0-60 Calculator
Enter a target speed and the time taken to reach it from a standstill to find the average acceleration.
How 0-60 acceleration is calculated
Average acceleration is the change in speed divided by the time it took, a = Δv/Δt. This calculator converts your speed from miles per hour to meters per second, divides by the time, and also expresses the result in feet per second squared and as a multiple of standard gravity (g-force).
This gives the average acceleration over the whole run, not the instantaneous acceleration at any single moment — a real vehicle's acceleration typically isn't constant throughout a 0-60 run, often being strongest at lower speeds and tapering off as speed increases.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as a car's actual 0-60 acceleration curve?
No — this gives the average acceleration over the full time, assuming constant acceleration. Real vehicles usually accelerate faster at lower speeds and more slowly as they approach the target speed, so the instantaneous acceleration varies throughout the run.
What does g-force mean here?
It expresses the acceleration as a multiple of standard Earth gravity (9.80665 m/s²). A value of 1g equals the acceleration of a free-falling object near Earth's surface; most car 0-60 times correspond to well under 1g of average acceleration.
Can I use this for units other than mph and seconds?
This calculator expects speed in mph and time in seconds, since that's the standard way 0-60 performance is quoted. Convert other units to these first for an accurate result.