makes an attempt at giving some semblance of definition to the terms. It notes that it's easiest to define supercars, megacars, and hypercars by their output.

What is a supercar?

Supercars are street-legal and typically produce between 550-750 horsepower with generally lighter weights—between 1,000 and 1,700 kilograms—and better, more nimble handling than a comparatively heavy, high-power muscle car.

High-performance Hellcats and Mustangs do not count as supercars because of this characteristic.

Supercars date back to the 1960s with the release of high-performance vehicles like the Lamborghini Miura and Shelby AC Cobra 427, but contemporary supercars blow those performance figures out of the water.

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What is a hypercar?

A hypercar is essentially a high-performance supercar. Hypercars typically have at least 800 horsepower, a 0-to-60 time of under 3 seconds, and a top speed between 215 and 270 mph.

They can be hybrids as well. Current hypercars are a more recent (and more powerful) invention, with the Bugatti Veyron being considered the first true hypercar when it was unveiled in 2005.

Megacars, on the other hand, are cars that can produce more than 1 megawatt of power (or 1,340 horsepower). The idea of a megacar was introduced in 2015 when Swedish automaker Koenigsegg unveiled the 1,500-horsepower Regera, which retailed for a relatively modest $1.9 million.

The Regera is the original megacar, meaning its advertised performance surpassed all previous hypercars on the market.

Per the

automaker

, the Regera combines its 1100-horsepower 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with a 700-horsepower/525 kW electric motor to produce a total output of 1,500 horsepower.

MORE: Supercars vs Hypercars–What's the Difference?

What are a few examples of supercars?

Once restricted to the ultra-exclusive echelons of society, supercars are finding themselves as the top-performance vehicles in a mainstream automaker's lineup.

That includes the 670-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the 660-horsepower Ford GT, the Acura NSX, and the now-discontinued Dodge Viper, as well as some lower-end Ferraris and several German brands we don't need to list because, honestly, you've probably seen or heard of them already.

What are some current hypercars?

You'll probably see some familiar names here, as well as fewer entries from mainstream automakers. More recent hypercars include the Pagani Huayra, the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Lamborghini Veneno.

What are some current megacars?

The list of megacars is a bit smaller than for hypercars and supercars, but it includes vehicles like the aforementioned Koenigsegg Regera, the Koenigsegg One:1, and the Bugatti Chiron. They can also be electric, as Croatian automaker Rimac has demonstrated.

Rimac is probably best known for its $2.4 million Nevera electric megacar, which can go from 0-to-60 mph in 1.85 seconds and produces 1,914 horsepower and 1,740 lb.-ft. of torque from its four electric motors.

The Nevera can reach a top speed of 256 mph, per the automaker's website, and the automaker predicts a maximum range of just over 340 miles from its 120 kw/h battery.

What do they all have in common?

They're all pretty freaky fast. It's not unheard of for many supercars, hypercars, and megacars to break the 200 mph threshold like it's nothing (and still be considered street legal).

They're also generally expensive. While the names "supercar," "hypercar" and "megacar" came about from our impulse to categorize things into neat little groups to imply that some are inherently better than others, they still belong to the same family of high-performance vehicles that are unattainable for all but the wealthiest (or least financially responsible) automotive enthusiasts.

The all-electric Nevera megacar from Rimac, for example, costs $2.4 million. The Pagani Huayra hypercar had a base price of around $3.5 million, while the Bugatti Chiron megacar is a more modest $3 million.

Important to note is that the Tesla Model S Plaid has performance mirroring that of some hypercars, with an output of 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 lb.-ft. of torque for a fraction of the cost of a Bugatti or Lamborghini.

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