The Fastest Car You Can Rent in Southern California

The fastest car you can rent depends on how you measure fast. To 60 mph, the Tesla Model S Plaid is the quickest car in this guide at 1.99 seconds. For top speed, the Lamborghini Revuelto leads at 217 mph. The Ferrari SF90 and the McLaren 750S sit between them, and each one feels different from the driver's seat.

On a public road, speed is mostly the first few seconds after a green light. That is the part you feel in your back and your passenger feels in their stomach. Top speed matters much less, because no road in Southern California lets you use it. Track use is also not permitted on any car in the fleet.

The Tesla Model S Plaid gets to 60 mph first

The Model S Plaid uses three electric motors to make 1,020 hp and a huge amount of torque. The car reaches 60 mph in 1.99 seconds. There is no gear change, no engine note and no warning before it goes.

Here is the part most people don't know. Tesla measures that 1.99 seconds with a one foot rollout. That means the clock starts after the car has already moved one foot down the road. Even with that detail, the Plaid is still the quickest car to 60 mph in this guide.

The Plaid is red with a white cabin, and its plain sedan body gives no hint of the motors underneath. Nobody waiting at a light in Newport Beach expects it to leave first. Most passengers laugh out loud the first time you press the pedal all the way down. It seats five people and has a trunk at each end.

The Plaid rents for $395 a day. Its deposit is $1,000, and extra miles cost $4 each. Teslas go out charged and come back charged, so you never start the day looking for a charger.

The Lamborghini Revuelto has the highest top speed of the four

The Revuelto pairs a 6.5 liter V12 with three electric motors for a total of 1,001 hp. It reaches 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. Its top speed is 217 mph, which is the highest of the four cars here.

The Revuelto also starts its day in silence. In its electric mode, it rolls out of a hotel driveway in Beverly Hills with no engine sound at all. Switch out of electric mode and the V12 starts behind your head without any warning. The engine revs all the way to 9,500 rpm. The car has no mechanical reverse gear, so the front electric motors move it backward instead.

The car in the listing is black with a black and red cabin. On Rodeo Drive, people react the moment the scissor doors go up. Once a door is open, the red in the cabin stands out against the black paint. At night, the brake light on the roof lights up the engine bay every time you slow down.

The Revuelto rents for $3,495 a day. Its deposit is $5,000, and extra miles cost $10 each.

The Ferrari SF90 puts 986 hp through all four wheels

The SF90 combines a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors for a total of 986 hp. It reaches 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, which matches the Revuelto. Its top speed is 211 mph.

The electric motors push before the turbos spool, so there is no lag when you press the pedal. All-wheel drive puts that power down cleanly from a stop. The SF90 can also leave a stop on electric power alone. It stays electric up to about 84 mph before the V8 starts.

The steering takes just two turns from lock to lock, and there is no analog rev counter on the dash. On Mulholland Drive, you can take a corner one gear higher than you expect and let the motors fill the gap.

The SF90 in the listing is red outside and red inside. Drive it past the glass towers in Downtown Los Angeles and the paint stays bright even in the shade. It rents for $2,995 a day. Its deposit is $5,000, and extra miles cost $10 each.

The McLaren 750S is the fast car with no hybrid system

The 750S is the last McLaren built with no hybrid system at all. Its 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 makes 740 hp and sends all of it to the rear wheels. It reaches 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and tops out at 206 mph.

McLaren gave it a 15% shorter final drive than the 720S, so every gear pulls harder than it did on the older car. The steering is quick and feels heavy in your hands. The center-exit exhaust is also louder than the one on the 720S. Carbon ceramic brakes come standard, and they stop harder than the firm pedal suggests.

The 750S Spider folds its carbon roof in 11 seconds. You can open it while moving at up to 31 mph. Drop the roof on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and the exhaust sits right behind your head. On Angeles Crest Highway, every upshift echoes off the rock on both sides of the road.

The yellow 750S Spider rents for $1,495 a day. It carries a $1,000 deposit and $3 per extra mile.

Speed and price side by side

Here are the numbers for each car in this guide.

• Tesla Model S Plaid. 1.99 seconds to 60 mph, 200 mph top speed, 1,020 hp, $395 a day.
• Lamborghini Revuelto. 2.5 seconds to 60 mph, 217 mph top speed, 1,001 hp, $3,495 a day.
• Ferrari SF90. 2.5 seconds to 60 mph, 211 mph top speed, 986 hp, $2,995 a day.
• McLaren 750S Spider. 2.7 seconds to 60 mph, 206 mph top speed, 740 hp, $1,495 a day.

The cheapest car on this list is also the quickest off the line. The most expensive one has the highest top speed and the biggest engine. Above the Plaid's daily rate, what you pay for is the sound, the shape and the view from the driver's seat.

What comes with a fast rental

Every rental includes 100 miles a day, and a two day rental pools them into one allowance. If you rent a fast car for a long canyon run, tell us at booking. That way the extra miles are priced ahead of time instead of billed after the trip. Book 3 or 4 days and the daily rate drops 10% automatically.

To rent any of these cars, you need to be 18 or older with a valid driver's license. You also need full coverage insurance in your own name, and a larger deposit may apply under 25. Before the car leaves, we call your insurance company on a recorded line.

The deposit is a hold on your card, not a charge. It is released once the car comes back in the condition it left. Anyone else who will drive goes on the contract first and passes the same insurance check. Racing and off-road driving are not permitted on any car in the fleet either.

We can deliver the car to your hotel in Beverly Hills or to the arrivals curb at LAX. You walk out of the building, the car is already waiting, and the drive starts right there.

How to choose the fastest car you can rent for your day

Pick by the kind of fast you want to feel. If you want the hardest launch for the least money, book the Model S Plaid. If you want a V12 and the newest shape at the valet stand, book the Revuelto. The SF90 suits a renter who has already driven a Ferrari and wants more from a standing start. The 750S suits a canyon road with the roof down.

The spec sheet matters less than the first two seconds after the light turns green. All four of these cars cover those two seconds faster than you will ever need.