7 of the Best Real-World Cars in Rocket League

1. Defender D7X-R

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• Rarity - Exotic
• Hitbox - Merc

This one is fresh, having only been made available in January 2026 for 2,000 credits in the Item Shop.

This boxy brute is the first-ever Land Rover available that can wavedash. It’s based on a motorsport version of the SUV, which, on the day of its in-game release, started competing simultaneously in the Dakar Rally Raid event.

So, as three of these D7X-Rs compete in the punishing Middle Eastern deserts - and they are currently leading their class - you could be winning matches from the comfort of your own home.

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2. DeLorean Time Machine

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• Rarity - Legacy/Exotic
• Hitbox - Dominus

We’re going back in time next, all the way back to 2015. This was not only the year that Marty travelled to in Back to the Future Part II, but also the same date that the DeLorean DMC-12 (called DeLorean Time Machine in-game) became available in Rocket League.

Originally a paid-for DLC pack, and the first licensed item for the game, it has since reappeared on numerous occasions in the shop, even as recently as December 2025.

It’s not just a retro look, either - there are subtle animations that ark back to the movie trilogy, such as wheels that rotate downwards at altitude and a fiery trail left behind once demolished.

On the road, production DMC-12s were known for being poorly built and slow - Great Scott! - but in this game, you can recreate how the films portrayed it. 

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3. Lightning McQueen

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• Rarity - Black Market
• Hitbox - Octane

“If you’re going hard enough left, you’ll find yourself going right.”

The apocryphal advice given by Doc Hudson to Lightning McQueen in the Pixar film Cars. In Rocket League, that same advice can be applied if you’re trying to Musty Flick. Actually, let Mansell AI explain it better…

This body was last seen in 2024, and is Black Market rare, but as it is licensed, trading is switched off. Best hope it reappears soon…

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4. VW Golf GTI Mk2

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• Rarity - Luxury
• Hitbox - Octane

So far, there has been a present-day motorsport tie-in and two film stars, but Rocket League consistently surprises with its additions, and none more so than a series of retro cars from the 1980s and 1990s.

First, there is the Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI, a boxy hatchback that looks very much of its era.

Thing is, as modern cars become bulkier and rounder, this straight-edge design seems to look cooler by the day. Globally, these older Golfs are attracting a newer, younger audience, looking for an antidote to the homogenous state of modern motoring.

Rocket League players can experience a hint of this, too, thanks to this model, which could be obtained through the Premier Rocket Pass, and even a modified RLE version with a rear wing at a higher tier.

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5. Civic Type R

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• Rarity - Limited
• Hitbox - Octane

Now, onto the 1990s. Released before the aforementioned ‘80s VW in-game, this Honda is rounder in shape, but is still a diminutive hot hatchback. That means white wheels, garish body colours and a rear spoiler.

In the real world, this was the first ever ‘Type R’ Honda - a label subsequently given to performance-oriented models - and in Rocket League, it was the first ever real-world licensed model to be part of the Rocket Pass.

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6. NASCAR Next Gen

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• Rarity - Import
• Hitbox - Dominus

North America's premier stock car organising body first appeared in Rocket League with the 2021 Fan Pack. This included three cars, one for each of the manufacturer entrants in the Cup Series: Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Toyota Camry.

However, just one year later, the sport changed its rules and its car styles to the ‘Next Gen’ format, which is still used to this day.

Consequently, there was a second ‘2022’ Fan Pack, and while it included the same three car model types (Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota), and was once again official NASCAR content, the bodies were different in proportion and detail.

Despite NASCAR's intent to ensure its series appears in more games than ever – The Crew Motorfest, Roblox, Rocket Racing, plus a dedicated game created by iRacing – sadly, these 2022-spec stock cars for Rocket League were last seen in 2023.

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7. Formula 1 2022

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• Rarity - Exotic
• Hitbox - Dominus

Formula 1 is the world’s premier single-seater motorsport category, with record attendance and viewing figures, Netflix documentaries, LEGO toys and official video games.

So naturally, F1 has appeared in Rocket League, and for this list, we’re going to skip the 2021 pack and focus on the 2022 offering. Yes, we know that it is now 2026, but this '22-spec shape of vehicle was current right up until last December.

Bizarrely, however, this set has only ever been seen once and has never returned, despite the series’ popularity being at an all-time high. Shame.

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Written by the teams at trophi.ai and Traxion.GG.