The engineers also worked on how the car holds the road. A system continuously adjusts the force sent to each wheel. The suspension, which absorbs movements in the road surface, also receives specific settings. Even the angle of the rear wing was modified to improve downforce.
The battery plays an important role in this performance. It must deliver a huge amount of electricity in a very short time without overheating too much. To achieve this, the manufacturer uses an electrical system operating at 1,200 volts, combined with a battery and suitable cooling systems.
However, the record was not achieved on the first attempt. On October 31, the initial attempts reached 490 km/h. The teams then adjusted the tires, suspension, and thermal preparation of the motors. The following day, after a first run, the car finally crossed the 500 km/h mark.
However, it is important to distinguish between record categories. Guinness validated a top speed achieved in a single direction. Other rankings require two runs in opposite directions, notably to limit the influence of the wind. This result therefore does not automatically replace all production-car speed records.
Another feature limits the commercial reach of this feat: BYD plans to produce only thirty U9 Xtreme examples worldwide. According to the manufacturer, some customers have already approved their vehicle's configuration, and the first orders are moving toward production.
This record attempt was also preceded by a spectacular accident. During testing in China, another Yangwang U9 Xtreme violently crashed into safety barriers. The first impact reportedly occurred at around 360 km/h, while the tests were targeting speeds above 420 km/h.
Despite the considerable damage, including the detachment of the rear axle, the driver managed to escape unharmed. BYD released the footage to highlight the strength of the carbon-fiber safety cell.