Vehicles

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This article is about vehicles as an overview. For a guide on how service them, see Mechanics.

Vehicles are transportation modes in Knox Country used for movement and item storage. Typically found in parking spaces, driveways, or as part of roadside accidents, their condition can vary. While some may simply need a battery replacement or fuel, others might have a heavily damaged engine requiring extensive repairs. Various tools and specific recipe magazines are needed for part replacements, depending on the vehicle type and the part in question.

Vehicles persist in the world and neither despawn nor respawn under normal conditions, barring admin actions or improper game exits. The development team has hinted, notably on the Project Zomboid Discord, at future features where vehicles can ignite and explode, potentially turning into burnt wreckage like some naturally spawning models.

Types

Vehicles have three distinct types, each requiring matching parts. A Recipe magazine is essential for adding, removing, or repairing these parts unless the player is an Mechanic or has the Amateur Mechanic trait.
Note: Amateur Mechanics still need the sport vehicle magazine for sport vehicles.

• Standard

Laines Auto Manual - Standard Models

• Heavy-Duty

Laines Auto Manual - Commercial Models

• Sport

Laines Auto Manual - Performance Models

There are currently 14 different vehicle models available, as well as two types of trailers. However, there are multiple variants of some vehicles, such as the Fossoil Chevalier D6, and the Police Chevalier Nyala. Vehicles belonging to a certain profession will have relevant items spawn inside. For example, an Ambulance may contain medical supplies.

Available vehicles

Vehicle	General						Body					Variants
	Manufacturer	Model	Vehicle Type	Weight	Engine Power (hp)	Engine Loudness	Seats	Doors	Trunk Storage	Total Storage (Seats + Trunk)	Glove Compartment
Chevalier Cerise Wagon	Chevalier	Cerise Wagon	Standard	1200	420	40	4	4	60	120	5	Wood Siding
Chevalier Cossette	Chevalier	Cossette	Sport	1035	570	46	2	2	30	50	5
Chevalier D6	Chevalier	D6	Heavy-Duty	1300	400-480	55	2	2	80	100	10	Fire Fossoil McCoy Logging Co. Park Ranger
Chevalier Dart	Chevalier	Dart	Standard	935	360	27	4	2	40	100	3
Chevalier Nyala	Chevalier	Nyala	Standard	1100	400-480	40	4	4	55	115	5	Police Cruiser Park Ranger Taxi (Yellow) Taxi (Green)
Chevalier Primani	Chevalier	Primani	Sport	1100	500	40	4	4	45	105	5
Chevalier Step Van	Chevalier	Step Van	Heavy-Duty	1440	370-400	50	2	3	160	180	10	Mail Van Kentucky Herald Scarlet Oak Distillery
Dash Bulldriver	Dash	Bulldriver	Heavy-Duty	1370-1400	400-480	60	2	2	130	150	10	Fire Dept. Fossoil McCoy Logging Co. Police Park Ranger
Dash Elite	Dash	Elite	Sport	1100	500	40	4	4	45	105	5
Dash Rancher	Dash	Rancher	Standard	1150	440	45	2	2	40	60	5
Franklin All-Terrain	Franklin	All-Terrain	Heavy-Duty	1330	470	50	4	4	85	145	10
Franklin Valuline	Franklin	Valuline	Heavy-Duty	1000-1250	260-490	50	2 (6)	3 (5)	50-130	150	10	6-Seater Ambulance Radio Van 3N Radio Van Fossoil Van McCoy Logging Co. Mail Fossoil Spiffo's Van Knox Distillery Lectro Max Mass GenFac Transit
Masterson Horizon	Masterson	Horizon	Standard	950	360	27	4	2	40	100	3
Mercia Lang 4000	Mercia Lang	4000	Sport	1190	520	40	2	2	45	65	5
Trailer	Generic	Trailer	Standard	266 or 282	--	--	--	--	100	100	--	Cover
Advert Trailer	Generic	Advert Trailer	Standard	272	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	Valu Insurance Vote Fairweather Spiffo's Sky Blue Banking Marple & Christie Legal Ready Prep Surplus 93.2 LBMW Radio Juke Box Bowling

Planned vehicles

Planned "Vehicle enhancements" from the Beeverdoid thusdoid blog post

• Fire Truck
• Military

Controls

Vehicle controls in Project Zomboid are customizable via the game options. Below are the default key-bindings:

V: Access the vehicle's radial menu. From inside, this includes ignition, radio, and headlights. From outside, manage doors, the trunk, and more.

• N: Start or turn off the engine. Using W while inside a turned-off vehicle will also ignite the engine.
• E: Enter or leave the vehicle. Ensure you're at the driver’s side for quick exits.
• F: Toggle headlights on/off.
• Q: Honk the horn.
• O: Access the heater controls.
• U: Open the Vehicle Mechanics menu.

Remember, the above keys are default settings and can be modified to suit individual preferences.

Car keys

Car keys work with just one vehicle. They let you:

• Start the engine
• Open doors
• Get into the trunk

Where car keys can be found:

• Parking lots: near the car on the ground.
• Nearby buildings: in boxes or drawers inside close houses or shops.
• In the vehicle: usually in the ignition or glove box.

When the player is close to a car and have its key, a key picture shows up over your character. This means the player can use and drive that car.

Hot-wiring

If the player can't find a car's key, you can still start it by hot-wiring. For this, a player needs:

• 1 in electrical skill
• 2 in Mechanics skill

When you hot-wire a car:

• The ignition icon on the dashboard changes.
• All players see the key icon when near the car.

Note: Be careful in a multiplayer game. Any player can access a hot-wired car.

How to Hot-wire:

1. Open the radial menu.
2. Look for "Hotwire Engine" (this replaces "Start Engine").
3. The usual ways to start the car (like clicking the ignition or pressing "W") won't work without a key.

If doors are locked, you can:

• Break the window.
• Remove the window through the car's mechanics menu.

Trying and failing to hot-wire:

• Doesn't break the car or your tools.
• Can make noise and draw attention.
• Remember, cars in better shape are trickier to hot-wire.

Dashboard

The dashboard gives visual feedback on your vehicle's status. Here's the breakdown:

1. Engine Light: Shows if the engine is off, starting, or on.
2. Battery: Represents the battery's health.
3. Outside Temperature: Measures the ambient temperature.
4. Door Locks: Used to lock or unlock doors.
5. Headlights: Turns lights on or off.
6. Heater/AC: Controls the heating or air conditioner.
7. Trunk Lock: Locks or unlocks the trunk.
8. Ignition: This is where the car key goes. It's safe to leave the key here; it won't drain the battery.

Indicator colors

• Grey: Off
• Green: Working or on.
• Orange: Starting, damaged, or with low charge.
• Red: Broken or off.

Refueling

A vehicle can be refueled by right-clicking on it and selecting "refuel", the option to "siphon gas" is available if the player has an empty gas can. Vehicles can be refueled using a gas can or at a Gas Pump, provided the gas pump is connected to a power source. If the option to refuel from the gas pump does not appear, the gas cap may be too far away from the pump; try repositioning the vehicle so that the gas cap is on the same side as the gas pump, most vehicles have gas caps on the driver's side.

• 

  Fossoil gas pump
• 

  Gas-2-Go gas pump

Towing vehicles

The player can tow any car (even car wrecks) by driving a second vehicle to it's front or rear, walking between the vehicles, facing either, pressing the vehicle radial menu (V), and select the plus sign. While towing doesn't require any other equipment, the towing mechanic has a few factors most players won't consider that determine the quality of your ability to tow.

Tire Pressure
The tire pressure of both the towing vehicle and the vehicle being towed affect the speed of which the vehicle can be towed.

Traits
The trait "Sunday Driver" will negatively impact the players ability to tow vehicles greatly, as the current build (41) has vehicle towing being heavily affected by acceleration, with Sunday Driver heavily decreasing player acceleration. Conversely, the trait "Speed Demon" will positively impact the players ability to tow vehicles greatly for the same reason.

Weight to HorsePower ratio
The overall weight of both vehicles does play a factor in the towing speed, however the amount of weight required to make any noticable difference would require the towed vehicle to be stripped of everything save for the tires/breaks/shocks -- even then, the difference is fairly small.

Common issues

Updated 06/25/2023

Vehicle disappearing after game crash
When driving a vehicle during a crash or closing/exiting the game incorrectly, upon reload can result in the vehicle either being at the location it was first entered or where it was during the crash. Given that the player may spawn anywhere from start to any point along the route driven, this can be problematic.

In the event that the save file rolled back to the previous autosave, however, the vehicle will have disappeared and cannot be found anywhere. There is currently no workaround for this other than spawning the vehicle using server commands.

Slow-motion
Often the game can appear to run in slow-motion (low FPS rate) when driving at higher speeds, The zoom level can affect this and can be used as a means of testing if it is an FPS issue or a different problem. Lowering the resolution, reducing the number of 3D characters, closing any background programs, making Project Zomboid a high priority in task manager, or performing a clean install of graphics drivers may resolve this issue.

Trivia

• Although it can't be seen, a helicopter can be heard at one point towards the beginning of the game. This is part of the Metagame and not a physical helicopter.

See also

• Mechanics