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Forza Horizon 6: Build your dream garage with these must-have cars
With more than 600 available vehicles, choosing the right ones can feel overwhelming. We'll show you which cars help you dominate on the tarmac, gravel and even the drag strip.
Forza Horizon 6 is the hottest racing game of 2026. The open-world racer takes you to Japan and presents you with numerous challenges in the Land of the Rising Sun. In our beginner’s guide, we've already provided some helpful hints to ensure you get off to a flying start and revealed the location of the hidden barns.
Now we’re going to delve into which cars are the best in Forza Horizon 6. There may be more than 600 to choose from but these speedsters are absolute must-haves for any garage.
01
Road and street racing: Mazda Furai
Road races take place on closed-off circuits and feature tight bends, long straights and no oncoming traffic. Street races, on the other hand, wind through Tokyo and demand greater versatility. R-class cars are well-suited for road races, while the somewhat more domesticated S1-class is better for street races.
The Mazda Furai is a great choice for both races as it is an excellent all-rounder that combines outstanding acceleration with near-perfect handling and a high top speed. The Furai entered the game with Series 1 of the Festival playlist and, thanks to its three-rotor Wankel engine, quickly became an absolute fan favourite.
02
Best dirt-racing car: Porsche 917 FE
Dirt racing doesn’t reward raw power; it rewards control. If you open the throttle too much on loose terrain, you’ll lose grip and, with it, the race. If you drive too defensively, you’ll lose valuable time. The Porsche 917 Forza Edition strikes this balance better than any other car in the category.
The Porsche #3 917 LH Forza Edition is a dirt specialist
© Xbox Game Studios
What sets the 917 FE apart from other dirt specialists is its high top speed and grip on gravel – a combination that’s rare in this class. While others can become hard to control on loose surfaces, the Porsche remains stable and can be steered with precision, even when the surface changes.
This makes it the best choice not only for pure dirt races, but also for mixed tracks that include short tarmac sections. Added to this is its advantage over competitors like the Mazda MX-5 FE, with the 917 FE a touch stronger in almost every relevant area. This advantage becomes clearly noticeable over a long race distance.
03
Best rally car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR
Dirt racing is ubiquitous in Forza Horizon 6, meaning you need a car with off-road or rally tyres and stable cornering, even on loose surfaces.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR is the best rally car
© Xbox Game Studios
The Lancer Evolution VIII MR is the best rally car in the game, and it’s a bargain. Its combination of speed, off-road grip and handling beats all its direct rivals in the category. The key advantage over the Subaru Impreza is its marginally better performance in almost all relevant areas.
That might not sound like much, but it makes a noticeable difference on long dirt tracks. With targeted upgrades (more powerful engine, rally suspension, improved brakes), the advantage grows even further. If you want to win on gravel, this is where you start.
04
Best cross-country car: 2022 Subaru BRZ Forza Edition
Cross-country races sound like a mix of asphalt and off-road, and that's true, but the proportion of off-road sections is significantly larger than expected. Anyone using a pure road car will lose out on the first gravel section. Anyone choosing a pure off-road vehicle will lose out on the short stretch of asphalt.
For cross-country racing, choose the 2022 Subaru BRZ Forza Edition
© Xbox Game Studios
Although it looks unusual for an off-road specialist, the BRZ Forza Edition scores a perfect 10 in the off-road category when properly tuned. On gravel, it remains stable and precise; on tarmac, it loses hardly any ground compared to dedicated road cars.
You’ll need to visit the aftermarket spot at Sotoyama Ski Resort once, after which the vehicle is permanently available. For cross-country races, there’s no better choice.
Delve deeper into the world of Forza Horizon 6
05
Best drift car: 2020 Formula Drift #151 Toyota GR Supra
Drifting is the most technically demanding discipline in Forza Horizon 6. Without the right setup – comprising a front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, specially tuned drift tyres and carefully calibrated weight distribution – the car will spin out before you’ve even reached the first corner. Turning a standard sports car into a drifting monster takes time and credits. The GR Supra Formula Drift saves you both.
The Toyota Supra is a drift monster
© Xbox Game Studios
The name says it all: this car is built specifically for this discipline. Right from the factory, the GR Supra is designed to slide out of every corner. The rear end breaks away in a controlled manner, can be kept under control and steered back in just as cleanly – which is crucial for long drift chains and high scores.
With a bit of tuning to boost performance and chassis balance, it reaches a level that no other car in the discipline even comes close to matching. For drift challenges and drift zones, it’s the first and only choice. It’s available for 185,000 credits in the Car Show.
06
Best drag car: 2012 Nissan GT-R Black Edition R35 Forza Edition
Drag racing reduces everything to a single question: Who can get from A to B the fastest in a straight line? What counts is launch and acceleration, and optionally top speed on long strips.
The Nissan GT-R Black Edition (R35) Forza Edition is as quick as they come
© Xbox Game Studios
What makes this Nissan special is that despite being rear-wheel drive and boasting an absurd power output of around 3,000 PS, there’s no significant wheel spin at the start. The car shoots off the line without a flicker. Speeds in excess of 480kph are possible, and it reaches them faster than any other car in the game.
Any slight loss in absolute top speed compared to the Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 FE is more than made up for by its unrivalled acceleration.
Most drag strips are too short anyway for this difference to be significant. The only catch is that the car is only available via Wheelspins, an aftermarket spot near a drag strip, or the auction house.
07
Best all-rounder: Mazda 787B
Most cars in Forza Horizon 6 are specialists. The Lancer Evo wins on gravel, the GT3 RS dominates Tokyo’s streets, the GR Supra reigns supreme in the Drift Zone, but none of these cars are good at everything. The Mazda 787B is.
Alongside the Mazda Furai, the Mazda 787B is perhaps the most well-rounded racing car in the game. On tarmac, it’s fast enough to keep up with dedicated road-race cars. On gravel, it surprises with a level of stability you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a Le Mans prototype. On the drag strip, it delivers solid times. What sets it apart isn’t a single outstanding strength, but the complete absence of any real weaknesses.
For those who want just one car for everything – free roam, events across all disciplines, or simply exploring Japan – the 787B is the perfect choice. It's the most reliable companion in a game with over 600 competitors.
08
Best time attack car: Lotus Exige WTAC
Anyone venturing into time attack challenges needs a car that combines downforce, speed, acceleration and handling. And this is exactly where the Lotus Exige WTAC comes into its own.
No other car in the game generates as much downforce as the Exige in its WTAC configuration. The result is cornering speed that translates into a virtually unbeatable advantage on tight, technical time attack circuits.
The car sticks to the track in corners that force other vehicles to brake. The Exige simply powers straight through them. On straights, it’s no record-breaker, but time attack tracks are rarely designed to reward top speed. If you want to consistently set fast lap times, there’s no getting past the Lotus Exige WTAC.
09
Best R-Class car: 2018 Ferrari FXX-K Evo
Anyone spending 4.5 million credits expects the very best. The Ferrari FXX-K Evo delivers. In the R Class, where the game’s fastest and most extreme cars compete against one another, it sets the standard for what a fully tuned car is capable of.
The Ferrari FXX-K EVO is tough to beat in road races
© Xbox Game Studios
Even without any tuning, the FXX-K Evo boasts stats that other vehicles only achieve after extensive modifications: outstanding speed, excellent handling and powerful braking performance. The only area where caution is advised is on very tight track combinations. With this level of performance, one wrong move can quickly prove too much.
Anyone who uses the car with control will have hardly any serious rivals to fear on road-race circuits with long straights and fast corners. For anyone who finds the GR GT Prototype too affordable and too sensible: the Ferrari is the more radical, more expensive and even faster alternative. A Welcome Pack edition is also available and comes with a strong base setup as standard.
10
Best entry-level car: 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF
Not everyone starts Forza Horizon 6 with a bulging credit balance. And even those who do need a car to help them learn the ropes before they hop into a 4-million-dollar Ferrari. The Mazda MX-5 Miata RF is the perfect choice for this, and it remains relevant long after the initial hours of gameplay.
The MX-5 Miata Forza Edition is so fast it struggles for grip off the line
© Xbox Game Studios
At 29,000 credits, the price poses no real barrier to entry. For that, you get a rear-wheel-drive car with excellent handling that’s a pleasure to drive on the road, responds precisely in corners and has no hidden quirks.
At the same time, the MX-5 is one of the best entry-level drift cars in the game. Even in its standard form, it tends to slide its rear end sideways and can be held in long drift chains without breaking out. With drift tyres and a bit more power, it’s ready for all the drift challenges in the game. If you want to learn how to drive, understand drift mechanics and win races at the same time, go for the MX-5.
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