A Chinese electric car just smashed the 500kmh barrier for the first time – but hitting 312mph came at a cost

Chinese cars are rapidly taking over the UK market, accounting for more than one in five new models sold last month.

The Jaecoo 7, commonly dubbed the ‘Temu Range Rover’ due to its resemblance to the British SUV at around half the price, was the best-selling new model for a second consecutive month and is on course to become Britain’s most popular car in 2026.

But China isn’t just winning the sales battle. It’s also setting new speed records.

Chinese supercar maker Yangwang, a premium spin-off brand of BYD, has set a new top-speed record for a road-legal car, surpassing a major milestone for the first time.

Its electric U9 Xtreme has been officially clocked at 503.16kmh, becoming the first road-going car to break through the 500kmh barrier.

That translates to a staggering 312.65mph.

The feat eclipses the company’s previous record of 308.33mph, set last year, and wrests the crown of world’s fastest production road car from the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which managed 304.1mph.

However, it appears the achievement may have come at a cost. Just three days ago, footage emerged showing a U9 Xtreme crashing during high-speed testing in China, destroying one of the ultra-exclusive EVs and sending the driver to hospital.

The new 500kmh-plus record was set on Sunday (November 1) on the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road in Abu Dhabi, with Le Mans 24 Hours winner Marc Basseng at the wheel.

Typically, speed records are officially recognised only when a vehicle completes runs in both directions, cancelling out any advantage gained from wind conditions or road gradients.

However, that convention is increasingly being overlooked, with Guinness World Records now recognising some single-direction achievements.

Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice-president, described breaking the 500kmh barrier as a ‘fantastic achievement’ that ‘moves the benchmark for pure electric power even further ahead of where others might dream.’

Speaking about the dangers of pushing an EV to such incredible speeds, German racer Basseng said: ‘At these extreme speeds every detail matters, and none of this would have been possible without the incredible Yangwang engineering team.

‘I am proud to be part of this journey and to demonstrate just how far electric vehicle technology can go.’

A video released shortly after Basseng completed the run highlighted the risks involved.

Footage circulating online appears to show a U9 Xtreme suffering a technical issue before losing control and smashing into safety barriers during testing in China while travelling at approximately 450kmh (280mph).

According to local media reports, the driver escaped serious injury, though he was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

The footage shows the car suffered extensive damage. However, the passenger cell remained largely intact and appeared to perform as intended by protecting the driver.

What is the Yangwang U9 and can I buy one in the UK? 

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is an upgraded version of the U9 hypercar already on sale in China.

Only 30 U9 Xtremes will be produced worldwide, and they are expected to command a significantly higher price than the standard £200,000 U9.

Even so, the U9 Xtreme is likely to cost far less than the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which carries a price tag of around £3million.

And the U9 Xtreme’s trophy cabinet is already filling up.

It currently holds the production EV lap record around Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife, posting a blistering time of 6min 59.157sec around the legendary circuit.

That benchmark was achieved by the same specification of car that has now claimed the outright EV top-speed record, which Yangwang says ‘proves the U9 Xtreme’s all-round abilities as a dream hypercar’.

The car is also set to become the world’s first series-produced hypercar to feature a 1,200-volt ultra-high-voltage platform. It has an optimised thermal management system and a re-engineered cooling setup designed to cope with a 133 per cent increase in total power output.

Its four electric motors each produce 555kW, combining to generate a colossal 2,959bhp.

Yangwang claims the U9 Xtreme will sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.36 seconds.

It uses BYD’s Blade Battery technology, the innovation that helped establish the Chinese giant as one of the world’s leading EV manufacturers.

However, such astonishing performance comes at a cost. Even the standard U9 manages a relatively modest range of just 280 miles on a full charge.

BYD is yet to announce if the brand will be sold in Europe or the UK.