How fast can a car go from 0 to 60? It really doesn’t matter

The auto industry has pushed this metric for decades. But cars—especially EVs—are so fast that comparing the decimals is pointless and dangerous.

Seventy years ago, British carmaker Austin-Healey sought to wow the public with its “100” sports car model. The company presented its pitch in a 1955 magazine advertisement that promised “light, precise steering, pool-table flat cornering, and stable four-footed roadability.” If that wasn’t enough to impress prospective buyers, Austin-Healey shared a particular performance metric in eye-grabbing red ink: “From 0 to 60 M.P.H. in 10.5 Seconds.”