Electric car performance brings a whole new aspect of driving to the world. Instead of massive V-8 or larger engines, EVs use electric motors to deliver power to the wheels. Some electric cars have multiple motors to provide more power for some driving fun. Several new electric cars include performance features to take on the toughest tracks in the world and break previously set lap records. Whether you’re a driving enthusiast looking for amazing power, want an electric vehicle made for off-road adventures, or you’re looking for the most useful EV for regular driving, here's a list of the standards and the EVs that have set the benchmark.

Using data points from Car and Driver, MotorTrend, and Kelley Blue Book, we’ve compiled a list of electric vehicles that set a new standard.

Related:Here’s Why Electric Cars Make Top Speed Metrics Irrelevant

1 Best Safety Tech – Electric Car Driving Fun Begins With a Safe Ride

Audi E-Tron: Top Safety Pick+ And Five-Star Winner

Among electric vehicles, the Audi E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback SUVs are the top choices for safety. Both models were put through the paces by the IIHS and NHTSA, earning top marks with both organizations.

Safest EVs for 2023

Basic safety features common among these electric vehicles includes

• Automatic emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alerts
• Lane departure warning
• Automatic high beams

The Audi E-Tron Premium Plus or Chronos Edition trims include adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist.

2 Fastest Charging Times – Which EVs Recharges Fastest?

GMC Hummer EV Pickup: 350 kW Peak Charge Rate

The time it takes to recharge the batteries in an electric car is one of the greatest hurdles in transitioning the automotive world away from gas and diesel-powered vehicles to hybrids and electrics. Early EVs took hours to recharge for short driving ranges, which has changed.

2023 Fastest EV Charging Times

The five electric vehicles on this list are also some of the EVs with the largest battery packs. Still, charging at fast rates to have hundreds of miles of electric car driving can make your time behind the wheel more enjoyable.

Related: 10 Cheapest Electric Vehicles With Over 300 Miles Of Driving Range

3 Best Driving Range – Drive Farther Using Electricity In These EVs

Lucid Air Grand Touring: 516 Miles

How far can an electric car drive before you need to plug it into a charging port? This is the driving range, and the Lucid Air Grand Touring holds this performance record. One way to offset the time it takes to recharge EV batteries is with a driving range that offers greater distances than a full tank of gasoline or diesel.

2023 EVs With The Best Driving Range

These five electric vehicles offer ample driving range for most road trips and close to a week of commuting. Many electric cars offer more than 300 miles of driving on a full charge, which is comparable to some gas and diesel-powered vehicles.

4 Highest Ground Clearance – Off-Road Electric Vehicles Are A Real Thing

GMC Hummer EV Pickup: 16 Inches

Electric cars from the early part of the previous decade were generally small, offered short driving distances, and lacked trunk space because the batteries took up much of the area. Today, automakers are creating electric trucks and SUVs that are ideal for tackling the toughest trails in the wilderness.

2023 EVs With The Highest Ground Clearance

Ground clearance is the first figure required when calculating off-road angles. The GMC Hummer EV Pickup brings impressive off-road features to go with the high stance. This truck has a Crab Walk mode to drive at an angle to the path and an Extract Model to lift it higher for larger obstacles.

Related: 10 Electric SUVs That Are Perfect For Off-Roading

5 Best Off-Road EV: These EVs Make Wilderness Exploration Possible

Rivian R1T: Best Off-Road EV

Admittedly, ranking a vehicle in any category as the best requires either head-to-head testing or objective observation. Still, a few of the electric vehicles in the market can fall in the category of the best off-roaders, with the Rivian R1T taking the record title.

Best Off-Road EVs 2023

• Rivian R1T
• GMC Hummer EV Pickup
• Fisker Force E
• Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
• Jeep Recon

Currently, the list of great off-roading EVs is pretty short, but as more automakers bring electric trucks and SUVs to life, it will grow. The top five might change in 2024, with GM adding the Chevy Silverado EV and Blazer EV to the lineup.

6 Highest Horsepower: Electric Cars Found A Way to Best Most Sports Cars

Rimac Nevera: 1,914 horsepower

Horsepower has been the measurement of potential power in vehicles since the earliest cars hit the market. Electric cars often generate more horsepower from electric motors than gas and diesel-powered vehicles because of the inherent energy efficiency of EVs.

Highest Horsepower EVs Of 2023

These five electric vehicles are fast and maintain high speeds when on a track. Even the massive, 9,000-pound GMC Hummer EV is quick, besting most gas-powered sports cars for speed and power. The Rimac Nevera is an incredible electric hypercar that’s amazing to see on the track.

Related: 23 New World Records In A Day - The Rimac Nevera Has Absolutely No Chill!

7 Highest Torque Figure: Electric Car Torque Translates To Fast Sprint Speeds

Rimac Nevera: 1,741 pound-feet

Why are electric cars faster off the line than traditional vehicles? The combination of instant torque from the electric motors and the single-speed transmission translates to fast off-the-line sprint speeds. Some of the highest torque figures are found in new electric hypercars.

2023 Highest EV Torque Figures

GMC claims the Hummer EV Pickup achieves more than 11,000 lb-ft of torque, but this figure has fallen under scrutiny and is questionable. When impressive speed is important, high torque figures enable these electric cars to rocket off the line.

8 Fastest Nürburgring Lap: How Quick Can These EVs Go?

Volkswagen ID.R: 6:05.34 minutes

The Nürburgring track in Germany is the world’s most famous test track for performance vehicles. This 12.94-mile-long track features slippery twists and turns, elevation changes, and challenges to test the skills of the most capable vehicles and drivers.

Fastest EV Nürburgring Lap Times

Instead of testing only straight-line sprint speed, every vehicle that takes on Nürburgring must handle the challenges of racing around curves and turns during the test. These five cars have the performance features to take on tracks throughout the world, but the Volkswagen ID.R holds the electric car performance record as the fastest around Nürburgring.

Related: 10 Electric Cars With The Fastest Quarter-Mile Times

9 Fastest 0-60 MPH Sprint: Swift, Silent, Deadly

Rimac Nevera: 1.85 seconds

Typically, higher torque figures translate into the fastest vehicles from 0-60 mph. This is certainly the case for the Rimac Nevera, which tops the electric car performance records in a few areas. The insane quickness of EVs puts pressure on tire manufacturers to build tires that can handle these insane sprint times.

Fastest EVs To 60 MPH

Most drivers have heard Tesla boast about the Model S Plaid being the quickest car in the world, but two EVs best this Tesla to 60 mph. Although spring speed isn’t that important in daily driving needs, it’s still fun to talk about and consider when searching for a fun EV.

10 Highest Top Speed: New Hyper EVs Top The Top Speed List

Rimac Nevera: 258 MPH

The top speed of an electric car isn’t important for practical purposes, but it sure is fun to talk about. Can these heavier vehicles go just as fast as gas-powered cars? In many cases, electric cars can go faster. Once again, we see the Rimac Nevera taking the performance record.

EVs With The Highest Top Speeds In 2023

Can these electric cars beat record-setting gas-powered supercars? Seeing the top speeds that reach over 220 mph for four of the top five models, it seems these EVs are ready to stand tall against top-performance traditional supercars.