Police around the world are often entitled to things the average citizen is not – tasers, guns and batons to name a few. Something else they are equipped with to firmly enforce the law is a speedy and robust police fleet.

Across different countries lies a varied range of police cars and specifications, ranging from an army of standard patrol cars such as the Citroën C4 to sought-after supercars like the Lamborghini Huracán.

We looked into the specifications of different cars used by forces around the world and created an index of the fastest and most powerful police cars.

Australia has the most powerful standard police car

Equipped with the BMW 750d, which scored 95.6 out of 100 points, Australian police cars have been respected and loathed equally for their execution. The high-performance, but factory-spec, 750d is no exception. The fastest police car in Australia – thanks to a top speed of 155mph, a three-litre engine, and torque of 561 lb-ft – the Beemer comes in first place for the most powerful standard police car.

According to the Western Australia Police Force, they typically relied on Holden and Ford for their vehicles. However, as they are no longer manufactured in the country, they turned to European brands that passed a series of vigorous tests on the road before they're supplied to police forces, including BMW. Due to their police jurisdiction covering over 2.5 million square km of varied terrains, these vehicles need to be adaptable to different environments.

The United Arab Emirates fell closely behind with another BMW – the 5 Series is a high-performance pursuit vehicle, capable of rapid response and reaching 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds.

 

 

The UK scored 19.2 points out of 100

The UK's standard Vauxhall Astra placed an unimpressive 34th place. While financial practicality takes the reins when it comes to choosing cars to race after criminals in the UK, it is safe to say that Vauxhall is a reliable manufacturer chosen by law enforcement. Even though police are taking to British streets in a vehicle which takes 10.6 seconds to reach 60mph, Vauxhall is a force to be reckoned with in terms of reliability and affordability.

Panama is the highest-ranking country in the Americas at third place with 90 points. When the Ford Crown Victoria was discontinued, the Taurus (also known as the Police Interceptor Sedan) became one of the fastest police cars in America. Scoring well in test drives as well as having features tailored to law enforcement, the Taurus is a logical choice for police to dominate the roads.

Belgium and Lithuania ranked fourth and fifth respectively with the Audi Sports A4 and A6. With engine sizes of three litres, top speeds of 155mph, and 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds, these vehicles have performance-focused powertrains and suspension to aid officers on the roads.

 

Police supercars across the world

Here, we delve deeper into supercars owned by some of the world’s police fleets, ranging from Lamborghinis to McLarens.

United Arab Emirates has the most powerful supercar police car

Evaluating the engine size, top speed, acceleration, brake horsepower, and torque, it appears that the Aston Martin One-77 is the most powerful police car in the world with a score of 95 out of 100. As alluded in the name, the incredibly rare model has only ever had 77 produced. The 7.3-litre V12 supercar would set you back a casual £1.3 million. Dubai, the UAE’s largest city, is known for its extravagant and impressive police cars, including the Bentley Continental GT and Ferrari FF.

In second place with 93 out of 100 points comes the 2006 Brabus CLS V12 S 'Rocket' for the German police. Built back in 2006 to promote safe tuning in Germany, Brabus has been creating supercars and transforming Mercedes-Benz vehicles with unique performance and style for more than four decades. The brand brought their mission of enhanced safety to the public eye with their twin-turbo V12, which can reach an eye-watering top speed of 227mph and torque of 811 lb-ft.

 

 

Luxury Italian manufacturing comes 3rd

Italy’s quintessentially Italian supercar brand Lamborghini comes third with 85 out of 100 points. The 2017 Huracán V10 has a top speed of 202mph and acceleration to 60mph in 2.8 seconds, making it one of the world's most rapid vehicles. Often on highway patrol, the Huracán was used in 2020 to transport an organ from Rome to Gemelli University Hospital 303 miles away. A journey that would usually take over five hours was finished in two while driving an average of 145mph.

 

UK and Japan tie fourth with 78 points

Nissan donated a GT-R V6 police car to the Tochigi Prefectural police department, which will be used both in service and to get the Japanese youth interested in cars. The high-performance Japanese sports car, a successor to the legendary Skyline GT-R, can reach 0-60mph quicker than any other model in the index at 2.7 seconds.

The UK police managed to get their hands on a 2011 McLaren Spider 12C V8, supplied by the car manufacturer to raise speed awareness and break the ice between police and motorists. Reaching a top speed of 205mph with a twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 and 600bhp, this vehicle comes with a £240,000 price tag.

 

Mixed results for the Americas

Again, Panama was the top ranking country in the Americas, sitting at fifth place with 77 points due to the 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 V10 Coupé. Having one of the largest engines at 5.2 litres, a top speed of 202mph, acceleration to 60mph in 3.7 seconds and a brake horsepower  count of 544, this vehicle dominated countries like the US and Canada.

The US ranked 11th with 39 points due to the 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder and Canada 17th with 24 points from the 2021 Dodge Charger Enforcer V6. Guatemala was placed higher in the index with 74 points at 6th place, followed by Mexico with 59 points, and Colombia with 25 points.

 

Methodology

We looked at specifications for standard cars and supercars used by police across the world. To find the highest and lowest figures in each category, points were distributed in order of the results. For supercars, the highest figures were given 20 points, while the lowest were given one point. From the five categories, the overall index score is out of 100 points.

For standard cars, the highest figures were given 50 points, while the lowest were given one point, and then divided by 2.5 to get a total out of 100.