The time it takes a vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97
km/h or 0 to 27
m/s), often said as just "zero to sixty", is a commonly used performance measure for automotive
acceleration in the
United States and the
United Kingdom. In the rest of the world, 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62.1
mph) is used.
Present
production model
Production vehicles or production cars are mass-produced identical models, offered for sale to the public, and able to be legally driven on public roads ( street legal). Legislation and other rules further define the production vehicle within part ...
performance cars are capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 seconds, while some exotic
supercars can do 0 to 60 mph in between 2 and 3 seconds.
Motorcycles have been able to achieve these figures with sub-500
cc since the 1990s. The fastest automobile in 2015 was the
Porsche 918 Spyder, which is a
hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids.
The basic princip ...
that takes 2.2 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. In June 2021, the
Tesla Model S was measured to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.98 seconds, not including first foot of rollout.
Methods
Measuring the 0 to 60 mph speed of vehicles is usually done in a closed setting such as a race car track or closed lot used for professional drivers. This is done to reduce risk to the drivers, their teams, and the public. The closed course is set up for test-drives in order to reduce any variables, such as wind, weather, and traction. Each variable can have a dramatic impact on the friction of the track and the drag placed on the vehicle, which will influence the overall 0 to 60 time that is recorded.
The crew sets up accurate and precise measuring tools that are attached to computers. These tools included
Doppler radar guns and precise timing instruments that are synchronized. This means that the driver is not worried about keeping time or the exact moment the car hits 60 miles per hour. The driver focuses solely on driving straight and fast with professional quick gear shifting.
The car is timed and recorded going in two separate and opposite directions. This practice eliminates variables such as wind, directional traction of the track and driver performance. The two times are averaged together to achieve the commonly accepted 0 to 60 time.
Jalopnik has said that
launch control systems appearing on production
exotic cars in the 2010s have made published 0 to 60 times invalid, since these cars have slower times from 5 mph to 60 mph.
Some car magazines and manufacturers in the United States use a
rolling start allowance term "
1-foot rollout Rollout or rollout allowance in North-American drag racing is the difference between actual acceleration time and measured acceleration time. For the published 0 to 60 mph acceleration time in North America, a rolling start is used, beginning afte ...
", which means that the timer is only started once the car has traveled , reducing the measured time by up to 0.3 seconds.
See also
*
List of fastest production cars by acceleration
*
List of fastest production motorcycles by acceleration
*
Vehicular metrics
*
Motorcycle testing and measurement
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:0 To 60 Mph
Measurement
Car performance