2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 Vs. 2025 Corvette Z06: Which Is Faster & How Do They Compare?

Despite the Chevy Corvette ZR1 first rolling off the assembly line a full seven years after the Corvette Z06, both high-performance models have been a fixture for the brand and for most of its history. Beloved by Vette' heads, both the ZR1 and Z06 have been rebuilt in new generations over the past several decades, continually pushing the limits of street legal auto engineering. 

While both Corvettes will leave most other cars on the road in the dust, there are several differences in how they look, how they're engineered, what features they're equipped with, and even in their exact level of performance. Concerning the latter, if you want to get behind the wheel of the faster Corvette, you'll want to purchase yourself a 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 once it's available. Not only is the next-gen ZR1 faster than the Z06 — it's the fastest Corvette ever built. In fact, as of this October, it's the fastest car ever made by an American auto manufacturer. 

However, that doesn't mean the 2025 Z06 isn't still a very powerful, and impressive vehicle. Here is a more detailed look at the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 and the 2025 Corvette Z06, including their top speeds and how they compare in other ways.

When the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 first debuted in 1970, it was a powerhouse right from the start, with the original ZR1 boasting 370 horsepower. Perhaps surprisingly, its engine wasn't built from scratch but was instead based on the 350-cubic-inch LT-1 found in other 'Vettes — starting the tradition of building on already-existing engines that the ZR1 continues to this day. While the seventh generation ZR1 only began production in 2019, the new 2025 model is the first of a brand new, eighth generation.

Unveiled earlier this summer, the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 packs a whopping 1,064 horsepower under its hood (at 7,000 rpm), generated by a LT7 5.5L DOHC V8 engine with twin turbochargers and a flat-plane crankshaft. Its V8 is paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and aerodynamics that are as cutting-edge as they are eye-poppingly sleek. Its body design includes wide side air inlets with carbon-fiber wishbone bezels, rear brake cooling ducts, an intercooler with flow-through hood and spoiler, a front splitter paired with a carbon-fiber underwing and smooth underbody. Plus, several other features that reduce drag and give the 2025 ZR1 the highest downforce of any production Corvette to date. Lightweight carbon-fiber is also used in the ZR1's 10-spoke wheels, as well as its hatch intakes to draw in colder air, while the Corvette's signature split-rear window comes with ventilation, while a louvered spine helps keep the engine bay cool.

The Z06 predates the ZR1 by seven years, having debuted in 1963 and combining several different pre-existing Corvette features into one high-performance package powered by a 360-horsepower fuel-injected engine and four-speed manual transmission. Like the ZR1, the Z06 has gone through several generations of major production design; however its most-recent generation launched a little bit earlier, in 2023, which is when SlashGear took the Z06 out for a first drive.

The 2025 Z06 has a LT6 5.5-liter mid-engine with a flat-plane crankshaft that is the most powerful naturally-aspirated engine currently offered in a production vehicle. It delivers up to 670 horsepower and 8,600 redline rpm and features titanium intake valves with dual valve springs, CNC-machined ports and combustion chambers, and a small-block design with 4.4-inch bore centers and a 4.1-inch bore. The lightweight forged titanium connecting rods and low-profile forged pistons incorporated into the engine allow the vehicle to reach high speeds and rapidly shift the rpm, and drivers control the whole thing via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Other features of the 2025 Z06 that are available include a quad-center exhaust, carbon-fiber high-wing rear spoiler, four-wheel disc carbon ceramic Brembo brakes, and carbon-fiber wheels with summer-only Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

Three months after it was first announced in July 2024, the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 shattered records at a German test track by reaching a jaw-dropping 233 mph — a top speed that no other current production car priced under a million dollars can claim. The Corvette broke the record at the high-speed oval track at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg, and wasn't a one-off fluke — two different ZR1 development vehicles went at least 230 mph multiple times going both ways up and down the track. This isn't the first time Chevrolet has reached such a milestone, either, as the previous two generations have also set previous top speed records.

Among other design features, the ZR1 boasts a supercharger that the Z06 lacks, so it's not exactly a fair fight when comparing top speeds. It's also not much of a surprise, given that the ZR1 is typically more powerful and exclusive than a Z06 in production around the same time. That said, the 2025 Corvette Z06 is no slouch. It may have 40% less horsepower than the new ZR1, but 670 horses is still a lot of pull, and the Z06 has a stated top speed of 189 mph. It can also go 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds and cover a quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds at 131 mph. Don't forget these Corvettes are street legal, so while you can have a lot of fun hitting these speeds at the track, there aren't too many places where it would be legal to drive them to their limits on public roads.

Both the 2025 ZR1 and Z06 come in either a coupe or a convertible with a retractable hardtop. The ZR1 has two models — the 1LZ and 3LZ, each with a gorgeous interior to match the stunning exterior and packed with high-end features. The steering wheel has a flat top and bottom for high-performance grip at top speeds — the premium 3LZ offers a sueded microfiber steering wheel, while the 1LZ comes standard with a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel with carbon-fiber accents.

There's also carbon-fiber to be found in the removable visible roof panel, while the coupe engine appearance package also comes with a carbon-fiber trim. Also included with the 1LZ are eight-way power GT1 or Competition Sport seats, a 12-inch diagonal color instrument cluster, HD Rear Vision Camera and Rear Camera Mirror, and a premium 10-speaker sound system by Bose. The 3LZ will also come with an 14-speaker Bose Performance Series sound system instead, as well as heated and ventilated Napa leather GT2 or Competition Sport seats with power lumbar/wing adjusts, carbon-fiber shift paddles on the steering wheel, a sueded microfiber upper interior trim, HD Rear and Front/Curb-view cameras, and an instrument panel, door trim, and console that are all wrapped in leather.

Likewise, the Z06 comes in 1LZ and 3LZ, as well as a 2LZ. The models offer more or less the same respective Bose sound systems, removable roof panels (for the coupe), HD Rear Vision Camera and Rear Camera Mirror, and 12-inch diagonal color instrument cluster as the ZR1. While some features have not yet been announced for the ZR1, the Z06 for sure comes with amenities like power-folding outside mirrors, a wireless phone charger, universal home remote, performance data recorder, and much more.

One major difference between the two models — at least for now — is that new deliveries for the 2025 Corvette ZR1 won't begin until well into 2025. So, if you're looking to purchase one today, it'll have to be the Z06. Of course, it's going to cost you, as there are several reasons the Corvette Z06 is quite an expensive car. The most basic model — the 1LZ Coupe — starts at $112,100, while the 3LZ Convertible starts at $132,650. Chevrolet hasn't announced pricing details for the ZR1, but you can expect it to be even more than the Z06 — a lot more. Based on what we know about previous pricing and what's inside the next-gen ZR1, the 1LZ Coupe model of the 2025 ZR1 will likely start between $150,000 and $180,000, while the 3LZ could break $200,000.

While we don't yet know the cost of the 2025 ZR1, Chevrolet shows 10 different color options for its exterior when the time comes to choose. These colors include some new Corvette colors with familiar names. Arctic White, Black, Torch Red, Sebring Orange Tintcoat, Riptide Blue Metallic, and Hysteria Purple Metallic are available, while four other hues will cost extra: Competition Yellow Tintcoat Metallic, Rapid Blue Metallic, Red Mist Metallic Tintcoat, and Sea Wolf Gray Tintcoat.

Many of these options, like the newly available Competition Yellow Tintcoat Metallic, and Hysteria Purple Metallic, and Sebring Orange Tintcoat Metallic, are on offer for the Z06 as well. Chevy also offers four different finishes for the 10-spoke wheels on the Z06: Pearl Nickel, Gloss Black, Polished, and Bright Polished with Carbon Flash Pockets, as well as a Velocity Yellow finish to accent the car's brake calipers.