Skip to main content

Speed king: Koenigsegg Agera RS goes from 0 to 249 mph and back in record time

Koenigsegg Agera RS 0-400-0
The 0 to 60 mph test is one of the most common evaluations of vehicle acceleration you can find. While it’s not as important as you may think, it does show how briskly a car can get up to speed, push your back into the seat, and even put a smile on your face. Cars made by brands like Koenigsegg, however, play in a completely different realm — the realm of the hypercar.
Recommended Videos

In this lofty automotive altitude, 0 to 60 mph tests are less relevant because hypercars are barely warmed up at that speed. Their tires are still struggling to stick themselves to the road under their engines’ massive output. A true test of a hypercar’s mettle, then, comes in a trial more fitting for their insane capabilities, one like the intimidating 0-249-0 mph (0-400-0 kph) test, which measures off-the-line acceleration, top-end power, aerodynamics, braking, and stability. The previous record of 41.96 seconds was set by the incredible Bugatti Chiron a few weeks ago, but Koenigsegg just went out and blew it to pieces.

As seen in the video above, a cabernet-tinged Agera RS has completed the 0-249-0 mph run in just 36.44 seconds, smashing the previous time by more than 5.0 seconds. That’s an amazing feat to be sure, but if that weren’t impressive enough, Koenigsegg didn’t even use its fastest car.

The Agera RS is powered by a twin-turbo 5.0-liter aluminum V8 generating 1,160 horsepower, but the example in the video is fitted with the optional 1 MegaWatt package, which boosts output to an incredible 1,341 hp. Clearly, it’s no slouch. The plug-in hybrid Regera, though, generates a staggering 1,500 hp and 1,475 pound-feet of torque, making it the fastest vehicle in the automaker’s lineup by far. It may be less hardcore than the Agera RS in terms of the daily driving experience — it’s designed as a GT car with both speed and comfort in mind — but in terms of pure thrust, the Regera would trounce both the Agera RS and Bugatti Chiron quite handily.

Why didn’t Koenigsegg use the Regera for the test, you ask? The $2 million electrified hypercar is very much sold out, so the brand had to “settle” for its second choice. Your move, Bugatti.

Andrew Hard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
Never mind slowing sales, 57% of drivers will likely have an EV in 10 years

Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have slowed globally over the past few years. But should EV makers cater more to the mainstream, it’s likely that 57% of drivers will have an EV in 10 years, consulting firm Accenture says.

Last year, nearly 14 million EVs were sold globally, representing a 35% year-on-year increase. But it was much slower than the 55% sales growth recorded in 2022 and the 121% growth in 2021.

Read more
I spent a week with an EV and it completely changed my mind about them
The Cupra Born VZ seen from the front.

After spending a week with an electric car as my main vehicle, opinions I’d formed about them prior to spending so much time with one have changed — and some quite dramatically.

I learned that while I now know I could easily live with one, which I wasn’t sure was the case before, I also found out that I still wouldn’t want to, but for a very different reason than I expected.
Quiet and effortless

Read more
Trade group says EV tax incentive helps U.S. industry compete versus China
ev group support tax incentive 201 seer credit eligibility

The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a trade group with members including the likes of Tesla, Waymo, Rivian, and Uber, is coming out in support of tax incentives for both the production and sale of electric vehicles (EVs).

Domestic manufacturers of EVs and their components, such as batteries, have received tax incentives that have driven job opportunities in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Georgia, the group says.

Read more