2026 Chevy Corvette ZR1X Hybrid Packs 1250 HP and All-Wheel Drive

Car and Driver

5 hours ago

The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X is the most over-the-top model to ever be sold from the factory.
The ZR1X pairs the regular ZR1's 1064-hp twin-turbo LT7 V-8 with an improved version of the E-Ray's hybrid system, making 1250 combined horsepower.
It'll be available sooner than you'd think, as Chevy is planning to put the ZR1X on sale by the end of 2025; pricing will be announced later.
Remember 2019? Of course you do. It was the final year Chevy built a Corvette with an engine in the front. The mid-engined C8 generation that followed changed everything, though the small-block V-8 mounted behind the driver provided a familiar heart. The Corvette E-Ray arrived for the 2024 model year and marked another significant break from tradition, becoming both the first hybrid and first all-wheel-drive Corvette. The Z06, with an exotic flat-plane-crank 5.5-liter V-8, helped birth the twin-turbo ZR1, which shocked everyone with its 1064 horsepower. All that led to this: the 2026 Chevy Corvette ZR1X.
For those who didn't like the hybrid AWD E-Ray, the new X-rated Vette might be the ultimate act of blasphemy from a generation riddled with sacrilege. It's also the most extreme production car Chevrolet has ever built. Despite the new name, the ZR1X is actually the Corvette Zora that we've been expecting since the C8 Corvette debuted. As anticipated, the ZR1X combines the LT7 V-8 from the ZR1 with an improved version of the Corvette E-Ray's electric motor. The result? A hybrid all-wheel-drive Corvette making an absurd 1250 horsepower.
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Chevrolet
Eye-Popping Power
The bulk of that power (1064 horses worth) comes from the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8, which is routed to the rear axle through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The front axle gets the E-Ray's e-motor, but as with so much else about the ZR1X, the electric propulsion has been dialed up. While the battery's 1.9-kWh gross capacity is the same as the E-Ray, the usable energy increased by 29 percent, letting Chevy raise the peak operating voltage and, in turn, the output. Combined with an extra 1000 rpm over the E-Ray (17,000 versus 16,000), the ZR1X's front-drive motor makes 186 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. Power from the electric motor sticks around for longer too, and the front axle now disengages at 160 mph rather than 150 mph in the E-Ray.
Accelerating in the rear-drive ZR1 is already a violent affair—keep your foot in it and the car will maintain more than 1.0 g of acceleration until 85 mph. With AWD in the mix, the ZR1X's acceleration figures promise to be downright brutal. Chevy claims a zero-to-60-mph time of under 2.0 seconds and a standing quarter-mile run in fewer than 9.0 seconds with a trap speed higher than 150 mph. Those figures are also claimed to be achievable on an unprepped surface—you'll want to clean your tires first, though.
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Chevrolet
Not a One-Trick Pony
As impressive as those numbers are, the ZR1X is more than just a dragster. Chevy's engineers took the eAWD chassis controls system from the E-Ray and redesigned it completely for the ZR1X. Chevy claims the ZR1X can simultaneously pull 1.0 g latitudinally and longitudinally. If you're gonna flirt with those limits, make sure to eat a light lunch.
The E-Ray's Charge+ button moves from the side of the center console to the steering wheel for easier access. There's also a new push-to-pass feature to unlock the full force of the powertrain's 1250 horsepower. To activate it, you need to be in one of the Performance Traction Management modes, garner enough courage to floor the accelerator, then push up on the cruise control switch and prepare for all hell to break loose.
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Chevrolet
We complained in our recent test of a 2025 ZR1 that the braking improvements were not commensurate with the LT7's monstrous power. Perhaps anticipating those complaints, Chevy designed a totally new braking kit (internally called the J59 package). The new set comes with Alcon 10-piston front and six-piston rear calipers mated to 16.5-inch front and rear rotors, which are the largest discs ever offered on a Corvette. The rotors themselves are carbon ceramic and are constructed with continuously woven carbon-fiber threads; Chevy claims they're good for 1.9 g of deceleration from 180 mph to 120 mph. The J59 brakes come standard on the ZR1X and, starting with the 2026 model year, will be available on the regular ZR1.
ZTK Is Back
The launch of the ZR1X also signals GM's new PTM Pro mode that will be available on all 2026 Corvettes. Engaging PTM Pro turns off the traction and stability control, but in the case of the ZR1X, leaves on the regen brake torque vectoring, front axle pre-control, and launch-control systems.
ZR1X configurations mirror the rear-drive ZR1. The standard version is equipped with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and a slightly more forgiving ride. The optional ZTK Performance Package adds higher spring rates, a firmer ride, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires. It also adds the Carbon Aero pack's dive planes, underbody strakes, a hood-mounted Gurney lip, and a surfboard-sized rear wing.
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Chevrolet
The inside of the ZR1X is where any hypercar designations may fall flat. That's because, despite its unbridled excessiveness everywhere else, the ZR1X gets the same interior as every other 2026 Corvette. The wall of buttons found throughout the C8 Vette lineup is gone, with HVAC controls moved to the dashboard below the center screen. Speaking of screens, the Corvette now has three of them. The new digital gauge cluster measures 14.0 inches, with the center touchscreen measuring 12.7 inches. There's also a new 6.6-inch touchscreen to the left of the gauge cluster that gives access to functions for the head-up display and PTM settings.
Chevy hasn't yet announced final pricing, but the ZR1X is surely going to be the most expensive Corvette ever. For some, the prospect of a $250,000-plus Corvette—even if it is capable of sub-9.0-second quarter-mile time—is too much for America's sports car. Still, we're confident that even with the naysayers, Chevy will find plenty of customers who want hypercar performance at a fraction of the price. As for when it'll go on sale, Chevy told us it plans to put the ZR1X into production later this year, with the cars slated to go on sale by the end of 2025.
Jack Fitzgerald
Associate News Editor
Jack Fitzgerald's love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn't afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. Read full bio