‘Forza Horizon 5’: The best cars for each race type and activity (2023)

Forza Horizon 5 boasts a plethora of cars that you can drive all over Mexico. Naturally, each one has its own capabilities. With a bit of tuning and driver skill, you can stay ahead of the pack. Here’s our guide to help you with the fastest cars for each race type and activity in Forza Horizon 5. We’ve also included additional tips for general progression in the game.

The game is a huge step forward for the series, and in our review of Forza Horizon 5 we said; “Forza Horizon 5 is perhaps the best racing game ever made, and you should try it even if you don’t usually play racing games.”

Finding the best car for you in Forza Horizon 5

There’s a lot to consider when you’re looking to find the best car to use in Forza Horizon 5. While there are options that allow you to step into a vehicle’s stock setup, there are cases when extra tuning can make a world of difference.

It’s also worth addressing how accessible each vehicle might be. In most cases, cars can be obtained by purchasing them in the Autoshow, winning bids in the Auction House, or from lucky Wheelspin pulls. A select few, meanwhile, may also be discovered from Barn Finds or by completing Accolades. Lastly, we’ve included selections from Forza Horizon 5 DLCs such as the VIP Pass, Welcome Pack, and Formula Drift Pack.

Best Road Racing car: BMW X5 M Forza Edition

How to acquire: VIP PassClass: S2 (998); Event XP Boost perkSpeed: 8Handling: 10Acceleration: 10Launch: 10Braking: 9.4Offroad: 4.4

Boasting perfect 10s in three separate categories, the BMW X5 M Forza Edition is your best bet when you step foot in racing circuits. It’s fairly easy to handle and drives like a dream. Since it comes from the VIP Pass, you’ll have access to it fairly early on in your campaign to the point that you won’t notice other options that often. Even better, if it has the Event XP Boost, you’ll have an easier time with progression.

Honorable mentions:

Aston Martin Valhalla Concept Car – S2 (959); costs 1,150,000 credits.Apollo Intesa Emozione “Welcome Pack” – S2 (998); can be obtained via the Welcome Pack.Bugatti Veyron Super Sport – S2 (913); costs 2,200,000 credits; can be obtained via an Accolade called “Like A Boss” (Play 20 Eliminator games).Lamborghini Sesto Elemento – S2 (936); costs 2,500,000 credits; we’ll discuss more regarding this in the “Best cars for cheesing” section of our guide.

Best car for Dirt Racing: Hoonigan Ford RS200 Evolution

How to acquire: Costs 500,000 creditsClass: S2 (904)Speed: 7.6Handling: 6.5Acceleration: 9.5Launch: 5.1Braking: 5.3Offroad: 8.3

Dirt Racing in Forza Horizon 5 is all about ensuring that your car has a high offroad rating, as well as decent speed and handling. The Hoonigan Ford RS200 Evolution offers just that and more.

Honorable mentions:

Hoonigan Gymkhana 10 Ford Escort Cosworth Group A – S1 (862); costs 500,000 credits.Ford M-Sport Fiesta RS – S1 (808); costs 500,000 credits.Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR “Welcome Pack” – A (800); can be obtained via the Welcome Pack.Local Motors Rally Fighter – A (716); costs 100,000 credits; can be obtained for free by completing the “Unbeatable Dirt Racing” Accolade (Win 10 Dirt Races with the difficulty set to Unbeatable).

Best car for Cross Country racing: #2069 Ford Bronco R “Welcome Pack”

How to acquire: Welcome PackClass: A (800)Speed: 6.1Handling: 3.9Acceleration: 8.8Launch: 9.9Braking: 5.4Offroad: 9.9 (Offroad Tires)

Cross Country races will have you roaming the vast locales of Mexico. From dense jungles and flowing rivers to desert dunes and paved roads, you’ll need a vehicle that can do it all. That’s where the #2069 Ford Bronco R from the Welcome Pack comes in. Available early on, you shouldn’t have too many issues when you’re trying to complete Cross Country tracks in the game.

Honorable mentions:

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR “Welcome Pack” – A (800); can be obtained via the Welcome Pack.Jeep Trailcat – A (744); costs 75,000 credits.AMG Transport Dynamics M12S Warthog CST (yes, it’s from Halo) – A (719); costs 850,000 credits.Local Motors Rally Fighter – A (716); costs 100,000 credits; can be obtained for free by completing the “Unbeatable Dirt Racing” Accolade (Win 10 Dirt Races with the difficulty set to Unbeatable).

Best Street Racing car: Bugatti Divo

How to acquire: Costs 3,000,000 credits.Class: S2 (958)Speed: 9.6Handling: 9.9Acceleration: 10Launch: 6.2Braking: 9.5Offroad: 4.4

Tight corners, sharp turns, and oncoming traffic that needs to be avoided. These are what you need to remember when partaking in Forza Horizon 5’s Street Races. As such, we’re looking for a combination of speed, handling, and acceleration, which the Bugatti Divo happens to provide. The only downside is that it’s extremely costly, but there are other alternatives that you can try out before acquiring it.

Honorable mentions:

Apollo Intesa Emozione “Welcome Pack” – S2 (998); can be obtained via the Welcome Pack.BMW X5 M Forza Edition – S2 (998); can be obtained via the VIP Pass.Bugatti Veyron Super Sport – S2 (913); costs 2,200,000 credits; can be obtained via an Accolade called “Like A Boss” (Play 20 Eliminator games).Koenigsegg Jesko – S2 (971); costs 2,800,000 credits; can be obtained for free by completing the “Cinema Irrealiste” Accolade (Earn 3-star ratings in all chapters of the V10 story in Baja).Lamborghini Sesto Elemento – S2 (936); costs 2,500,000 credits; we’ll discuss more regarding this in the “Best cars for cheesing” section of our guide.

Best Drag Racing car: Koenigsegg Jesko

How to acquire: Costs 2,800,000 credits; can be obtained for free by completing the “Cinema Irrealiste” Accolade (Earn 3-star ratings in all chapters of the V10 story in Baja).Class: S2 (971)Speed: 10Handling: 10Acceleration: 6.9Launch: 7.4Braking: 9.0Offroad: 4.4

Drag Racing in Forza Horizon 5 requires you to focus on a vehicle’s top speed and launch (the one type of race where this stat is of sheer importance). Now, you might be wondering why we rank the Koenigsegg Jesko so high with a middling 7.4 launch rating. Well, that’s because there are tune-ups that you can purchase or download from other players. These will boost the car’s launch rating to a perfect 10, while also ensuring that it reaches a top speed of around 490 kph.

Honorable mentions:

Porsche Taycan Turbo S “Welcome Pack” – S1 (900); can be obtained via the Welcome Pack.BMW X5 M Forza Edition – S2 (998); can be obtained via the VIP Pass.Porsche 918 Spyder – S2 (920); costs 850,000 credits; can be obtained for free by completing the “My Precious” Accolade (Secure 50 car drops in The Eliminator).Bugatti Divo – S2 (958); costs 3,000,000 credits.Rimac Concept Two – S2 (963) – costs 2,000,000 credits.

Best car for Drifting Challenges: Hoonigan Ford “Hoonicorn” Mustang

How to acquire: Costs 500,000 credits.Class: S2 (951)Speed: 9.2Handling: 6.7Acceleration: 10Launch: 7.4Braking: 5.9Offroad: 5.5

The Hoonicorn is still one of the best options out there if you want to complete Drift-related challenges. Its sheer speed will help you navigate straighter roads before you slide smoothly down those curves. We’ll also discuss a few progression and cheesing tips when it comes to drifting in a later section of our Forza Horizon 5 best cars guide.

Honorable mentions:

Hoonigan Ford RS200 Evolution – S2 (904); costs 500,000 credits.Dodge Charger R/T Forza Edition – S1 (900); comes from the VIP pass; has the Drift Skills Boost perk.Formula Drift cars – Variable; the vehicles can be easily obtained via the Formula Drift Pack.

Best cars for Speed/Jump Challenges: Koenigsegg Jesko

We’ve already discussed the Koenigsegg Jesko in the Drag Racing section of our Forza Horizon 5 best cars guide. As for Speed Trap and Danger/Jump challenges, it still reigns supreme. If you can find upgrades that increase its top speed, launch, and acceleration, you’ll barely break a sweat when reaching 3-star ratings in these activities.

Honorable mentions:

Hoonigan Ford RS200 Evolution – S2 (904); costs 500,000 credits.BMW X5 M Forza Edition – S2 (998); can be obtained via the VIP Pass.

The best cars in Forza Horizon 5 for cheesing - Infinite XP, credits, skill points, and Super Wheelspins

UPDATE: After a game update, the below method doesn’t work quite as effectively as it once did. Luckily, we have an updated method to earn credits, skill points, XP and Super Wheelspins here. The following information was relevant once, but not so much anymore.

Lastly, we have to talk about a reliable cheesing method to gain a lot of XP, credits, skill points, and Super Wheelspins in Forza Horizon 5. For this, we’re going to have to rely on the following:

Dodge Charger R/T Forza Edition – S1 (900); comes from the VIP pass; has the Drift Skills Boost perk. Technically, any vehicle tuned for drifting would be fine, but this one gains bonus points.Willys MB Jeep – D (198); costs 40,000 credits.Lamborghini Sesto Elemento – S2 (936); costs 2,500,000 credits.

First, we’ll use a vehicle that’s great for drifting. You can either stay on the Horizon Festival tarmac or roam around the desert. Use 180-degree turns, drifting, E-drifts, and burnouts to rack up high scores and multipliers until you have a lot of skill points.

Next, go to the Autoshow and buy one Willys Jeep. Since it’ll be added to your garage, just open your Car Collection menu. Buying the vehicle here is faster since you can purchase it repeatedly without wasting those precious seconds on the Autoshow’s loading screens.

Now, select the Willys Jeep and open the Car Mastery panel. The first skill grants you 7,000 XP already, and successive level-ups provide a free Wheelspin. Then, take Impressive Durability (one skill point) followed by Supply Drop (three skill points).

Supply Drop is the perk that provides a free Super Wheelspin. The great thing about this is that, more often than not, you’ll be rewarded with credits, too. This should offset the costs of the Willys Jeeps that you’ll buy.

After using the Super Wheelspin, make sure to mark that Willys Jeep as a favorite. The icon should help you determine which ones have already used the Super Wheelspin from those that are relatively untouched. For those that already obtained the perk, just go to My Horizon – Gift Drop. If you gift these vehicles, you’ll be able to refund the skill points after relaunching the game. Just keep repeating this process until you’re happy with your rewards.

Now, if you want to earn a ton of XP without doing a lot, you’ll need to acquire the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento. Likewise, you should unlock The Goliath race in the Horizon Festival panel.

This is a long track that will take you through several locales. You’re likely to clear a single lap in nine minutes or so and, during that time, you’ll amass lots of XP and skill points.

If you have several skill points already, go unlock all of the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento’s perks. Next, do the following:

Download Don Joewon Song’s tune-up for the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento.Check the Difficulty settings and enable Auto-Steering and Traction Control.Open the Event Lab and create a Goliath race with 50 laps.Make sure that you have a gamepad that’s plugged in. Use a rubber band to keep the right trigger pressed.

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento has extremely high stats. Tire traction and handling are perfect, allowing it to stay on the road even when you’re going at ridiculous speeds. Because of our fine-tuned upgrades, Auto-Steering, and Traction Control, you can leave the game running while the car drives itself. When you check back — maybe after eight hours — your 50-lap run should net you a lot of rewards.

To learn more about this cheesing method, you can watch this video from YouTuber Caspahz.

Written by Jason Rodriguez on behalf of GLHF.