The 7 fastest hot hatches we’ve ever drag raced
July 01, 2025 by Jamie Edkins
Hot hatchbacks have long been the go-to for those looking for performance and practicality in one package. They’re powerful, great fun to drive and offer a usable boot and back seats making them great all-rounders.
Some are also ballistically fast – with enough performance to make supercars nervous. We’ve raced dozens of hot hatches down the Carwow drag strip, and here are seven of the fastest. It’s worth noting before we get stuck in that this list is for standard cars, not tuned ones.
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The fastest hot hatches we’ve featured on Carwow:
- Audi RS3 – 11.9s
- Mercedes-AMG A45 S – 12.1s
- Volkswagen Golf R – 12.3s
- Audi RS3 Performance – 12.3s (w)
- Audi RS3 (2019) – 12.4s
- Toyota GR Yaris – 12.5s
- Mercedes-AMG A35 – 12.5s
1. Audi RS3 – 11.9-second quarter mile
The Audi RS3 is the fastest hot hatch we’ve featured on Carwow. It has a 2.5-litre turbocharged five cylinder engine with 400hp and 500Nm of torque, and this is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
It was narrowly beaten in a drag race by the BMW M2, however both cars completed the standing quarter mile in 11.9 seconds. The RS3 was slightly quicker than a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS though – that car took 12 seconds.
2. Mercedes-AMG A45 S – 12.1-second quarter mile
It may be more powerful than the Audi, but the Mercedes-AMG A45S couldn’t quite beat it down the quarter mile. It has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine with 421hp and 500Nm of torque, along with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
We raced the A45 S against an Audi RS3, a BMW M2 and a Porsche 718 Boxster GTS, but it couldn’t keep up with those cars. It did beat the Volkswagen Golf R though, and it’s just as quick as the V8-powered 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S.
3. Volkswagen Golf R – 12.3-second quarter mile
Next up we have the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf R, and this is actually the less powerful pre-facelift car. We have raced the updated 333hp version, however the track was sopping wet so we couldn’t get the best time out of it.
The older car has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 320hp and all-wheel drive, and when it was new it smashed the BMW M135i and the Audi S3 of the time.
4. Audi RS3 Performance – 12.3-second quarter mile
The Audi RS3 Performance is a more powerful version of the standard RS3, so you might be wondering why it was slower in a drag race. Well you can blame Mother Nature for that one – it was chucking it down on the day we featured this car.
It has the same 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine as the normal car, but here it produces 407hp as opposed to 400hp. That extra 7hp wasn’t enough to overcome the slippy conditions, but you can expect the RS3 Performance to put in a better time when we get it back in the dry.
5. Audi RS3 (2019) – 12.4-second quarter mile
It’s another spot for Audi as the old RS3 comes in fifth place. The stats are actually very similar to the current car – it has a 2.5-litre five cylinder engine with 400hp, however it’s slightly down on torque with 480Nm.
We also raced two Audi RS3s against each other, one with a petrol particulate filter and one without, to find out if emissions regulations affect performance. The power may have been exactly the same, but the car without a PPF won by 0.1 of a second.
6. Toyota GR Yaris – 12.5-second quarter mile
Now we come to the first car on this list with a manual gearbox. The Toyota GR Yaris is a rally homologation special with a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine putting out 261hp, and it has four wheel drive.
In a drag race the Yaris beat a Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Makinen Edition, and it was even faster than the much more powerful Honda Civic Type R thanks to its four-wheel drive system.
7. Mercedes-AMG A35 – 12.5-second quarter mile
Finally we have the Mercedes-AMG A35 – the entry point into the AMG range. It has a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine putting out 306hp and 400Nm of torque, which is sent to all four wheels.
It beat the BMW M135i and the Audi S3 by some margin, and this posh hatchback is also quicker down the quarter mile than a V8-powered Audi R8. Not bad for a car you can use to take the kids to school.
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