If you're a sim racer with money to burn, look no further, because the Thrustmaster Hypercar Wheel Add-On is the ultimate in luxury racing wheels.

has been pretty busy in the last few years with expanding its sim racing offering. The got four out of five stars in my review, with my testing finding it to be an "excellent budget-friendly direct drive option." Its latest product – the Hypercar Wheel Add-On – is a standalone wheel that leans fully into style and refinement.

Compatible with the T598, the T818, and all future Thrustmaster racing wheelbase, the Hypercar Wheel Add-On is priced at an eye-watering £349.99 / $399.99 / AU$745.49 (rough conversion for AU), with the price very much putting it in the premium price bracket for standalone wheels.

For context, this wheel alone costs more than its beginner , which includes a wheel, wheelbase and pedals for £269.99 / $329.99 / AU$574.86, and matches the price of its , which is a 1:1 scale replica racing wheel from the legendary Ferrari SF1000. However, it must also be said that sim racing can be an expensive hobby, and some wheels are significantly more expensive!

So, who is the Hypercar Wheel Add-On for, and what does it offer at a premium price? Let's dive in.

Thrustmaster has leaned heavily into giving players a decadent experience with this product; from the unboxing experience to the oval, hypercar-focused wheel having its own customised drawstring bag – and even the set of precision tweezers in the box to apply any stickers – it's clear that no expense has been spared.

And, thankfully, it's the same story with the wheel itself, which features a black, lightweight aluminium faceplate, along with a forged carbon element at the bottom of the wheel, with each wheel having a unique design. There are high-quality leather grips on either side of the wheel, which are topstitched, with the top and bottoms of the wheel covered in Alcantara, which adds to the premium feel.

I've tested and reviewed a lot of wheels, but the Thrustmaster Hypercar Wheel Add-On is easily the most impressive in terms of build quality, quality of materials, and outright luxury value. Every button, paddle and rotary encoder has a premium, satisfying click. It's not that lightweight, coming in at 1.4kg, which is heavier than the SF1000 wheel add-on. Still, whether it's due to the quality of the materials or the distribution of its weight, it feels incredibly balanced and comfortable to use.

On the wheel itself, you get a total of 25 action buttons (including four aluminium rotary encoders), with metal paddle shifts on the back with magnetic sensors. One of the coolest things about this wheel is the configurable front analogue triggers which, when used as a dual-clutch, can be configured to specific biting points, allowing you to customise it to suit your start procedure. Pretty cool!

What isn't particularly cool is the lack of customisation overall, particularly in terms of software support, as you're not able to do any configuring in the MyThrustmaster App for , with the only way to do it being on the wheel itself, which isn't user friendly and takes a lot of time staring at a manual.

There are also two small LEDs that can show things like RPM, red flags, pit lights, etc., depending on the game. However, if you're one for full RPM LEDs on a wheel, this one probably isn't for you because they are very subtle indeed. I tested the Hypercar Wheel Add-On with the T598 wheelbase, and attaching it was incredibly easy, thanks to the quick-release system that will be standard on all future Thrustmaster wheelbases.

Due to the compatibility of the wheelbase this wheel is able to be used with, the Hypercar Wheel Add-On is only able to be used on and PC platforms.

I used the wheel in a variety of titles and across a range of different categories, and it handled everything I threw at it with ease and grace. Whether it was Assetto Corsa, or even , the form factor and quality of materials offered superb comfort, and it's more than rigid enough to handle the 5Nm of torque put through it by the T598.

Even though it's primarily designed to be used with hypercars in games like Assetto Corsa, it's still a great experience with formula-style and GT3 cars. Plus, the quality of the leather and the Alcantara on the grips stood up well, even after weeks of rigorous use.

If you have the cash to spare and you're looking for a premium, luxury racing wheel that can be used across a range of titles and racing categories, the Thrustmaster Hypercar Wheel Add-On should definitely be on your shortlist. There are very few options in the market that offer this level of comfort and the performance to go with it.

If you're an F1 fan or a formula-specific sim racer, you might miss not having RPM LEDs and masses of buttons to configure, especially as the wheel's configuration options aren't particularly user-friendly.

Thrustmaster Hypercar Wheel Add-On verdict: 4/5