A vehicle’s 0-60 time provides a meaningful snapshot of how its weight, engine, transmission, and drive type affect its ability to get up and moving in a hurry. This is a small glimpse into the vehicle’s overall performance, but 0-60 figures sell vehicles from compact sports sedans like the Civic Si right up to high-performing exotics like the Audi R8. For most of history, the design of a pickup truck pretty much precluded them from being very fast, which was fine because most pickup drivers cared more about towing capacity anyway.

This all started to change when the horsepower wars began. As shoppers craved bigger and bigger power figures from their trucks, 0-60 metrics quickly became a means of flexing engineering muscle and performance firepower. As pickups adopted the latest transmission, engine, and hybrid tech of the past few generations, they got faster and faster while using less and less fuel. The broader market shift towards 4×4 and utility models even resulted in some compelling choices for high-performance pickup enthusiasts, and holy-grail supertrucks like the Raptor R and TRX could handily haul your boat to the cottage, or lay down 0-60 passes in sub 4.5-second territory: a feat unfathomable for a pickup truck not so very long ago.

The horsepower wars got really exciting when the electric trucks arrived. First was the F-150 Lightning, which could do 0-60 about as quickly as a Porsche 911 of the same era, at roughly 4.5 seconds. After the Lightning’s launch, more all-electric pickups joined the scene, offering upwards of 1,000 horsepower and a further push for the pickup truck into supercar acceleration territory.

Below, we’ll look at the very fastest trucks you can buy today, but here’s a fun reference for context before you check out the figures below. Readers of a certain vintage may remember cars like the Dodge Viper and Porsche 911 Turbo battling for 0-60 supremacy in the late nineties as some of the fastest production cars of their day. Back then, major magazines and TV programs were reporting a 0-60 time of around 4 seconds from the 1997 Viper GTS, and just under 4 seconds from the AWD-equipped 911 Turbo of the day. Breaking into 3-second territory in the late nineties was an absolutely monumental feat surmountable by only the world’s very fastest cars for years to come.

Rivian R1T Quad Motor

$190,990 / 0-60: 2.5 seconds

The R1T and its SUV sibling, the R1S, entered their second generation in 2024 after hundreds of upgrades, optimizations, improvements and new hardware components– including an in-house-built drive unit offered in Tri-Motor and Quad-Motor configurations.

With a powerful motor driving each individual wheel, the Rivian R1T with Quad Motor setup is one of the fastest road-legal machines on four wheels, thanks to 1,025 horsepower backed by 1,198 lb-ft of torque and applied electrically to all four wheels with incredible precision. It might weigh 7,000 pounds, but the Quad Motor easily overpowers its heft. You’ll smoke the Aston Martin Vanquish, or any Audi R8, and a Corvette Z06 would have a hard time getting away. All of that with an 11,000-pound towing capacity, a comfortable rear seat, and Tank Turn.

An active anti-roll system virtually eliminates body roll when required, using the same components that allow for a softer drive on rough surfaces and off-road-ready wheel articulation. Air springs help keep ride height optimal and the R1T balanced and level on its wheels. From the driver’s seat, expect the most responsive and engaging handling of the trio on your page. Of course, all that power doesn’t come cheap, with the Quad-Motor R1T variant coming in at the better part of $200,000. You’ve got much more affordable options, read on.

Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast

$99,990 / 0-60: 2.6 seconds

For around half the price of the Rivian R1T Quad, the Tesla Cybertruck’s Cyberbeast configuration deploys a trio of electric motors to send 845 horsepower to all four wheels. With a performance launch mode included, drivers can expect 0-60 in 2.6 seconds with Beast Mode engaged, leaving machinery like the Nissan GT-R Nismo, Dodge Viper, various Lamborghinis and most AMG’s in its dust. If you want to drive one of the fastest vehicles on the road for as little money as possible, consider a slightly-used model from the second-hand marketplace, as the selection is generous and prices are very reasonable, especially given that the Cybertruck is one of the safest vehicles on the road.

It’s also one of the most controversially styled, which is exactly why some shoppers love it. Not only will the Cybertruck eat Hellcats at your local drag strip, it can also export up to 9.6 kW of electric power to juice up your camping trailer or power a worksite worth of tools. At the touch of a button, drivers can engage specialty drive modes for slippery surfaces, ultra-precise off-road control, and even wading through water. In the latter mode, the Cybertruck lifts its suspension and even pressurizes the battery pack to help keep water out. That’s a lot of cool tech, backed by incredible acceleration, with the only sub-six-figure starting MSRP on your page. You’ll have little trouble finding a supercharger station if you need one, and the Tesla charging network helps owners take advantage of one of the most straightforward travel charging experiences in the business.

Hummer EV 3x

$104,700 / 0-60: 2.8 seconds

In 2023, the GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 became the first vehicle in production with GM’s all-new Ultium battery architecture. Carrying full underbody armor and a massive battery pack, the Hummer EV 3x pickup sends 1,000 horsepower to the wheels with its Watts To Freedom mode engaged. Go with the new-for-2026 Carbon Fiber package, and you’re clear for 0-60 in an eyeball-flattening 2.8 seconds. According to GMC, this faster-than-ever version of the Hummer EV Pickup used software and propulsion optimization, as well as the latest developments in hardware and driveline analysis, to shave a few tenths from the clocks.

The single-motor front drive unit runs a 13.3:1 fixed gear ratio with an available electronic lockable differential, which can deliver up to 100 percent of the motor torque to one wheel if required. Two rear motors contained in one Ultium Drive unit will independently power the rear wheels through a fixed gear ratio of 10.5:1, with the capability of varying torque output to each wheel to optimize traction in off-road and highway-driving conditions. Motor output can also be synchronized to simulate a locking differential.

Cool stuff, but don’t miss the new King Crab off-road rear steer mode that comes via a software update to the existing Crabwalk system, adding further maneuverability by turning the rear wheels much more quickly than the front wheels when the system is engaged. The Hummer EV Pickup gives its driver a lot of cool stuff to try.

Sources: GMC, Rivian, Tesla