Quick answer: The best car for The Trial is whichever all-wheel-drive, grip-focused car you can tune to exactly the week's PI cap — because The Trial pits you against six Unbeatable AI Drivatars who almost never make mistakes, so consistency beats raw top speed. Right now (Series 2 "Horizon Decades," Autumn Week, June 25 – July 2), The Trial is restricted to A-Class 700 PI 1990s Retro Supercars on a street race, and the community pick is the 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV tuned to 700 PI. But the restriction rotates every week, so the real skill is knowing which kind of car to grab — and that's what this guide gives you, plus a permanent garage cheat-sheet that wins almost any Trial.
The Trial is the single biggest recurring event in Forza Horizon 6: it's worth a chunk of Festival Playlist points and a weekly exclusive reward car. It's also the event players lose the most. If you keep getting bodied by the AI, the problem is usually the car class and tune, not your driving. Let's fix both.
What is The Trial in Forza Horizon 6?
The Trial is a co-op team championship inside the weekly Festival Playlist. Per Forza's own Series 2 notes, it's "a 6v6, best of three racing showdown" — up to six human players against six Unbeatable AI Drivatars, across a best-of-three series. You win the championship by taking 2 of the 3 races, scored on combined team finishing positions (your team's total finishing positions vs. the AI team's — lowest total wins each race).
Three things make it brutal:
- The AI is set to Unbeatable. These Drivatars hold racing lines, brake late, and rarely spin. A fast-but-twitchy car you bin once per race will lose to a slower car you keep planted.
- It's gated behind the Gold Wristband. The Trial only appears for "Horizon Legends who have obtained their Gold Wristband" — the top progression tier, which requires roughly 32,500 Horizon Festival Points. If The Trial isn't showing up in your Playlist, you haven't unlocked it yet (it's a progression gate, not a bug).
- The restriction changes weekly. In Series 2, every week is a different decade and car type, so last week's perfect car is often illegal this week.
That last point is why "what's the single best Trial car?" is the wrong question. The right question is: what kind of car wins, and what do I grab for this week's rules?
Why do you keep losing The Trial? (Read this first)
Before the car list, internalize the four levers that actually decide Trial wins. These hold no matter which week it is:
- Grip and stability beat top speed. Against Unbeatable AI, the car you can keep on the road through every corner out-scores a rocket you occasionally crash. For restricted weeks, that almost always means AWD.
- Tune to exactly the PI cap — never over. The Trial enforces the PI ceiling literally. A car even 1 PI over the cap is ineligible. Tune up to the cap to squeeze every legal point of performance, and not a point past it.
- Play the AI aggressively — they're scored too. The Drivatars have finishing positions that count for their team. A clean bump or block that drops an AI car a position (without costing you momentum) widens the gap. You're not just racing for your spot — you're racing to bury theirs.
- Bring a Convoy. The biggest single win-rate lever is replacing random matchmade teammates with even two or three organized drivers. A coordinated Convoy creates a reliable scoring floor the AI team struggles to beat. Solo with randoms is the hardest way to do it.
And one mindset fix: it's best-of-three, so never quit after losing Race 1. Plenty of teams drop the opener, regroup, and take the next two.
The best cars for The Trial (this week + the permanent picks)
This week — Series 2, Autumn (1990s Retro Supercars)
The current Trial, "Driving in the 90's" (active June 25 – July 2, 2026), is an A-Class 700 PI street race restricted to 1990s Retro Supercars.
- Top pick: 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV — tune it to exactly 700 PI. It's a Barn Find most players already own, it has the straight-line speed to gap the AI off the line, and it handles well enough on tarmac to hold the lead. Community guides converge on it as the easiest "I already have this" answer.
- Strong alternative: Ferrari F355 Berlinetta — a sharper-handling 90s pick if you'd rather corner than bully the straights.
- Reward for finishing: community guides name the Trial's exclusive car this week as the 1999 Lamborghini Diablo GTR — verify it on the in-game weekly Playlist tile, since Trial rewards rotate.
Because it's a street (tarmac) race, AWD matters less here than on a dirt week — prioritize a clean tune to 700 PI and tire/aero balance over drivetrain.
The permanent Trial cheat-sheet (build these once, win for months)
The decade theme and surface change, but a handful of AWD grip monsters are eligible constantly and win whenever they qualify. If you own and pre-tune these, you'll have a legal, dominant car for most Trials with zero last-minute scrambling:
| Car | Era | Why it wins The Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Lancia Delta S4 (1986) | 1980s | AWD rally legend — the Week 1 (1980s Total Rally) consensus pick at exactly 600 PI; launch + dirt grip + composure. |
| Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo (1990s) | 1990s | AWD, planted, forgiving — the go-to for 90s rally/retro restrictions. |
| Subaru Impreza 22B STi (1998) | 1990s | Iconic AWD grip; eats dirt and tarmac alike under a PI cap. |
| Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI (1999) | 1990s | AWD, sharp turn-in; a top pick whenever 90s rally cars are legal. |
| Audi Sport quattro S1 (1980s) | 1980s | AWD original — excellent backup for any 80s rally Trial. |
| Lamborghini Huracán EVO (S1, 761) | Modern | AWD all-rounder for open / unrestricted Trial weeks — reliable handling at speed. |
| Toyota GR Supra (A, 616) | Modern | Cheap, RWD, huge tuning headroom for open A-class weeks; the budget answer. |
The pattern is obvious: when the week allows it, pick AWD and tune to the cap. The Lancia Delta family, the Impreza 22B, and the Lancer Evo cover the vast majority of rally- and retro-themed Trials in Series 2's decade rotation.
Pro tip: The fastest way to never be locked out of a Trial is to simply own every eligible car. Restrictions cycle through decades, drivetrains, and PI caps — a deep garage means you always have a legal grip car ready to tune.
How to tune a Trial car (the non-tune-code version)
You don't need a shared tune code. The principle is the same every week:
- Drivetrain: if the rules allow it, convert to or keep AWD for cornering grip and launch.
- Hit the cap: add upgrades until you're sitting right at the week's PI number (700 this week, 600 on rally weeks). Stop the moment you'd go over.
- Balance for the surface: rally/dirt tires and softer suspension for dirt weeks; race/sport tires and stiffer setup for tarmac street races like this week's.
- Stability first: if your car snaps loose mid-corner, trade a little power for grip and downforce. Consistency wins championships against Unbeatable AI; peak speed doesn't.
How many points and rewards does The Trial give?
The Trial is one of the highest-value single events in the weekly Playlist — it pays out a meaningful share of the Festival Playlist points you need for the week's milestone reward cars, plus its own exclusive Trial reward car. Because those points also feed your cumulative Series total (the bigger milestone cars), clearing The Trial each week is one of the most efficient things you can do for both your garage and your progression. Skipping it because it's hard leaves the best weekly car — and a pile of points — on the table.
Skip the grind: get Trial-ready instantly
The Trial rewards players with a deep, pre-tuned garage and the credits to build the right car for every weekly restriction. If you don't have the Gold Wristband yet, or you're short on the cars and credits to chase every decade's meta pick, you can shortcut the grind:
Get Trial-ready faster with timesaver.gg:
>
- Forza Horizon 6 Credits — instant delivery · safe · best rate. Buy and tune any eligible Trial car on demand.
- Forza Horizon 6 All-Cars Bundle — every car in the game, instantly. Never get locked out of a Trial restriction again.
- Forza Horizon 6 Account Leveling — levels + accolades, hands-free. Reach the Gold Wristband and unlock The Trial.
- Forza Horizon 6 Wheelspins — skip the grind for rare cars.
Want the full event walkthrough? See our companion Forza Horizon 6 The Trial guide for race-by-race tactics, and the Horizon Play guide for the fastest route to your Gold Wristband.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best car for The Trial in Forza Horizon 6 right now? For Series 2's Autumn week (June 25 – July 2), The Trial is restricted to A-Class 700 PI 1990s Retro Supercars, and the community pick is the 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV tuned to exactly 700 PI — most players already own it as a Barn Find. The Ferrari F355 Berlinetta is a sharper-handling alternative. The restriction rotates weekly, so always check the current decade and PI cap.
Why do I keep losing The Trial? Two reasons: the AI is set to Unbeatable (they rarely make mistakes, so a twitchy fast car you crash will lose), and you're likely soloing with random teammates. Fix it by picking an AWD grip car tuned to the exact PI cap, prioritizing stability over top speed, playing the AI aggressively (their finishing positions are scored too), and racing with a Convoy of two or three coordinated drivers.
The Trial isn't showing up in my Playlist — is it bugged? Almost certainly not. The Trial only unlocks for players who've earned the Gold Wristband (Horizon Legend), which takes roughly 32,500 Horizon Festival Points. Keep progressing the Festival Playlist and Horizon Play until you hit the top Wristband tier, and The Trial will appear.
Do I need all-wheel drive to win The Trial? Usually, yes — on rally and dirt-themed weeks AWD grip is a massive advantage against the AI. On tarmac street races like the current 1990s Retro Supercars Trial, drivetrain matters less; a clean tune to the PI cap and good tire/aero balance matter more. When in doubt, AWD is the safer pick.
Can you do The Trial solo? Yes — matchmaking fills empty slots with other players or AI, so you can attempt it without a premade team. But it's the hardest way to win. A Convoy of even two or three competent drivers dramatically raises your win rate by creating a reliable scoring floor the Unbeatable AI can't easily beat.
Why won't my car qualify for The Trial? The Trial enforces the car type and PI cap literally. If you've tuned even 1 PI over the cap, the car becomes ineligible — stay at or below it. Also watch the era/type restriction: cars must match the decade or category (e.g., "1990s Retro Supercars"), and remember that Lexus and Acura are classified as American in Forza, so they fail "Japanese car" restrictions.
