Our latest test of the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X delivered exactly what Chevy promised: zero to 60 mph in 1.8 seconds and a quarter-mile run in 8.9 seconds at 155 mph.
Those figures beat our prior results by 0.3 second in each category, where engineers had pointed to a dusty track as the reason for slower times.
The ZR1X now stands as the quickest vehicle we have ever evaluated, the first to reach 60 mph in 1.8 seconds and the first to dip under 9.0 seconds in the quarter-mile.

Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we focus on the test data. We have been pushing cars to their limits since 1956 to supply objective numbers that support our driving impressions (you can see how we test here).

Just when acceleration records seemed headed toward EVs for good, the Corvette's twin-turbo flat-plane-crank V-8 reclaims the lead for internal combustion. Well, mostly gasoline powered, since 1064 of its 1250 total horsepower comes from the V-8 while the rest arrives from the front electric motor that helps it launch faster than the gas-only ZR1.

Chevy provided the identical ZR1X we tested earlier in California, now fitted with carbon-fiber wheels and a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires for another attempt, this time at our Michigan facility where we often see better traction for high-power cars. It hooked up well on a mild summer day in the mid-70s before the sun baked the surface too much.

Delivering this level of power to the pavement demands many elements to align: tire pressures and heat, battery and engine temps, track conditions, and more. We kept raising the adjustable launch control until reaching the most aggressive 3500-rpm mode, where the ZR1X posted the quickest pair of runs, all results averaged in both directions, that our equipment has recorded. The launch felt so planted that the burnout Chevy suggests to clean and warm the rear tires between runs could hardly make the tires spin.

Once the numbers were in and the 110-decibel scream of the most powerful small-block V-8 ever faded, the data showed a zero-to-60-mph time of 1.8 seconds, the first car to achieve it, and 0.1 second quicker than the Lucid Air Sapphire and Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The super Vette's quarter-mile mark is also a record at 8.9 seconds at 155 mph, the first production car we have tested to reach the eights. That edges past the prior marks set by the 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport and 2026 Lucid Air Sapphire, both at 9.1 seconds.

Notably, this run came with the ZR1X equipped with the ZTK Performance package and large rear wing but in street-alignment settings instead of the sharper track alignment. Still, on the 300-foot-diameter skidpad the ZR1X averaged 1.14 g, just 0.01 g below the earlier test in track alignment. Braking improved slightly as well, stopping from 70 mph in 135 feet and from 100 mph in 267 feet, gains of four and six feet.

The first car to hit 60 mph in 1.8 seconds and quicker than a $3.7 million Bugatti Chiron in the quarter-mile? The C8 Corvette keeps writing its legacy.

Specifications

2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X
Vehicle Type: mid-engine, front-motor, all-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door targa

PRICE
Base/As Tested: $212,195/$255,960
Options: Carbon-fiber wheels, $13,995; 3LZ package (heated steering wheel, leather interior, Bose Performance Series stereo, power lumbar seats, front and rear cameras, two inductive phone chargers, power-folding and heated mirrors, heated and vented GT2 seats), $11,000; ZR1X Carbon Fiber Aero package (visible carbon-fiber wing, dive planes, and hood spoiler), $10,495; front-axle lift, $2595; ZTK Track Performance package (ZTK suspension and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires), $1500; carbon-fiber interior trim, $1500; body-color carbon-fiber split-window trim, $995; blue brake calipers, $695; Stealth interior trim package, $595; black exhaust tips, $395

POWERTRAIN
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve 5.5-liter V-8, 1064 hp, 828 lb-ft + AC motor, 186 hp, 145 lb-ft (combined output: 1250 hp; lithium-ion battery pack)
Transmissions: direct-drive/8-speed dual-clutch automatic

CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/control arms
Brakes, F/R: 16.5-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/16.5-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP
F: 275/30ZR-20 (97Y) TPC Spec 3124
R: 345/25ZR-21 (104Y) TPC Spec 4033

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 107.2 in
Length: 186.7 in
Width: 79.7 in
Height: 48.6 in
Passenger Volume: 51 ft³
Trunk Volume: 9 ft³
Curb Weight: 4152 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 1.8 sec
100 mph: 3.7 sec
130 mph: 5.9 sec
150 mph: 8.3 sec
1/4-Mile: 8.9 sec @ 155 mph
170 mph: 11.8 sec
190 mph: 20.3 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec.
Rolling Start, 5-60 mph: 2.6 sec
Top Gear, 30-50 mph: 1.7 sec
Top Gear, 50-70 mph: 1.7 sec
Top Speed (mfr claim): 225 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 135 ft
Braking, 100-0 mph: 261 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.14 g

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 14/12/19 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED