Cars
The Best Cars for Beginners
In short
Forgiving, well balanced cars that are easy to control while you learn the tracks, ranked by handling.
Key takeaways
- The best beginner car has high handling and moderate power, not the highest top speed.
- This list only ranks the two entry classes, Starter and Performance, by handling.
- You start with three free cars and 20,000 Apexons, so you need to buy nothing first.
- Tune the car you own before buying another; a new car arrives untuned.
The fastest cars are the hardest to drive. When you are still learning the circuits, a more forgiving car will get you better results than a hypercar you cannot keep on the road. What you want early on is high handling and predictable, manageable power.
The cars below come from the two entry classes, Starter and Performance, where the power is still manageable, and are ranked live by handling, the rating that most affects how easy a car is to place and recover. Click any of them for full stats.
Every tip here works in ApexMidnight, a free racing game that runs right in your browser.
Start racing freeRanked live from the in-game performance model, not a static spec sheet. Updates automatically as the roster changes.
- 1
Nakami Silca S15
Performance · 1999 · PI 784
88
Handling
- 2
Mazora Breeze MX5
Starter · 1989 · PI 715
88
Handling
- 3
Honsei Civis Type-R EK9
Performance · 1997 · PI 754
86
Handling
- 4
Minor Pebble S
Performance · 2002 · PI 741
86
Handling
- 5
Tomei Comet AE86
Starter · 1983 · PI 673
84
Handling
- 6
Mazora Rotary 8
Performance · 2003 · PI 748
84
Handling
What makes a car beginner friendly
High handling means the car turns in predictably and recovers from mistakes instead of snapping into a spin. Moderate power means you can use the throttle on corner exit without instantly breaking traction. Together they let you focus on the racing line rather than fighting the car.
As you get comfortable, step up through the classes. Skills you build in a forgiving car transfer straight to the faster ones.
Every car belongs to one of four classes. Starter and Performance are the entry classes this list draws from. Sport is the step up once you finish races consistently, and Supercar is the top class, where the power is highest and mistakes cost the most. When you are ready for raw pace, the fastest cars list shows what waits at the top.
Handling is the right rating to rank by because it is the one that forgives you. A car with good handling turns in where you point it, holds its line under a small correction, and comes back from a slide instead of spinning. Top speed and acceleration only pay once you can keep the car on the track, which is exactly the skill a beginner is still building.
| Class | Name | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| C | Starter | Your first races, in this list |
| B | Performance | The next step, in this list |
| A | Sport | Drivers who finish races consistently |
| S | Supercar | Experienced drivers who can manage high power |
You already own three of them
Every new driver starts with the three lowest Performance Index cars on the roster already in the garage, plus 20,000 Apexons. Those free cars are the most forgiving on the roster by design, so there is nothing you need to buy before your first race.
When you are ready to spend, tuning the car you already drive usually beats buying a new one, because a new car arrives untuned. The Apexons guide covers what to spend on first, and if you race on a keyboard, keyboard vs controller explains why a high handling car matters even more for you.
Early races are also the best paid you will ever run. New drivers earn a rookie bonus of up to two and a half times the normal payout, which fades to nothing by driver level ten, so racing often in a forgiving car builds your Apexons faster than waiting until you feel ready.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cars in the garage | The 3 lowest Performance Index cars |
| Apexons | 20,000 |
| Garage slots | 5 |
| Rookie payout bonus | Up to 2.5x, fading out by driver level 10 |
Frequently asked questions
- Should beginners avoid the fastest cars?
- At first, yes. High powered cars break traction easily and punish small mistakes. Start with a balanced, high handling car and move up once you are consistent.
- Does the car I pick affect how fast I improve?
- Yes. A forgiving car lets you learn the racing line and braking points without constantly recovering from spins, so you improve faster than you would fighting an unstable car.