Vehicle

This page has been revised for the current stable version (41.78.16).

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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 a mechanic or has the amateur mechanic trait.

Note: amateur mechanics still need the Laines Auto Manual - Performance Models magazine for sport vehicles.

Standard, learned by the Laines Auto Manual - Standard Models
Heavy-Duty, learned by the Laines Auto Manual - Commercial Models
Sport, learned by the 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
Vehicle	Manufacturer	Model	Type	Weight	Engine power	Max speed	Breaking force	Engine loudness	Seats	Doors	Trunk storage	Total storage (seats+trunk)	Glove compartment	Variants
Chevalier Cerise Wagon	Chevalier	Cerise Wagon	Standard	1200	420	70	70	40	4	4	60	120	5	Wood Siding
Chevalier Cossette	Chevalier	Cossette	Sport	1035	570	120	80	46	2	2	30	50	5
Chevalier D6	Chevalier	D6	Heavy-Duty	1300	400 480	70	55	80	2	2	80	100	10	Fire Fossoil McCoy Logging Co. Park Ranger
Chevalier Dart	Chevalier	Dart	Standard	935	360	70	60	27	4	2	40	100	3
Chevalier Nyala	Chevalier	Nyala	Standard	1100	400 480	70 90 100	40	90	4	4	55	115	5	Police Cruiser Park Ranger Taxi (Yellow) Taxi (Green)
Chevalier Primani	Chevalier	Primani	Sport	1100	500	90	90	40	4	4	45	105	5
Chevalier Step Van	Chevalier	Step Van	Heavy-Duty	1440	370 400	70	60	50	2	3	160	180	10	Mail Van Kentucky Herald Scarlet Oak Distillery
Dash Bulldriver	Dash	Bulldriver	Heavy-Duty	1370 1375 1400	400 480	65 70	80	60	2	2	130	150	10	Fire Dept. Fossoil McCoy Logging Co. Police Park Ranger
Dash Elite	Dash	Elite	Sport	1100	500	90	90	40	4	4	45	105	5
Dash Rancher	Dash	Rancher	Standard	1150	440	90	90	45	2	2	40	60	5
Franklin All-Terrain	Franklin	All-Terrain	Heavy-Duty	1330	470	90	95	50	4	4	85	145	10
Franklin Valuline	Franklin	Valuline	Heavy-Duty	1000 1250	260 270 370 400 490	65 70 75	67 70 80	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	90	90	27	4	2	40	100	3
Mercia Lang 4000	Mercia Lang	4000	Sport	1190	520	105	90	40	2	2	45	65	5
Trailer	Generic	Trailer	Standard	266 282	--	70	1	--	--	--	100	100	--	Cover
Advert Trailer	Generic	Advert Trailer	Standard	272	--	70	1	--	--	--	--	--	--	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 Thursdoid blog post

Controls

See more: Controls

Radial menu

Most of the vehicle interactions can be performed from the vehicle's radial menu, accessed by pressing V. From inside, this includes ignition, radio, and headlights. From outside, manage doors, the trunk, and more.

Device Options:

Displays the panel of the installed radio.

Open Window:

Opens the player's seat window, making the inside temperature the same as the outside temperature. Will also allow zombies to attack the player.

Sleep:

Allows the player to sleep in the vehicle.

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.

Towing

Towing another car

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

Dashboard

Displays the current status of the vehicle. Some icons can be activated by clicking with the left mouse button.

Indicator colors

Gray: Off, unlocked or no info.
Green: On or locked.
Orange: Engine starting or low fuel.
Yellow: Not all doors are locked.
Red: Broken or not present.

Engine Status: Shows if the engine is off, starting, or on.
- : The engine is off (not ignited).
- : The engine is currently in the process of ignition.
- : The engine is on (ignited).
- : The engine is broken or not present.
Battery: Represents the battery's health.
- : The battery is off, no info is given.
- : The battery is charged and functional.
- : The battery is discharged or not present.
Door Locks: Used to lock or unlock doors. Does not require car keys.
- : The car doors are unlocked and can be opened without car keys.
- : Some car doors are unlocked and some locked.
- : The car doors are locked and can only be opened using car keys.
Headlights: Turns lights on or off. Does not require car keys.
- : The headlights are off.
- : The headlights are on.
- : The headlights are broken, damaged or not present.
Heater/AC: Controls the heating or air conditioner. Does not require car keys.
- : The heater is off.
- : The heater is on.
Trunk Lock: Locks or unlocks the trunk. Does not require car keys.
- : The trunk is unlocked and can be opened without car keys.
- : The trunk is locked and can only be opened using car keys.
Ignition: This is where the car key goes. It's safe to leave the key here; it won’t drain the battery.
- : The car key is not inserted into the key slot. Therefore, the engine is not ignited and is off.
- : The car key is inserted into the key slot, but is not turned. Therefore, the engine is not ignited and is off.
- : The car key is inserted into the key slot and turned. Therefore, the engine is ignited and is on.
- : The car key is not present, but the vehicle has been hot-wired. There is no way to tell if the engine is ignited or not by looking at the key slot in this state.
Fuel Gauge: Gauge that measures the current amount of fuel in the gas tank.
- : The gas tank has 15% or more fuel.
- : The gas tank has less than 15% of fuel.
- : The gas tank has less than 5% of fuel.
Gearshift Position: Displays the current gear the vehicle is in.
- P: Parking (engine off)
- N: Neutral / Idle (engine on)
- R: Reverse driving
- 1: Gear shift position 1
- 2: Gear shift position 2
- 3: Gear shift position 3 (partially accessible with Sunday Driver trait)
- 4: Gear shift position 4 (not accessible with Sunday Driver trait)
- 5: Gear shift position 5 (not accessible with Sunday Driver trait)
Cruise Control Speed: Shows cruise control speed.
- : Cruise control is disabled.
- : Cruise control is enabled.
- The number displayed on the cruise control speed indicator represents the maximum cruise control speed that the vehicle is set to.
- When the cruise control speed is on (by pressing LSHIFT), it allows drive at a constant speed without pressing W.
- Pressing LSHIFT + W increases the control speed.
- Pressing LSHIFT + S decreases the control speed.
- Pressing SPACE turns off cruise control.
Tachometer: Gauge that measures the rotation speed of the engine's crankshaft, displayed in RPM.
Speedometer: Gauge that measures the vehicle's current speed, displayed in MPH.

Car key

Car key icon over player's head, indicating the matching keys are in possession or vehicle was hot-wired

Car key works with just one vehicle. It allows to:

Start the engine
Open the doors from the outside
Open the trunk from the outside

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: in the ignition or glove box.
On the body of a nearby zombie: usually associated with an event, such as a firefighter spawning a key to a fire truck.

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, it can still be started by hot-wiring. For this, a player needs:

Level 1 in electrical skill
Level 2 in mechanics skill

or

Burglar occupation

How to hot-wire:

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

When a car is hot-wired:

The ignition icon on the dashboard changes.
The player see the key picture up over their character.

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

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.

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 currently just a part of the metagame.

See more: Metagame Helicopter event

In some blogs regarding the build 42 update, it has been shown that the current livery of police vehicles will change. They will no longer be white with blue stripes and stars, and instead will be similar to the real-life Kentucky police livery, being gray with blue stripes, and the image of the state of Kentucky on the hood. There will also be a prisoner transport van added that will probably appear around the Rosewood prison, Louisville detention center, and in vehicle stories involving them. SWAT vans will also be added.
Also in build 42, the fuel tank will be more visible, as seen on the plumbing and West Point construction company van that will only be found in this city, the police car, and the SWAT step van. The fuel tank in most current cars is on the driver's side.
As seen on the blog, it was shown that we will now have sports variants for police cars, like of the Dash Elite (and probably Some other sports cars too, etc.) like show in the blog, a Dash Elite from the West Point Dept Police, that will arrive in build 42 ^Future
Drivable variant of police Chevalier D6 does not exist, it only appears in highway accident as a burnt-out variant, despite texture files for the non-damaged version.

Gallery

Back in build 39 when vehicles were introduced, some could appear as black, this issue has been since fixed

External links

References

[1] ttps://projectzomboid.com/blog/news/2017/09/thursdoid-rising/

[2] ttps://projectzomboid.com/blog/news/2017/05/parking-lots-of-zombies/

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