BYD's Yangwang U9 Xtreme Shatters Speed Record at 503kph on Abu Dhabi Highway

History was made on Sunday on a stretch of desert road in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region, as a hypercar clocked a record-breaking 503.17kph. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme broke the previous world speed record of 496.22kph, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced on Friday. The same car set the previous record in Germany in September 2025.

The latest speed test took place on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed International Road (E11) in Al Dhafra, where the company worked with authorities to close a 10km stretch of road. The trial used 7km of the route. German racing driver Marc Basseng was behind the wheel and completed four runs over two days. According to the FIA, engineers adjusted the car on the second day to push its performance further. Unlike the previous attempt, which took place at the ATP Papenburg automotive testing facility in Germany, the latest record was set on a public road.

Yangwang is the luxury electric vehicle brand of Chinese carmaker BYD, which entered the UAE market in 2025. "We took on an entirely different challenge – pushing the limits of speed on a public road in Abu Dhabi. Unlike a dedicated test track, a public road presents a different set of challenges, making precision, stability and confidence in the vehicle more important than ever. Breaking a world record once is extraordinary, but doing it again in such a different environment is truly special," Mr Basseng said.

The record-breaking run earned the car two Guinness World Records: the highest speed achieved by a production car in a single-direction run and the highest speed achieved by an electric production car in the same category. It is the first time a production car has surpassed 500kph.

"The achievement represents a significant milestone in the continued development of electric vehicle technology and demonstrates the performance capabilities of modern all-electric production cars," the FIA said. BYD described the achievement as "fantastic". "It moves the benchmark for pure electric power even further ahead of where others might dream," Stella Li, BYD executive vice president, said. "I always tell people that our engineers are young, bold and maybe a little crazy – but in a good way!"

The U9 Xtreme is powered by four independent electric motors with a combined output of more than 3,000PS. Its specifications include a 1,200-volt electrical architecture, an advanced torque-vectoring system and specialised high-performance tyres.

The speed limit on the E11 stretch is 160kph, among the highest posted limits on a public road anywhere in the world. The record attempt was conducted in co-ordination with the authorities, but in normal circumstances motorists exceeding the speed limit by more than 80kph face a fine of Dh3,000, 23 black points and 60 days' vehicle impoundment.