YangWang U9 Track: 293 MPH EV Record

On August 8, 2026, BYD's luxury arm YangWang sent its U9 Track Edition to ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany and ran 293.54 mph (472.41 km/h). The run, piloted by German racer Marc Basseng, obliterated the previous electric vehicle top-speed record — the Rimac Nevera R's 268 mph run set at the same facility just weeks earlier. It also surpassed the Koenigsegg Agera RS's two-way average of 277 mph, making the U9 Track Edition the fastest EV ever driven on a closed public road at a recognized test facility.

The record matters not just because it is a large number, but because it happened in the middle of a genuine EV performance arms race between Chinese and European manufacturers — a race that is now officially won by a Chinese car.

What Is the YangWang U9 Track Edition?

YangWang is BYD's ultra-luxury sub-brand, positioned above the mainstream BYD lineup and targeting the hyper-performance segment alongside Rimac and Bugatti. The standard U9 debuted in 2024 as a ~1,300-hp electric hypercar; the Track Edition is a modified, higher-output variant purpose-built to challenge top-speed records.

The 1,200-volt electrical architecture — higher than the 800-volt systems in most high-performance EVs — enables the motor controllers to handle the power density required at 293 mph. At that speed, aerodynamic drag grows with the square of velocity, meaning the difference between 268 mph and 293 mph requires dramatically more power than the difference between, say, 200 mph and 225 mph.

The Record Run: What Happened

The ATP Papenburg facility in Lower Saxony, Germany is a 7.4-mile high-speed oval specifically built for automotive testing. Its banked curves allow cars to maintain flat-out speed without a driver input, making it the standard venue for European top-speed record attempts — the same location Rimac used for the Nevera R's record in July 2026.

Basseng drove the U9 Track Edition through multiple passes, ultimately achieving the 293.54 mph peak. BYD submitted documentation to industry observers, and the run is corroborated by multiple independent reports from automotive media present at the facility.

The previous EV record — 268 mph by the Rimac Nevera R — was already considered a landmark for electric vehicles. The U9 Track Edition exceeded it by more than 25 mph in a single run, a margin that is remarkable even in the context of record-chasing where new records typically improve the benchmark by a few mph.

The U9 Family: Three Variants, One Record Chain

To understand where this record sits, it helps to know the three distinct versions of the YangWang U9:

The U9 Xtreme — which hit 308 mph in September 2025, technically becoming the fastest production vehicle ever built — is built in a run of only 30 cars and is not sold in most markets. Some independent bodies do not recognize the Xtreme's 308 mph as the definitive "fastest production EV" record because of the ultra-limited production. The U9 Track Edition's 293.54 mph, achieved in August 2026, targets a broader certification of the EV top-speed record.

Either way, BYD now holds both the top-speed claims in the EV world. The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut holds the overall theoretical maximum for production cars at a claimed 310 mph — though that run has not been publicly executed. Among cars with documented, independently observed runs, the YangWang family sits at the top.

How It Compares: EV Top-Speed Timeline

The record has changed hands several times in the past two years:

The Nevera R's 268 mph was achieved with a car that also holds 1.66s 0-60 and 24 other world records — a more rounded claim than the U9 Track Edition's narrower top-speed focus. The U9 Track Edition was configured specifically for high speed, not a balanced performance profile. Both cars represent serious engineering, but they are optimized for different metrics.

For the full Rimac Nevera R breakdown including its 0-60 records, see Rimac Nevera R: 1.66s 0-60 Explained. For the wider context of where Chinese performance cars stand, see Fastest Chinese Cars of 2026 Ranked.

What Does 293 MPH Mean in GPS Terms?

FastTrack times acceleration events — 0-60, 0-100, quarter-mile — but top-speed records sit in a different domain. No GPS device mounted on a dashboard measures peak speed to the precision required for a world record; those runs use calibrated wheel sensors, radar guns, or VBOX-class GNSS units sampling at 100 Hz.

What the YangWang result does is raise the ceiling of reference. When you run your own car on the FastTrack GPS timer and see a quarter-mile trap speed or a 60-130 pull, your data point now lives on a leaderboard whose absolute top end belongs to a 293-mph electric car. The gap between a weekend driver's Tesla Model 3 and a U9 Track Edition is, in both directions, quantifiable and real.

The EV leaderboard on FastTrack already features user runs from Model S Plaids, Ioniq 5 Ns, and Rivian R1Ts. A U9 Track Edition will never be on that list — but the fact that the U9 Track Edition exists redefines what "electric" can mean.

The Bottom Line

The YangWang U9 Track Edition's 293.54 mph on August 8, 2026 is the fastest documented electric vehicle speed run in history. BYD's investment in ultra-performance electric technology — first with the standard U9, then the Xtreme, now the Track Edition — has placed a Chinese manufacturer at the absolute peak of the EV performance hierarchy. That is a meaningful shift in a segment that Rimac, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg have dominated for years.

The arms race is not over. Rimac will respond. But for now, the number is 293.54 mph, set on a Tuesday in Germany by an electric car from Shenzhen.

For more on the fastest cars in the world by top speed, and how the EV performance picture shapes up in 2026, see our full EV 0-60 times ranked breakdown.

FAQ

How fast did the YangWang U9 Track Edition go?

The YangWang U9 Track Edition reached 293.54 mph (472.41 km/h) at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany on August 8, 2026. The run was piloted by German racer Marc Basseng and established the fastest confirmed top speed for an electric vehicle at a recognized test facility.

What was the previous EV top-speed record before the YangWang U9?

The previous production-class EV top-speed record was 268 mph (431.45 km/h), set by the Rimac Nevera R at ATP Papenburg in July 2026. The YangWang U9 Track Edition exceeded it by more than 25 mph in August 2026.

How much horsepower does the YangWang U9 Track Edition make?

The U9 Track Edition produces 2,959 hp from a quad-motor electric powertrain with motors capable of spinning at 30,000 rpm. It runs on a 1,200-volt electrical architecture, higher than the 800-volt systems common to most high-performance EVs.

Is the YangWang U9 Xtreme the same as the Track Edition?

No. The U9 Xtreme is a separate, even more extreme variant limited to 30 units, which hit 308 mph in September 2025 and is widely considered the fastest production vehicle ever built by top speed. The Track Edition is a different variant with 2,959 hp that specifically targeted the production-class EV top-speed record at ATP Papenburg in August 2026.

What is YangWang? Is it the same as BYD?

YangWang is BYD's ultra-luxury performance sub-brand, similar to how Lamborghini sits within the Volkswagen Group. YangWang vehicles are engineered and sold separately from mainstream BYD models, targeting the hyper-performance segment at price points typically starting above $250,000.

What track did the YangWang U9 break the record on?

The record was set at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany — a 7.4-mile high-speed oval purpose-built for automotive testing. It is the same facility where the Rimac Nevera R set its record in July 2026 and where Bugatti has conducted multiple top-speed validation runs.