Forza Horizon 6 Best AWD Cars: Top Grip Kings for The Trial, Dirt & Every Class (2026)

Quick answer: The best all-wheel-drive cars in Forza Horizon 6 are the ones that turn grip into wins — the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO (S1, 761 PI) for road racing, the 2024 Koenigsegg Gemera (S2, 900 PI) at the top end, the 2018 Subaru WRX STI ARX Supercar (S1, 757 PI) as the best free pick, and rally classics like the Lancia Delta, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, and Subaru Impreza 22B for The Trial and dirt. AWD matters more in FH6 than in any recent Horizon because you're racing Unbeatable AI Drivatars that never miss a braking point — consistency beats raw top speed. This guide ranks the best AWD cars by use case, plus exactly how to get them fast.

Why is AWD the meta in Forza Horizon 6?

All-wheel drive sends power to every corner, so the car launches harder, holds a line through wet and dirt, and is far more forgiving on corner exit. In a solo free-roam FH5 lobby that's a nice-to-have. In FH6 it's a difference-maker, for three reasons:

• The Trial pits you against Unbeatable AI. The Trial is a 3-race co-op championship of up to six humans versus six Unbeatable Drivatars, scored by combined finishing position (lowest team total wins each race). Those AI drivers almost never make a mistake, so the fastest car on paper loses to the most consistent car in your hands — and AWD is the most consistent drivetrain. Dot Esports put it plainly in its Series 2 Trial guide: "use the 1986 Lancia Delta S4 tuned to exactly 600 PI. It fits the 1980s Total Rally restriction, has all-wheel drive, and gives you the launch, dirt grip, and great handling."
• FH6 is set in Japan — dirt and rally are everywhere. Discover Japan trails, Cross Country events and rally-themed weekly Trials reward grip over horsepower. The June 18 Drivatar update even tuned down the AI's unrealistic wet-condition traction, but on your side of the grid AWD is still the cleanest way to keep the power down.
• Launch and PI efficiency. Because AWD puts the power down instantly, an AWD car tuned to a PI cap usually out-accelerates an RWD car at the same PI. When events lock you to a number (600, 700, 800 PI), AWD spends that budget more efficiently.

One misconception to kill early, straight from the community: don't assume swapping to offroad or rally tires is automatic free grip. As one r/ForzaHorizon tuner noted, plenty of players "slap offroads on dirt thinking it's automatic and then wonder why they're getting gapped by stock-tire builds." AWD gives you the platform; the right tire compound for the surface finishes the job.

Best AWD cars in Forza Horizon 6 (by use case)

Car	Class / PI	Drivetrain	Best for	How to get
2024 Koenigsegg Gemera	S2 / 900	AWD	Top-end all-rounder	Car Pass (since May 28)
2024 Lamborghini Revuelto	S2 / ~900	AWD	Top speed + grip	Autoshow (~365,000 CR)
2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO	S1 / 761	AWD	Road racing / S1 all-rounder	Autoshow
2018 Subaru WRX STI ARX Supercar	S1 / 757	AWD	Best FREE AWD car	Launch Control Horizon Rush
Nissan GT-R Black Edition (R35) FE	S2	AWD	Drag / straight-line	Auction House / Wheelspins
1998 Subaru Impreza 22B-STI	A / tunable	AWD	The Trial, dirt, budget	Autoshow (~30,000 CR)
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI	A / tunable	AWD	The Trial, rally	Autoshow
Lancia Delta S4 / Integrale	B–A / tunable	AWD	The Trial (rally weeks)	Autoshow / Auction House
1986 Audi Sport quattro S1	B / tunable	AWD	1980s rally Trials	Series 2 Week 1 reward

PI values are stock and shift with tuning; verify the live number in your garage before an event locks a cap.

Best AWD car for The Trial and co-op championships

The Trial is the single most-searched event in FH6, and it's where AWD earns its keep. The winning formula never changes: take an AWD, grip-focused car and tune it to exactly the week's PI cap, then let the AI make the mistakes.

• Series 2 rally weeks (1980s–1990s): the Lancia Delta S4 (tuned to exactly 600 PI for the 1980s Total Rally week) and the Audi Sport quattro S1 are the composed picks. In the 1990s Retro Supercars week, the Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, and Subaru Impreza 22B all clear the A700 restriction with grip to spare.
• Watch the eligibility trap. Events enforce car type and PI cap literally. Lexus and Acura are classified as American brands in Forza (both were founded as US-market luxury labels), so they fail any "Japanese car" restriction even though they're Japanese in real life. Over-tuning a single point past the cap also locks you out.

For the full step-by-step, see our Forza Horizon 6 The Trial guide and the companion best cars for The Trial breakdown.

Best AWD cars for dirt, rally and Cross Country

FH6's Japan map is stacked with dirt. AWD is close to mandatory here because it keeps all four tires clawing for traction over jumps and loose surfaces:

• 1980s–2000s rally icons: Audi Sport quattro S1, Lancia Delta S4/Integrale, Subaru Impreza 22B, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI. These are the same cars that win rally-restricted Trials, which makes them double-duty buys.
• Modern AWD off-roaders: for open Cross Country, a well-tuned AWD build carries speed through ruts far better than a twitchy RWD monster. Just match the tire compound to the surface — rally tires for mixed, offroad tires for deep dirt.

Best top-speed AWD cars (S2 grip monsters)

If you want AWD and a huge number on the speedometer:

• 2024 Koenigsegg Gemera — S2, 900 PI, AWD plug-in hybrid. Game8 and the Forza Wiki both confirm it as an AWD Car Pass car, and it's one of the most complete cars in the game — grip, launch and top speed in one package.
• 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto — AWD hybrid V12, roughly S2/900; also a superb Car Mastery farm car (39 skill points unlock 3 Wheelspins + 1 Super Wheelspin before you flip it on the Auction House).
• Nissan GT-R Black Edition (R35) Forza Edition — the AWD drag-record king, hitting roughly 305–307 mph fully built for pure straight-line runs.

Note the gap AWD can't fill: Forza Horizon 6 launched without the Bugatti brand, so the usual AWD hypercar top-speed kings (Chiron, Veyron) aren't in the game as of launch. The RWD Ultima Evolution Coupe 1020 (R, 925) is still the cheapest easy 300+ mph car if you only care about top speed — just don't expect AWD composure from it.

Best budget and free AWD cars

You do not need a supercar to win with grip:

• 2018 Subaru WRX STI ARX Supercar (S1, 757) — the best free AWD car in the game. Win the Launch Control Horizon Rush at the Irokawa Space Centre on the southwest coast; finishing it also pays 5,000 CR and a Playlist Point.
• 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B-STI (~30,000 CR) — cheap, endlessly tunable AWD grip, and a top skill-chain farm car on the side.
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI — a low-cost Autoshow AWD platform that punches far above its price in rally and Trial events.

How to tune an AWD car in FH6

You don't need a tune code (and community tune codes are a rabbit hole). The AWD fundamentals:

• Keep it AWD unless an event forces otherwise. Only swap to RWD if a restriction demands it or you're chasing a specific drift/drag build.
• Tire compound beats everything — rally/offroad tires for dirt, race/sport for tarmac. This is the single biggest grip lever and the one most players get wrong.
• Tune to the PI cap, not above it. For capped events, build to the exact number; a car over the cap is ineligible.
• Adjust the center diff toward the rear for a slightly more playful car once you trust the grip, or leave it balanced for maximum stability against the AI.

Getting the best AWD cars fast

The grip meta rewards owning several tuned AWD cars for different PI caps and surfaces — which means credits, and sometimes chasing rare Forza Edition or wheelspin-exclusive cars. If you'd rather skip the grind:

Get race-ready without farming for days:

• Forza Horizon 6 Credits — instant delivery, safe, best rate. Buy every AWD platform you want from the Autoshow and Auction House outright.
• Forza Horizon 6 All-Cars Bundle — every car in the game, instantly, so you always have the right AWD car for the week's Trial cap.
• Forza Horizon 6 Wheelspins — the fastest route to Forza Edition and wheelspin-exclusive AWD cars like the GT-R FE.
• Forza Horizon 6 Account Leveling — levels and accolades handled, so the Gold Wristband gates and reward cars are yours faster.

FAQ

What is the best AWD car in Forza Horizon 6? For all-round road racing it's the 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO (S1, 761 PI); at the very top end the AWD 2024 Koenigsegg Gemera (S2, 900 PI) is the most complete car. For The Trial and rally, an AWD grip car tuned to the exact PI cap — Lancia Delta, Evo VI or Impreza 22B — beats a faster RWD car every time.

Why does AWD matter so much against The Trial's AI? The Trial's Unbeatable Drivatars barely make mistakes, so consistency wins, not top speed. AWD gives you cleaner launches and corner exits and holds grip on dirt and in the wet, which is exactly what you need to keep pace over a 3-race championship.

What's the best free AWD car in FH6? The 2018 Subaru WRX STI ARX Supercar (S1, 757 PI). Win the Launch Control Horizon Rush at the Irokawa Space Centre and it's yours, plus 5,000 CR and a Playlist Point.

Are there any AWD Bugattis in Forza Horizon 6? No. Forza Horizon 6 launched without the Bugatti brand, so the usual AWD top-speed hypercars aren't available as of launch. For a straight-line AWD alternative, build the Nissan GT-R R35 Forza Edition; for pure top speed regardless of drivetrain, the RWD Ultima 1020 is the cheapest 300+ mph option.

Should I always keep my car in AWD? Almost always for racing against the AI and for any dirt or rally event. The exceptions are drift builds and some drag setups, where RWD or a specific tune is better — see our fastest cars list for the pure top-speed picks.

How do I get AWD Forza Edition cars like the GT-R FE? Forza Edition and wheelspin-exclusive cars come from Wheelspins and Super Wheelspins, or by sniping them on the Auction House before other players do. Farming Car Mastery on cars like the Revuelto is a fast way to stack Super Wheelspins.