When picking the best vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 and Phantom Liberty, it's hard to beat a free car

Night City is teeming with vehicles: Cars, trucks, and motorcyles swarm the roads while AVs ply its skies. And you'll need one of your own to make good time, whether you're traversing the city's urban expanse or hauling ass across the rocky badlands. To make the choice a bit easier (and potentially more affordable), here's a quick guide to finding the best vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update and its Phantom Liberty expansion.

The update and the DLC pack added dozens of new vehicles to the streets and highways of Night City, and I've gone over all of them in an attempt to decide which is best. While this guide isn't exhaustive, I've picked out a few cars for different contexts play styles that I think will fit any player's preferences for their V. For a more comprehensive look at all the vehicles you can acquire for your Night City garage, check out our list of every free vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 and our list of every car and bike in the game.

Car Life in Night City After 2.0

CD Projekt RED's major 2.0 update to Cyberpunk 2077 substantially changed almost every aspect of the game, including the game's driving model, physics, and the performance qualities of most of its vehicles. The steering and physics model was tightened, making weight differences easier to "feel" across different models. Importantly, top speeds for most of the vehicles were slowed down significantly. Now only a handful of driveable cars will get anywhere near the game's maximum listed road speeds.

Vehicle combat also became a real thing, with players as well as police and hostile gang members able to drive and shoot weapons out of their vehicles. Weaponized vehicles with were added into the game, with both new armed vehicles and some previously weapon-free cars getting kitted out with machine guns and missiles.

The 2.0 update also introduced a number of vehicle-focused combat character Perks:

• Fury Road - Increasing collision damage to enemy vehicles and reduced collision damage for V's vehicle.
• Stuntjock - Ability to slide or jump out of a moving vehicle and aim and fire weapons in transition.
• Carhacker - Ability to use a Cyberdeck to quickhack vehicles, taking control of them, disabling them, or even causing them to self-destruct.
• Gearhead - Increased vehicle health and increased damage from vehicle-mounted weapons.
• Road Warrior - Ability to use Sandevistan and Kerenzikov Cyberware to slow down time when driving or shooting while drifting, respectively.

These perks add quite a bit to the dynamic of chase-and-shoot that makes up a typical car combat scenario, and can in their own way influence how your own vehicles perform in a fight.

The one caveat, though is that for the most part, vehicle combat just isn't prominent enough in the game to truly matter. Unless you actively seek out fights by attracting police attention, car chases are a very rare occurrence in the life of V. The one wrinkle here is Muamar "El Capitan" Reyes' car theft missions, but those lock you into delivering a specific vehicle to a location under various restrictions, making your actual garage a moot point.

In the end, your choice of car in Night City comes down to personal expression, role-playing, and convenience. With very rare exceptions, what V's behind the wheel of doesn't matter all that much. That being said, with the newly rebalanced road roster and the slight combat contingency to take into account when looking at a car, trying to pick the best vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 remains a worthwhile endeavor.

The Best Free Vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 - Because You Can't Beat "Free"

There are many cars to have in Cyberpunk 2077, and some of the best of them can be had for absolutely zero Eurodollars. Indeed, a few of Night City's finest rides can just be found sitting around in the city. That puts a caveat on any guide attempting to recommend cars, because some of the free options will absolutely outclass much of the purchaseable selection on AutoFixer. With that in mind, here's a quick handful of recommendations from the free roster, with a particular eye towards the amount of time or effort required to get a car influencing its nomination.

The Best Free Weaponized Vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 - The Quadra Type-66 "Hoon"

If you only need one car to get you where you need to go around Night City and survive just about anything the chaotic metropolis can throw at you (short of a MaxTac squad, anyway), the 2.0 update has the answer: The Nomad-customized Quadra Type-66 "Hoon". Added to the game as a tribute to late rally driver Ken Block, the Hoon is a killer combination of high-end all-purpose car and effortless acquisition method. All you have to do is encounter the car in Northside, as part of the side gig "I'm In Love With My Car".

Performance-wise, the Hoon is one of the best-tuned of the many Quadra Type-66 variants in Cyberpunk 2077, with the added benefit of off-road performance and mounted machine guns courtesy of its Nomad-style modifications. Its only credible competitors are its fellow Type-66 Nomad jobs, the "Javelina" and the "Wingate", both of which require a purchase via AutoFixer.

Honorable Mention: The Herrera Outlaw "Weiler"

The Phantom Liberty-exclusive Weiler is a true spy car straight out of a 2077-era Bond film, packed with features like unbreakable tires and mounted machine guns. While getting it into V's garage will cost you no eddies, it'll take a fair amount of effort, as it is a reward from El Capitan's side gig "Baby Let Me Take You," which is unlocked by completing at least nine of his randomized "Just Another Story" gigs.

The Most Iconic Free car in Cyberpunk 2077 - The Quadra Turbo R V-Tech

The Turbo R V-Tech is the poster car for the whole game, and it shows. It has a unique paint scheme, is specially tuned to exceed the base model Quadra Turbo R in performance, and it even has a bobblehead dashboard mascot, mimicking V's canonical first car, the Archer Hella EC-D i360 that serves as your starter vehicle. It's not the fastest or most durable car in the game, but it wins out on style and personality.

It's also a pretty simple acquisition, requiring only the completion of the Glen Gig: Life's Work. Completing that gig and helping car expert Jake Estevez retrieve his ride will unlock access to the Quadra Turbo R V-Tech a few days later.

Honorable Mention: Johnny's Porsche 911

The one-of-a-kind ride of notorious rockerboy Johnny Silverhand was something of a relic even when Johnny was alive, and it's practically a museum piece in 2077, but it's a real true vehicle that exists in real life, and there's nothing else like it in the game.

The Fastest Free car in Cyberpunk 2077 - The Rayfield Caliburn

Ever since the game's launch in 2020, there's only ever been one answer to "What is the fastest car in Cyberpunk 2077", and not even the launch of update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty has deigned to change that. The Rayfield Caliburn hypercar remains at the pinnacle of Night City automotive performance.

And better yet, you can get one for free, once you hit 50 Street Cred. After maxing out V's Night City rep, you can head out into the Badlands and visit the abandoned tunnel near Rocky Ridge. An all-black Caliburn will be hidden inside a shipping container, and approaching it will start (and complete) the side gig "Murk Man Returns Again Once More Forever."

Honorable Mention: The Quadra Turbo R V-Tech

Frankly speaking, none of the other freely acquired cars even come close to the Caliburn's 200+mph top speed. That said, getting to that speed is a fairly rare occurrence in the tight city streets and on bumpy badlands highways. Realistically, the other top-class free cars like the Hoon, Weiler, and Turbo R V-Tech will give even the Caliburn stiff competition in a pure contest of getting from point to point under everyday conditions, and you won't feel shortchanged for speed or maneuverability in any of them.

The Best Vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 for a Driver that likes to Gawk at their Ride

Picking the best-looking vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 is more a matter of taste than anything else. Some players love a sleek hypercar, others a burly example of future muscle, and others want a tough, aggressive off-roader. This part of the list emphasizes cars with a truly unique appearance or a design that stands out even among the hyper-stylized selection available on Night City's streets.

The Most Unique Car in Cyberpunk 2077: The Quadra Sport R-7 "Charon"

Other cars might be faster, more maneuverable, or do better in a fight, but nothing looks quite like Phantom Liberty's customized Quadra Sport R-7 "Charon". The car, created by Charon Exotics, is a mission reward from the side gig "Moving Heat" in Dogtown, and it's easy to see why Charon Exotics would want a merc like V to go through so much trouble to retrieve their ride from its former buyers. The car is decorated in classic hot rod fashion, with a flame decal paint job along its hood and front fenders. But its party piece kicks in when the car starts to speed up, as the flames activate a special holographic effect to make the car look like it's literally belching cartoon fire. Not even Murk Man's Caliburn can look that hot.

Honorable Mention: Thorton Mackinaw "Demiurge"

The Demiurge is the tallest driveable vehicle in the game, because it's a straight-up monster truck, complete with absurdly large wheels all-conquering off-road capabilities. And though it's technically a derivative of the Thorton Mackinaw pickup truck, nothing else in the game equals its silhouette or bulk (except maybe the tank-like Hellhound armored vehicle). It's also a reward for solving Cyberpunk 2077's longest-running easter egg, the "FF:06:B5" mystery. Players can take on a series of highly involved unmarked quests to find clues to solving it, or skip ahead to the final step, which involves waiting several real-life minutes on a mattress out in the middle of the Badlands. Check out this video for a demonstration of how that part's done.

The Most Plot-Significant Car in Cyberpunk 2077: Delamain No. 21

Outside of a few extreme situations, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't allow you to bring companions along V's journey. For the most part the closet buddy you'll have in Night City is Johnny Silverhand fighting for space in your brain. You can, however, get yourself a conversation partner for your commute, provided you complete the Delamain quest series. Upon clearing the mission "Don't Lose Your Mind", you'll score your very own Delamain cab with its own (non-driving) AI personality. That personality depends on the choices you make during the gig, but all versions of Delamain will speak with you when you drive. If you're after the most talkative one, consider angling for an ending that leaves Delamain in his original state. That version is a much more substantial conversation partner than the other, more "child-coded" versions from other mission paths.

Honorable Mention: Jackie's Arche

Jackie's beloved Nazare Arche motorcyle takes the cake for vehicles with sentimental value, as it is, in effect, a reward of sorts for finishing the first act of the game. You'll get it from the side gig "Heroes", or shortly after beginning Act 2, depending on your choices at the close of "The Heist." Though identical in performance to a stock Nazare Arche, a Nomad lifepath V can also give Jackie some tuning advice during "The Pickup", resulting in your receiving a tuned-up version of Jackie's Arche later. The tuned version has more tailpipes and is slightly faster, and is a prime example of some of the game's reactivity.

The Best Vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 for a Drive into Battle

All told, the addition of car combat mechanics to Cyberpunk 2077 didn't change all that much to the core of the game. Unless V is specifically out to find trouble by antagonizing the police or Dogtown's authorities, you'll rarely need to go Mad Max on anyone, whether you're using mounted weapons or your own handguns. Nevertheless, some cars are indeed made for war in the new world past the 2.0 update, and if you're looking to get into a scrap, it's hard to do better than these vehicles.

The Best Combat Car in Cyberpunk 2077: The Archer Quartz "Sidewinder"

You might think this spot belongs to one of Barghest's heavily armored Dogtown technicals or even the tank-like NCPD armored Hellhound, but in Cyberpunk 2077, speed is armor, moreso than actual armor. At high wanted levels, the authorities will simply disable your car via NetWatch hack, but that timer will go slower if you can keep on the move. Due to that, the ability to run around while dishing out punishment is key to staying in the fight as long as possible. Plus, speed also makes some of the special car-based perks like Road Warrior easier to utilize.

That in mind, the Nomad-customized Archer Quartz "Sidewinder" is the fastest, most heavily armed car you can get in the game. For 90,000 Eddies on AutoFixer, you'll get a car that can match the Archer Quartz "Bandit" for speed but boasts enhanced durability, off-road performance, dual machine guns, and lock-on missiles. The Galena "Locust" also has a similar quality and weapons loadout, and even has slightly better-aligned machine guns, though it trades away some of its durability in exchange for even more agility.

Honorable Mention: The Hellhound

The priciest car (if you can call it a car) on AutoFixer is also the toughest thing the NCPD can deploy short of MaxTac. It's got guns, rockets, and a surprisingly high top speed for its size and weight.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.