Why Aston Martin Valhalla’s Reverse Speed Became a Real Problem
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Aston Martin Valhalla almost did 140km/h in reverse, and it was a terrible idea
When it comes to top speeds in reverse, less is definitely more. Sometimes we need saving from ourselves.
Andy Enright
12:02 | 05 April 2026
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Aston Martin Valhalla plug-in hybrid hypercar
The Aston Martin Valhalla is remarkable for a number of reasons. It sets a number of firsts for the company. It’s also a car that presented the company with a bizarre problem. It was too fast in reverse.
On the face of it, that doesn’t sound too great an issue in the greater scheme of things. In reality, it could easily be a bit frightening.
Reverse gear in the Valhalla doesn’t run through its eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Instead, the plug-in hybrid hypercar handles reverse through its pair of electric motors driving the front wheels. These can run at speeds of up to 140km/h while driving forwards, but it was soon realised that they’d do exactly the same in reverse. Frankly terrifying, especially given the amount of power they have at their disposal.
Without limits, the Valhalla’s reverse speed could rival its forward performance. It’s easy to imagine an enthusiastic reverse turning into trying to control the world’s most powerful forklift. Rear-steer can be a bit of a handful after all.
With that in mind, Aston Martin did the right thing. It electronically limited the speed in reverse to 30km/h.
Sometimes we need saving from ourselves.
Nobody told Rimac, however. In 2023, its development driver, Goran Drndak, set a reversing speed record of 275.74km/h in an electric Nevera at the Papenberg test facility in Germany.
The same motors that propel the Nevera to its 412km/h forward maximum speed are capable of providing exactly the same level of grunt in reverse.
"It occurred to us during development that Nevera would probably be the world’s fastest car in reverse, but we kind of laughed it off," said chief engineer Matija Renić. "The aerodynamics, cooling, and stability hadn’t been engineered for traveling backwards at speed, after all."
Thankfully, Aston Martin Valhalla owners won’t have to discover this fact first-hand.