Bottom line: A good quarter-mile time depends on the car class: sub-10 seconds is supercar territory, 11-12s is modified-street, 13s is fast-stock, 14-15s is daily-driver V6, and 16s+ is economy. Use a GPS timer to measure yours accurately without a dragstrip.
Last reviewed: May 12, 2026
Quarter Mile Times Explained: What's a Good Time?
The quarter mile has been the standard measure of straight-line performance since organized drag racing began in the 1950s. It is 1,320 feet of pavement that distills everything about your car's powertrain, traction, and weight into a single number. Whether you are curious about where your daily driver stacks up or chasing a personal best at the strip, understanding quarter mile time brackets gives you a frame of reference.
What Is a Quarter Mile Run?
A quarter mile run measures the elapsed time (ET) from a standing start to the end of a 1,320-foot course. The clock starts when the car moves and stops when it crosses the finish line. Alongside ET, trap speed (the speed at the finish line) is also recorded and gives insight into a car's top-end power.
At a drag strip, timing is handled by light beams and electronic sensors. On the street, GPS-based apps like FastTrack measure distance and speed continuously to calculate the same result. The strip gives you a more controlled environment, but GPS timing lets you test anytime, anywhere with a safe stretch of road.
Quarter Mile Time Brackets
Here is how the car community generally categorizes quarter mile performance. These are for street-legal vehicles on street tires unless otherwise noted.
Sub-10 Seconds: Elite
Running a sub-10-second quarter mile puts you in rare company. At this level, you are looking at heavily modified builds, dedicated drag cars, or modern hypercars like the Rimac Nevera and Bugatti Chiron. Most sub-10 street cars are running forced induction with significant power modifications, sticky tires, and dialed-in launch techniques. Many drag strips require a roll cage and additional safety equipment for cars running under 10 seconds.
10 to 12 Seconds: Fast
This is where serious street performance lives. Stock Hellcats, tuned Supra MK5s, bolt-on Corvette Z06s, and well-built turbo Honda Civics all play in this range. A 10-second street car is genuinely fast by any standard, and a 12-second car will surprise most people at a stoplight. Getting into the 10s from a mid-12-second car usually requires a combination of power mods, weight reduction, and tire upgrades.
12 to 14 Seconds: Sporty
Most factory sports cars and performance trims land here. A stock Mustang GT, WRX, Golf GTI, or Camaro SS will run in this range. A 12-second car feels quick in daily driving, and a 13-second car is still noticeably faster than average traffic. Many enthusiasts spend their time in this bracket, progressively modifying their cars and chipping away at their times.
14 Seconds and Above: Average to Economy
The majority of passenger cars, crossovers, and trucks fall into the 14-to-18-second range. A base model Camry, Civic, or RAV4 will run somewhere around 15 to 16 seconds. There is nothing wrong with these times. They represent normal, everyday transportation. But if you are reading this guide, you probably want to be somewhere quicker.
Factors That Affect Your Quarter Mile Time
Several variables determine how fast your car covers 1,320 feet.
Power-to-weight ratio. This is the single most important factor. A lightweight car with moderate power can outrun a heavy car with significantly more horsepower. This is why a 400-horsepower Lotus will beat a 500-horsepower full-size truck.
Traction. All the power in the world means nothing if you cannot put it to the ground. Tire compound, tire width, suspension setup, and drivetrain type (FWD, RWD, AWD) all affect launch traction. AWD cars have a significant advantage at the start of a quarter mile run, which is why the Nissan GT-R and Tesla Model S consistently punch above their power class.
Gearing and transmission. Shift points, gear ratios, and shift speed all matter. A car that hits the rev limiter in third gear before the finish line will lose time compared to one that is pulling cleanly through the traps. Automatic transmissions with fast shift logic often outperform manual transmissions at the strip, even if the manual feels more engaging.
Driver skill. The launch is where most time is won or lost. A perfect launch on a RWD car requires precise throttle modulation to maximize traction without spinning. Consistent practice is the only way to improve. Track your runs over time and compare launch consistency alongside final times.
Conditions. Temperature, humidity, altitude, and wind all play a role. Cool, dry air at low altitude produces the best times. Drag strips calculate a "density altitude" that corrects for these factors. When testing with FastTrack, note the conditions for each run to understand variations in your results.
How to Measure Your Quarter Mile Time
At the drag strip, you simply pay for a time slip and the track handles the rest. For street testing, FastTrack measures your quarter mile time using GPS speed and distance tracking. Start from a standstill, accelerate through the quarter mile distance, and the app records your ET and trap speed automatically.
For the most accurate results, choose a flat, straight road with good GPS visibility. Avoid areas with tall buildings or heavy tree cover that could degrade satellite reception. Run in both directions if possible to account for wind and grade, then average the results.
FastTrack stores every run with full telemetry, so you can review your speed curve, see where you lost time, and track improvement over multiple sessions. The leaderboards show how your quarter mile time compares to other drivers with the same vehicle, giving you a realistic target to aim for.
Get Started with FastTrack
Whether you are chasing a personal best or just curious where your car falls in the brackets, FastTrack measures your quarter mile ET and trap speed using GPS timing. Record your runs, compare against other owners with the same vehicle, and track your progress over time. FastTrack is free on iOS. Download FastTrack from the App Store and start tracking today.
FAQ
What is a good quarter mile time for a stock car?
For a modern stock performance car like a Mustang GT, Camaro SS, or BMW M3, a quarter mile in the low-to-mid 12-second range is typical. Hot hatches like the Golf GTI and Civic Si usually land in the high 13s to mid 14s. If you are running within half a second of the published factory time, your car is performing as expected.
How much does weight reduction help quarter mile times?
A common rule of thumb is that removing 100 pounds from a 3,500-pound car improves the quarter mile by roughly 0.1 seconds. The effect is more pronounced at lower power levels and in the first half of the run where acceleration is highest. Removing the spare tire, rear seats, and unnecessary cargo is the easiest starting point.
Is GPS timing accurate enough for quarter mile measurement?
GPS timing accuracy for quarter mile depends on both speed measurement and distance measurement. FastTrack's quarter mile accuracy is within approximately ±0.04 seconds of dedicated hardware. This is a slightly larger gap than for 0-60 times (±0.02 seconds) because distance-based metrics are more affected by GPS antenna quality. FastTrack compensates with Doppler-derived speed, an Apollo 11–class sensor-fusion pipeline, and aggressive signal filtering, but dedicated devices with roof-mounted antennas have an inherent advantage for distance measurements. For tracking progress and comparing modifications, phone GPS is reliable. For competitive use where hundredths matter, a drag strip time slip is the definitive measurement.