Racing is one of the most common activities in GTA Online. Players often race each other, using both the in-game racing mode and lobby street race. There can be a number of rule sets decided on the fly - the racing track can either be a flat land race, stunt race, or even an off-road race. Because of that, using the same car would not work, as each car has its own strengths and weaknesses.

In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase a complete list of the best cars to use in GTA Online street races (2022).

1. HSW cars

HSW cars will generally be the best for racing as the HSW upgrades are overpowered. Weaponized Ignus, D8, S95 and Turismo Classic will do well when HSW upgrades are enabled. However, when HSW upgrades are not enabled it's a bit different.

Pegassi Weaponized Ignus

Currently, the Pegassi Weaponized Ignus is the only weaponized car that can be HSW customed. It is mostly identical to the normal version, except for a large roof-mounted machine gun that replaces the rear engine window.

Pegassi Weaponized Ignus
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus

After the HSW upgrade, the Weaponized Ignus can reach 146.3 mph.

Karin S95

Based on the Toyota GŔ̉ 86, the Karin S95 is one of the most wanted vehicles in GTA Online. Hao's Special Works can upgrade its performance even further, increasing its top speed from 115.5 mph to 155.5 mph.

Karin S95
Karin S95

This car is an exclusive vehicle of the Expanded & Enhanced version. This is probably the reason why its speed is so over the top.

Imponte Arbiter

The Imponte Arbiter GT is a two-door hardtop muscle car featured in GTA Online, based on the legendary Pontiac Judge GTO.

Imponte Arbiter
Imponte Arbiter

Fans of classic vehicles would definitely want to check out the special HSW version, with a top speed of 141.3 mph.

Principe Deveste Eight

The Principe Deveste Eight is an ultra hypercar featured in GTA Online as part of the continuation of the Arena War update in 2019, during the Deveste Eight and Doomsday Week event. It is clearly based on the real-life Devel Sixteen, a Dubai based concept hypercar.

Principe Deveste Eight
Principe Deveste Eight (D8)

The Deveste Eight has overall moderate acceleration but an excellent top speed. Its straight-line speed is excellent, topping out as the 2nd fastest in the Supers class, just behind the 811. The Deveste Eight's average traction is its biggest weakness - a lot of cars can win against it in races with a lot of corners.

2. Supercars

Emerus is best for most landraces and handling stunt races (like Vespucci). Krieger for balanced stunt races but can also do well in landraces if Emerus is too difficult to control. Deveste-Eight for high-speed stunt races.

Progen Emerus

The Progen Emerus is a two-door hypercar featured in GTA Online as part of the continuation of The Diamond Casino & Resort update. It is based on the real life 2019 McLaren Senna. Overall, the Emerus is an excellent machine with high acceleration and top speed.

Emerus Gtao Front
Progen Emerus

With the car being very floaty over uneven roads and corners, it is fairly hard to get used to its handling. However, this is actually an advantage in disguise, as its traction is good and can take rather sharp turns.

Benefactor Krieger

The Benefactor Krieger is a two-door concept hypercar featured in GTA Online as part of the continuation of The Diamond Casino & Resort update. It is mainly based on the hybrid sports car Mercedes-AMG One.

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Benefactor Krieger

Overall, the Krieger is a great all-rounded racing car. It excels in all aspects, with good top speed and handling alongside excellent acceleration and traction. Users of this car can easily recover if they make a bad turn. The all-wheel drive layout makes the car useful on both on-road and off-road races, as long as you don't hit any obstacles. Its steering capabilities are also good for curves and sharp turns, as long as players know brake timing.

3. Sports cars

Itali GTO

The Itali GTO possesses very good acceleration, good top speed and braking. It is great for stunt races and most city tracks but can get unsettled by bumps.

Italigto Gtao Front

It resembles a Lamborghini Miura Roadster. Its name is a parody of Italy, where Lamborghinis come from.

Ocelot Pariah

The design of the Ocelot Pariah is based on a real life Aston Martin V12 Zagato & Ferrari 812 SuperfastThe vehicle has the third-highest top speed in GTA 5 with amazing acceleration and handling. 

Pariah Gtao Front

The Ocelot Pariah can reach its full potential in road racing. In races and tracks with many tight turns, cars with better handling and acceleration tend to perform better than the Ocelot Pariah. Because of its power, the car tends to spin out if you enter or exit a corner too hard.

Issi Sport

The Issi Sport's all-wheel drive layout is perfect for bumpy handling tracks and off-road. It feels quite planted on tarmac roads, making it far less prone to oversteering. And in an event of a spin-out, it can be easily corrected without too much trouble.

Issisport Gtao Front

4. Off-Road

Maxwell Vagrant

The Maxwell Vagrant is an off-road buggy in GTA Online, added to the game as part of the Diamond Heist update. Overall, it is the fastest buggy in the game currently, with speed comparable to some of the better sports cars. While its handling, traction and braking are all good, the Maxwell Vagrant is rather light. This means hitting obstacles could cause it to stop completely.

Vagrant Gtao Front

As with the design of the Vagrant, it has excellent off-road capabilities. Its suspension allows it to go over small rocks and the terrain easily, making it great for off-road racing. The powerful engine allows it to climb almost any slope with ease.

Canis Kamacho

The Canis Kamacho is an off-road utility truck featured in GTA Online as part of The Doomsday Heist update. It is an adept off-roader, with high torque and ground clearance, giving it immense capability offroad. With its 50/50 torque distribution, players can even tackle the roughest terrains with ease.

Kamacho Gtao Front

Compared with other vehicles of the same class such as the Riata and the Dubsta 6x6, the Kamacho has a better top speed, acceleration and handling.

5. Sedans

Schafter V12

The non-armored version of the Benefactor Schafter V12 is much lighter than the armored version... and because of that, it is way faster. The top speed of this version is 124.25 with much better acceleration, handling, and braking. The Schafter V12 is a high-performance version of the Schafter, based on the 2010 Brabus E V12 Sedan.

Schafter V12

6. Tuners

Calico GTF

The Karin Calico GTF is the second fastest Tuner car in GTA 5 and also the best racing car in this update. It is also the most expensive car but it is worth every penny to buy the Karin Calico GTF. It can reach the top speed of 195.13 km/h. Both the acceleration and the handling of the vehicle are at the top tier.

Calicogtf Gtao Front

With the Low Grip Tires and Stanced setup, it can go up to 246.71 km/h, but the handling will be significantly worse. Like all other cars in the update, there are a lot of customization options for players to choose from.

Comet S2

The Pfister Comet S2 is a sports car added in the Tuners update. Overall, it performs pretty well in races, having great acceleration, speed and braking power. It can even compete with stock cars in the super class, as it is able to keep up to them through the corner entry and stability through corner exits. This is why the Comet S2 is the best Tuner car in the game.

Comets2 Gtao Front

However, despite having excellent traction, the Comet S2 suffers from what is called a "Pendulum Effect" from rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive vehicles. This allows players to swerve continuously to drift.

7. Muscle cars

Bravado Buffalo STX

The Buffalo STX is a variant of the standard Buffalo base model, added to the game as part of the 1.58 The Contract update. It is primarily based on the 2015-present Dodge Charger (LD).

Buffalostx Gtaoe Front
Bravado Buffalo STX

It is one of the Imani Tech vehicles that via the Agency Workshop can be equipped with a Missile Lock-On Jammer, which prevents it from being targeted by Homing Missiles, or can be turned into a Remote-Controlled vehicle.

Performance-wise, the Buffalo STX is on the top pace for the Muscle class, even rivaling some vehicles in the Sports class. It has a high top speed and excellent acceleration and decent braking power, on par with the Gauntlet Hellfire. Its handling is also pretty stable.

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