Best cars in Forza Horizon 5 cars for road racing, dirt racing, and free roam

The best Forza Horizon 5 cars balance pace and control, making them easier to drive at speed and help you reliably win races. However, bear in mind that there is no singular ‘best car’ because of the variety of race series and terrain types you’ll race on – a Ferrari is always going to beat a Jeep in a road race, but that same Ferrari will be wrapped around a tree as the Jeep zooms by on a cross-country circuit. Owning a variety of cars and driving them competently is therefore crucial to succeeding in Forza Horizon 5.

While this will ordinarily require you to earn and spend a ton of Credits (CR) (or get lucky with Wheelspins), tuning up what’s already in your garage to stay competitive with your rivals is always an option as well. With all that in mind, here are a few of my top Forza Horizon 5 best car picks for road, street, dirt, and cross-country races and even free roam.

The best cars in Forza Horizon 5

If you’re just after a quickfire list of the best Forza Horizon 5 cars for all manner of situations, here are the vehicles I recommend from the Forza Horizon 5 car list:

• Best cars for road races:
  • Koenigsegg Jesko (2020)
  • Porsche Taycan Turbo S (2020)
  • Lamborghini Sesto Elemento – Forza Edition (2011)
  • Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR (2008)
• Best Cars for dirt races:
  • Hoonigan Ford Escort RS Cosworth WRC (1991)
  • Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR (2008)
  • M12S Warthog CST
• Best cars for free roam:
  • Koenigsegg Jesko (2020)
  • Lamborghini Sesto Elemento – Forza Edition (2011)
  • M12S Warthog CST

Choosing the best cars from the above lists is all well and good, but note that the assists you have active and your chosen difficulty quite drastically affect how different cars feel. You can read our Forza Horizon 5 tips guide for more information on assists, but we’ve been playing with Simulation Steering and Traction and Stability Control off.

Furthermore, tuning and modifying your cars is a major aspect of Forza Horizon 5, so experiment with auto upgrades, custom tunes, and community-made tune setups to find what works for you – some of these can turn rubbish cars into rocket ships, so there are almost limitless options.

Here’s everything you need to know about the best cars in Forza Horizon 5 based on our testing:

Forza Horizon 5 Koenigsegg Jesko (2020)

Class: S2 – 971

Price: CR 2.8 million

The Koenigsegg Jesko is certainly one of the fastest cars in the game right out of the box. If you manage to get one, it should definitely be one of your go-to S2 rated cars for races and speed traps. While driving along the main highway road in Mexico, I got the top speed to be around 283mph and sometimes even a little over that. In fact, any of the modern Koenigsegg hypercars will do the job if speed is what you’re after – the Agera RS is 800,000 CR cheaper than the Jesko with similar stats and a slightly higher rating of 980.

Forza Horizon 5 Porsche Taycan Turbo S (2020)

Class: S1 – 900 (Welcome Pack) / S1 - 807 (normal version)

Price: Included in premium Welcome Pack / CR 185,000 (normal version)

The Taycan is an all-electric Porsche that makes its Forza debut in Forza Horizon 5. I’ve got the Welcome Pack edition of the car – available as part of the Premium edition of Forza Horizon 5 it but can also be bought as part of the Premium Add-On Bundle – which comes pre-tuned to have significantly higher speed and launch. This helps it tear up drag strips and straighter road races, but it’s an incredibly cumbersome car due to its weight, so definitely avoid it for more technical street races. However, it is on the cheaper end of S1 cars in Forza Horizon 5, with others costing in excess of one million CR. If you don’t have the Welcome Pack version of the car, you can install player-made tunes that will bring it up to that level.

Forza Horizon 5 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Forza Edition (2011)

Class: S2 – (Forza Edition) / S2 – 936 (normal version)

Price: N/A (Forza Edition) / CR 2.5 million (normal version)

The Sesto Elemento’s stats speak for themselves, really. 10 in Handling, Acceleration, Launch, and Braking. It might not be the fastest car but it’s definitely up there and excels in everything else. Like the Koenigsegg Jesko, this is a road race or free roam speed activity car. The benefit of the Forza Edition of the Sesto Elemento is that you’ll also get a flat 25% boost for trick points you build up as part of Skill Chain too. You can pick up the regular model from the Auto Show or you can get the Forza Edition variant from a Wheelspin or the Auction House.

Forza Horizon 5 Hoonigan Ford Escort RS Cosworth WRC (1991)

Class: A – 783

Price: Free for everyone (CR 500,000 to buy again)

The Hoonigan Ford Cosworth is a great little rally car that is excellent for dirt and cross-country races. Best of all, everyone gets it for free within the first hour of Forza Horizon 5 after completing the game’s first Showcase event. The solid handling, both on and off-road, and great acceleration will allow you to easily stay near the front of the pack as you race. Some slick driving and drifting on corners will really help you get to the front and get high scores in Forza Horizon 5 Drift Zones.

Forza Horizon 5 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR

Class: A – 800 (Welcome Pack) / B – 649 (normal version)

Price: Included in premium Welcome Pack / CR 43,000 (normal version) 

This Mitsubishi Lancer GSR is certainly one of the most versatile cars in Forza Horizon 5 and is definitely one you should pick up as soon as you can. Admittedly, I’ve been using the Welcome Pack edition which, like the Porsche Taycan, comes pre-tuned and is only available in the premium Welcome Pack. This Class A version of the Lancer has high Acceleration and Off-Road stats, making it a great choice for mixed-terrain Dirt races. Despite its off-road capabilities, this souped-up Lancer is also great for any Street or even road races thanks to its steady handling, speed, and acceleration.

A tune setup for the base B Class version of the Lancer that brings its rating up to 700, or a better setup that elevates it to A Class is the way to go if you don’t have the premium Welcome Pack.

Forza Horizon 5 M12S Warthog CST

Class: A – 719

Price: 850,000

While not a real car in our world, I think the Warthog from Halo is a real hidden gem of a car. It’s got some of the best in-class Launch for an off-road vehicle, meaning it will fly off the line at the start of most Cross-Country races and its incredible off-roading stat means it’ll remain very stable. Its major downside is that its base top speed of 117mph (I see what you did there, Playground Games) is pitiful, so a custom tuning setup is essential to keep it competitive in races on higher difficulties.

Although, if you’re looking for a fun car to drive in free roam, the Warthog is definitely the one. It’s size, weight, and power mean it’s almost unstoppable as you drive across Mexico – perfect for smashing through objects, such as Forza Horizon 5 solar panels. This novelty Halo vehicle is a bit on the expensive side for an off-road A Class car, but we think it’s worth it if you’ve got the CR.

Forza Horizon 5 Ford Capri RS3100 (1973)

Class: D – 497

Price: CR 55,000

I’m not going to sugar-coat this one. Most D-Class cars are old bangers and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever need one of these cars, but in case you do, may we recommend the Ford Capri RS3100. For the cars in this category, this one is definitely up there as one of the best ones. It’s got balanced stats across the board with good Launch, Acceleration, and Handling. It’s good for road races, the less technical street races, and even the odd mixed-terrain dirt race. The fact that it’s such a barebones car – like a lot of the Class D cars – means it’s very receptive to modifications. You can find plenty of tune set ups for the Ford Capri that will boost its performance to A or S Class.