The Rimac Nevera has become the fastest electric production car in the world after setting a top speed of 412 km/h (256 mph) last month.

The new record follows on from the Nevera’s independently verified 8.582-second quarter-mile run in 2021, which made it the world’s fastest accelerating production car.

The top speed record attempt took place October 23 on the Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Germany, an oval with straights long enough (4 kilometers or 2.48 miles) to allow the Nevera to reach its top speed. There aren’t that many tracks that can be used to achieve speeds of over 400 km/h (248 mph) as it is very rare that a car can even achieve this performance.

Before the record attempt, the Nevera was set into its top speed mode, which creates an aerodynamic profile that balances drag and downforce to ensure stability at high speed. The electric hypercar was also fitted with road legal Michelin Cup 2R tires, with a Michelin technician on the spot to check their condition.

With Miro Zrnčevic, Rimac’s Chief Test and Development Driver, behind the wheel, the Nevera managed to hit a top speed of 412 km/h (256 mph), exactly as simulated many years ago.

The big challenge was to get the perfect entry onto the straight from the track’s curved sections to give the car the best possible chance of reaching its top speed. As the car leveled out of the banking, traveling around 250 km/h (155 mph), Miro was able to unleash the full power of the four-motor powertrain and battery pack, catapulting the Nevera well into the 400-km/h (248-mph) range. 

The top speed of 412 km/h (256 mph) was enough to make the Nevera the World Record holder for the fastest EV production car and also the fastest car ever recorded at Automotive Testing Papenburg. The top speed was measured using the Racelogic V-Box, a high-precision GPS-based measurement device. 

“To travel at 412 kph, or 256 mph, means traveling at a third of the speed of sound. Simply achieving that alone in a road car is incredibly complex, but in Nevera we have created a car that can travel long distances on a single charge, can tackle tight and twisting race tracks and can drift as well as break straight-line speed records, both for acceleration and V-MAX.”

Miro Zrnčević, Rimac’s Chief Test and Development Driver

He added that he was impressed by how composed and stable the car was at top speed, which is testimony to the “amazing job” done by Rimac’s aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics teams.

While the Nevera is delivered to customers with a limited top speed of 219 mph (352 km/h), it can achieve the 412 km/h (256 mph) top speed with support from the Rimac team and under controlled conditions in special customer events. Most of the precautions are directed towards making sure that the tires are properly set-up for such high speeds.