Which USB standard allows for data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps?

The USB standard that allows for data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps is USB 2.0. This version of USB, which was released in the year 2000, significantly improved the data transfer speed compared to its predecessor, USB 1.1, which supported much lower speeds of up to 12 Mbps. USB 2.0 introduced the High-Speed designation, enabling devices like external hard drives and flash drives to transfer larger amounts of data more efficiently.

In contrast, USB 3.0, released later, offers even higher transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps, and USB-C refers to the physical connector type, which can support various USB standards but does not specify a data transfer rate on its own. Thus, USB 2.0 is specifically known for the transfer speed of 480 Mbps, making it the correct answer for this question.