The electric BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme is the first production car to break the 500 km/h speed barrier. The new record of 503.17 km/h was achieved on a closed motorway in Abu Dhabi.
After beating the Bugatti Chiron 300 + record (490.48 km/h) with a top speed of 496.22 km/h in 2025, the BYD Yangwang U9 Xtreme now sharpens its record.
The new top speed of 503.17 km/h was achieved on November 1st 2026, and the FIA and Guinness World Records have now confirmed the record.
Long build-up
The previous record dated from September 2025, just over a year ago, and was achieved in Germany. But BYD wanted to break the 500 km/h barrier and has worked ever since to achieve it. There were some hiccups along the way, like a high-speed crash on a closed course in China.
But now, the Chinese car manufacturer has finally achieved its goal. The new record of 503.17 km/h was achieved on the E11 motorway in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region. A 10-kilometer section of motorway was closed off to create a long straight stretch. At that speed, the car travels almost 140 meters per second!
The first attempt was made on October 31st, but German test driver Marc Basseng was stranded at 490 km/h. After adjusting the rear wing, dampers, and tire pressure, the new record was achieved with optimized battery and motor temperatures.
Caveats
Breaking the 500 km/h barrier is a significant milestone. The fact that a Chinese manufacturer achieved it, with an electric car nonetheless, can be seen as an indicator that the automotive world has changed.
The new record comes with some caveats, though. Although the Yangwang U9 Xtreme is officially a production model, BYD is only building 30.
But the same goes for the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, and its record was even set by a near-production-ready example, not the final production version.
A second caveat is the way the record was measured. The car only went in one direction, whereas traditionally the stretch of road is driven in both directions to compensate for the road’s gradient and wind.
But it is recognized by the FIA and Guinness World Records, and most of the previous records were equally. The only car in the top 5 to achieve its speed on a two-way attempt is the SSC Tuatara, with a top of 474.8 km/h.
The new top speed top 5:
1 – Yangwang U9 Xtreme EV: 503.17 km/h (2026)
2 – Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 490.48 km/h (2019)
3 – SSC Tuatara: 474.8 km/h (2022)
4 – Koenigsegg Agera RS: 457.94 km/h (2017)
5 – Bugatti W16 Mistral: 453.91 km/h (2024)
The rest of the cars in the top 5 are all petrol-powered. The runner-up in the purely electric category is the Rimac Nevera R, reaching a top speed of 431.45 km/h in 2025, earning it 6th place overall.
Technological showcase
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is BYD’s halo model, developed to showcase the company’s technological advancements. The active chassis control and aerodynamics are designed for stability at high speeds.
And the car sits on specially developed Giti semi-slick tires that can handle extreme speeds. It uses a 1,200 V architecture and has four electric motors, each rated at 555 kW, delivering a total of 2,220 kW.
But even more impressive is the U9 Xtreme’s battery. BYD Auto is part of BYD Company Limited, which started in 1995 as a battery manufacturer.
The Blade battery in the U9 has a 30C discharge rate, meaning it can deliver its full capacity to the motors in 2 minutes. This kind of power delivery is needed when the car runs at top speed, battling aerodynamic resistance at over 500 km/h.
The technology used to produce the battery and to run and cool it in a car as extreme as the U9 could end up impacting future developments in BYD’s more ‘everyday’ cars. Just like motorsports and records did (and still do) in the world of petrol cars.
