Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap Times Records

Author: BG Nürburg | © 2008—2023
Photos and videos: Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Volkswagen, Rimac

In recent years, Nürburgring Nordschleife lap records have increasingly become a focal point in official press releases of automotive brands. Records and fast lap times have become an integral part of all car presentations at global auto shows. Which sports car is faster on the Ring? What tires were used during testing? What was the weather like? Who was the driver? Numerous endless questions and intrigues supported by the press, create their own hidden PR and marketing around automotive brands.

The lap record on the Nürburgring for street-legal vehicles

The current lap record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife for production road cars is held by the new Mercedes AMG ONE, with a lap time of 6 minutes and 35.18 seconds on the full 20.832 km distance, and 6 minutes and 30.70 seconds on the shortened 20.6 km distance. The record was set on October 28, 2022. The 1,049 horsepower hypercar was piloted by test driver and AMG racer Maro Engel.

Mercedes-AMG ONE Technical Specs

• The car is equipped with high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, specifically designed for optimal grip and traction on the track.
• The vehicle features a powerful 1.6-liter single turbocharged V6 engine, producing an impressive 566 horsepower. In addition, it is equipped with four electric motors that contribute an additional 483 horsepower to the overall power output.
• The car is equipped with a 7-speed automated manual transmission, known for its precise and rapid gear changes.
• The car boasts a mid-engine layout, placing the engine in the middle of the vehicle for improved weight distribution and handling. It features an all-wheel drive (AWD) system, providing exceptional traction and stability.
• The vehicle weighs approximately 1695 kg, optimizing the power-to-weight ratio for enhanced performance and agility on the road.

Top 10 fastest production cars at the Nürburgring

1. Mercedes AMG ONE | 6:35.18 minutes | 20,832 km
2. Porsche GT2 RS MR 991.2 | 6:43.30 minutes | 20,832 km
3. Mercedes AMG GT Black Series | 6:48.04 minutes | 20,832 km
4. Porsche GT3 RS 992 | 6:49.32 minutes | 20,832 km
5. Lamborghini Aventador LP 770-4 SVJ | 6:49.40 minutes | 20,832 km
6. Porsche GT2 RS MR 991.2 | 6:52.15 minutes | 20,832 km
7. Radical SR8 LM | 6:53.20 minutes | 20,832 km
8. Porsche GT3 992 MR | 6:55.73 minutes | 20,832 км
9. Lamborghini Huracan LP 640-4 Performante | 6:57.25 minutes | 20,832 km
10. Porsche GT3 992 | 6:59.93 minutes | 20,832 km

Why test at the Nürburgring Nordschleife?

The Nürburgring Nordschleife race track gained popularity among automotive companies and manufacturers when it became evident that there was no universal, world standard for conducting comparative tests and unified vehicle break-in systems.

Each automotive brand has or strives to build a small test track near its production facility for testing their cars. Such facilities exist for Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, BMW, and other companies. Typically, all technical specifications and test results are kept in the strictest confidence. Day after day, cars undergo testing on their own premises in various testing modes.

But how do you conduct a comparative test? How do you compare Mercedes with BMW or Audi? How do you compare time, speed, engine reliability, and suspension performance when each manufacturer has different conditions and standards? How do you determine who is beter? Where is the standard? Mercedes cannot drive on the BMW track, and Porsche cannot drive on the Mercedes track. What to do?

The solution came naturally — the Nürburgring, an ideal race track for conducting test drives. The race track has the same length for all vehicles (20.8 km), the same number of turns and elevation changes, the same road conditions and the same weather conditions.

Automotive manufacturers test their latest models here, lap after lap, every day. With unique track architecture featuring numerous sharp elevation changes and over 70 fast corners, it has become the ultimate testing ground for high-speed vehicle. Extended test drives on the racing track, with demanding loads, allow weaknesses in the chassis, body, engine, and transmission to be identified. Everything is tested here — from new tires to complex components. The Nürburgring has become a testing center, a standard, a new Silicon Valley of the automotive industry, and a benchmark for many global brands. It serves as an excellent marketing strategy because now there is an opportunity for comparison under the same conditions. Today, every manufacturer competes for the best lap time at the Nürburgring. It has become a necessity and a guarantee of quality, serving as a powerful marketing tool and driving sales for many new models.

Better lap time — better advertising

It so happened that now any self-respecting automaker, before bringing a new product to the market, must drive along the Nürburgring Nordschleife ( a full circle of 20.8 km of the Nordschleife ) and show a good time. The cars are mostly tested by professional factory drivers or famous racers, which adds even more contrast to the record. In some cases, and recently more and more often, tests are carried out by a number of well-known automotive publications ( Sport Auto, Car, The Drive, Top Gear, Car and Driver ), where the test drivers themselves are the journalists "racers".

The devil is in the detail

As a rule, tests are held in the deepest secrecy and are not advertised. During tests, absolutely everything matters: air temperature, air humidity, asphalt temperature, atmospheric pressure, cloudy or sunny, and so on. Everyone is trying to win a couple of seconds and take a place in the top ten records. This is prestige. Only at the Nürburgring, only here, thanks to the unique architecture of the track, its character and charisma, automobile concerns have the opportunity to test the car across the entire line.

Absolute Record of Nürburgring Nordschleife

5:19.55 minutes — this absolute result was achieved by Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo piloted by a WEC car racer Timo Bernhard.

Early in the morning on June 29, 2018, this hyper car has beaten the previous highscore ( 6:11,13 minutes ) cracked by Stefan Bellof on Porsche 956 in 1983. The prototype Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo is equipped, on the rear axis, with 2.0 L four-cylinder 720 hp gasoline engine with Garret turbocharger; on the front axis, it is equipped with 440 hp hybrid machine with Kinetic Energy Recovery System ( KERS ). Transmission is 7-speed sequential gearbox. Total weight comes to 849 kg.

The absolute record of the Nürburgring among electric vehicles

Electric vehicles are also trying to find their niche in the forefront. On June 3, 2019, a new world record for electric vehicles not approved for use on public roads was set at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

The Volkswagen ID.R electric prototype, driven by pilot Romain Dumas, completed a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife ( 20.8 km ) in a record-breaking time of 6 minutes and 5.33 seconds, establishing an absolute record for electric-powered vehicles at the Nürburgring. According to Volkswagen engineers, the time could have been significantly better if not for the speed restriction on the Döttingen Höhe straight ( 100 km/h lower than that of the Porsche 919 EVO prototype ). This limitation is primarily due to safety regulations in this particular case and the limited capacity of the batteries, which were almost empty towards the end of the track. The previous record holder among electric cars was the NIO EP9 prototype, which completed a lap of the Nordschleife in 6 minutes and 45.90 seconds in 2017.

The EV Volkswagen ID.R is equipped with two electric power units with a combined output of 500 kW ( 680 horsepower ), delivering power to both axles of the prototype ( one electric motor on each axle ). It produces a maximum torque of 650 Nm. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.25 seconds and has a top speed of 240 km/h. The overall weight is slightly less than 1100 kg, thanks to its carbon monocoque and steel safety frame.

Nürburgring record for mass-produced electric vehicles

On August 18, 2023, Rimac established the absolute record at the Nürburgring among electric production cars approved for road use.

On August 18, 2023, Rimac set the absolute record at the Nürburgring among road-legal electric vehicles. The hypercar Rimac Nevera LE Time Attack, limited to just 12 units, covered the Nürburgring Nordschleife distance of 20.832 km in an impressive 7.05.29 minutes ( and 7 minutes and 0.92 seconds for the 20.6 km distance ). The hypercar was driven by racer Martin Codric. As a result, the 1914-horsepower innovation from Rimac is currently the absolute record holder among production electric vehicles.

If you are eager to visit one of these tests and witness the new Nürburgring highscore, we are ready to offer you an unforgettable trip to the exclusive world of Nordschleife with the best observation points and secluded places.

 The list is constantly updated.

Official Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time list for street-legal vehicles