All it took for Koenigsegg to reclaim the 0-249-0 mph record from Rimac was a few software tweaks to the Jesko Absolut. The company’s software engineers recalibrated the Light Speed Transmission and engine management system while introducing a new torque control system that now allows the Absolut to manage traction “like never before.”
The changes, which Koenigsegg calls Absolut Overdrive, will be rolled out to existing customers. The Jesko completed the 0-249-0 mph run in 25.21 seconds and the 0-250-0 challenge in 25.67 seconds, beating the Rimac Nevera R by half a second.
Here’s how the two compare:
| Record | Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut | Rimac Nevera r | Difference |
| 0-400-0 kph (249 mph) | 25.21 seconds | 25.79 seconds | 0.58 seconds |
| 0-400 kph | 16.77 seconds | 17.35 seconds | 0.58 seconds |
| 400-0 kph | 8.44 seconds | N/A | N/A |
| 0-250-0 mph | 25.67 seconds | 26.20 seconds | 0.53 seconds |
| 0-250 mph | 17.18 seconds | N/A | N/A |
| 250-0 mph | 8.49 seconds | N/A | N/A |
The Rimac is a 2,107-horsepower electric menace to society, while the Koenigsegg packs an unruly twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8 that produces 1,600 hp. The two couldn’t be more different, and yet only half a second separates the pair.
“That we achieve this level of performance with a production car utilizing a combustion engine with rear wheel drive only—beating all 4-wheel drive electric cars in a straight line is almost magical and show that “truths” can be re-written,” said company founder Christian von Koenigsegg
Koenigsegg broke Rimac’s record on August 7 at the Örebro airfield with factory test driver Markus Lundh behind the wheel, and it’s the same Jesko that set Koenigsegg’s previous record in 2024.
Photo by: Koenigsegg
