In order to have any success on your journey along the Death Road, you have to have a car to drive. Without one, countless horrible things happen to you and your team — you can lose precious loot at random, like in the “Bottomless Pit” scenario. You could stub your toe and take one non-lethal damage (which can be really annoying). You can be attacked by bandits significantly more often, in which cases, your team must take lethal damage in the process of running away or lose half or more of their loot.
Thankfully, you are usually able to find a new car fairly quickly after losing one. But within even that short time, you can lose several points of health or morale, and even die. If the RNG decides that you are to go several days without finding a car, it’s bad news.
Which cars you prefer largely depend on how much gas you have at the current moment. I always prefer SUVs and vans when I can afford them, since they are much more durable. There is less risk involved in things that involve you ramming your car into stuff, and as a result of that, you’re able to get out of more bad situations. Here, I’ll go over my favorites, attempting to take both fuel and durability into account.
#5. Hybrid
The car is so tiny-looking to me even though it isn't THAT much smaller than other cars.
Hybrid stats:
- Speed: Average
- Chassis: 3
- Gas Cost: -6 baseline
- Repair Level: 5
Hybrid cars are great cars for those who are incredibly low on gas. However, they are also very weak cars in terms of their chassis (which are basically the “health points” of cars in the game). It would be best not to risk any crashes with the car to keep it functional for as long as possible, since any zombies or bandits may put the car (and your team!) at risk of getting hurt.
While hybrid cars are great for their low gas consumption, they aren’t cars you should expect to last a long time. So you will want to continue to loot locations that supply gas whenever possible to ensure that you will be able to use your next vehicle for a longer period of time.
I consider the hybrid to be more of a “stepping stone” vehicle - you use it primarily to gather up some more fuel for your next vehicle.
The Hybrid car is also one of the hardest to repair, only beaten slightly by the UFO. You will need nearly a maxed-out mechanical skill to repair it.
What the Hybrid excels at:
- Incredibly low gas usage - other cars with similar stats to the Hybrid consume 8 gas at a time, whereas this car only consumes 6
- Aesthetics - the car looks great!
- Decent speed - as with most other cars that don’t use up too much gas, the speed is not too bad.
#4. Old Car (Starter)
This is my favorite variant of the Old Car (the cream-colored variant seems to be much more common) - it’s just so pretty-lookin’!
Old Car Stats:
- Speed: Average
- Chassis: 5
- Gas Cost: -10 gas baseline
- Repair Level: 4
I know - it might seem surprising that #4 on this list is the very car you start the game with. Many of the cars that you are able to obtain in the game are gas-guzzlers, meaning they are durable but consume outrageous amounts of gas. They aren’t great options for those that are low on gasoline, which is bound to happen once or twice in your Death Road runs.
This car is all-around average; its durability isn’t particularly high or low, it doesn’t use too much gas, and it drives at the average speed.
You also have a chance of obtaining the Old Car later on in your run after it breaks down!
Since the car is a repair level 4, you will need at least a “smiley face” mechanical stat in order to fix it up once it breaks down.
What the Old Car excels in:
- Gas usage isn’t too high - it’s generally easy to have enough gas to use this car consistently
- The car can withstand some damage, including killing zombies when leaving looting areas
- Can be used multiple times - you start with the car, but you are also able to re-obtain the car later
#3. Muscle Car
One variant of the Muscle Car - doesn’t it look a bit old-timey… and cool?!
Muscle Car stats:
- Speed: Fast
- Chassis: 5
- Gas Cost: -12 baseline
- Repair Level: 2
The Muscle Car is an excellent choice. It is not only fast, but it takes very little to be able to repair it. While it does consume a lot of gas, I'd say the benefits more than outweigh the negatives.
The Muscle Car is probably my favorite car in terms of its appearance when excluding — of course — the Dog Van. It has such a sense of style to it, and it moves you along much faster than many other gas-heavy cars.
I think any opportunity to have the Muscle Car should be taken in a heartbeat!
What the Muscle Car excels in:
- Looking cool! — I suppose ‘coolness’ is in the eye of the beholder, but I think it would be difficult to find somebody who wouldn't agree.
- Speed — Not a lot of vehicles go at a fast speed on the Death Road, so this is definitely a car to look out for if that's a feature you want your vehicle to have.
- Easy repair — You do not have to have a Mechanic perk in order to repair the Muscle Car!
- Decent durability — Don't take too many risks in this car if you don't have to. However, should the need arise, it can handle a bit of a beating.
#2. Dog Van
An image my boyfriend took from one of his Death Road playthroughs - heaven on earth for me!
Dog Van Stats:
- Speed: Slow
- Chassis: 8
- Gas Cost: -14 gas baseline
- Repair Level: 4
I love the Dog Van.
To be fair, it’s impossible not to — look at it!
The main benefit to driving the Dog Van is its high durability and the aesthetics of having one. For that reason, it can only be #2 on this list at the highest.
I tend to go for vehicles with higher chassis. I focus on looting locations that are likely to spawn fuel, to make up for the higher gas usage of such cars. Of the high-durability, high-consumption cars, the Dog Van is absolutely my favorite.
It shares the same stats as the SUV, and the only real difference between the two is that one vehicle looks like a dog and the other one doesn’t. So if you only care about the stats of a vehicle, the SUV is also a good option for you.
What the Dog Van excels in:
- Driving through zombies/bandits - a crowd of zombies surrounding your van as you try to leave a location won’t be a problem unless the vehicle is already on the verge of breaking; the same goes for bandit events
- Chassis - the Dog Van will last much longer than a car with less durability, so you have time to increase your mechanical skill before it breaks down
- Aesthetics - who doesn’t want a van that looks like a dog in the apocalypse? Its tongue is out and everything!
#1. UFO
Another image on behalf of my boyfriend - I think it perfectly captures the goofiness and sense of humor that I love about this game.
UFO stats:
- Speed: Fast
- Chassis: 5
- Gas Cost: 0!! You read that right!!
- Repair Level: 6
There's no question at all that the UFO is the most crazy, and great, car that can be found in the game.
In order to even access the car in the first place, you will have to survive through a 2-hour siege (ingame hours — don't worry!) alongside an Alien and a Man in Black. The Alien is rather powerful so if you have a team that is even somewhat good in battle, it should not be too difficult to get through.
While the UFO isn't a car I enjoy the look of personally, I am sure many of you will really like it. Even so, I would never skip an opportunity to get this vehicle simply because of how useful it really is.
The lack of gas usage is an incredible benefit, but the vehicle also drives at a fast speed. And its chassis isn't bad, either!
Seriously. If you have the opportunity to go to the UFO Landing Site and get this car, give it a shot!
The only downside to this vehicle is that it takes a REALLY good mechanic to fix it up, so you will lose the car fairly quickly if you don't have a character in your team boasting an incredible mechanic skill.
