How I Unlock Every Free Accolade Car in Forza Horizon 5

When I first booted up Forza Horizon 5, I spent millions of credits on cars I later realized could be earned through the Accolade system. The game hides a fantastic collection of free vehicles behind objectives that push you across Mexico’s roads, dirt trails, and festival events. I remember the moment I smashed my first Fast Travel board and was rewarded with a Nissan Fairlady Z—it felt like the developers were encouraging exploration at every turn. Over hundreds of hours, I worked through expeditions, stories, races, online battles, and rival challenges to fill my garage without breaking the bank. In this guide, I’ll share the categories and specific rewards I’ve unlocked, so you can do the same.

Accolades are the game’s achievement-style checklist. They are divided into multiple areas: Festival, Adventure, Online, Racing, Stunts, and Stories, among others. Some are secret or gated behind prerequisites, which means you often need to finish one objective before the description and reward of another becomes visible. Once you complete an Accolade that awards a car, you must open the Accolade menu and manually claim the vehicle. This is a step I’ve forgotten more than once, only to wonder why a car wasn’t in my garage. Below are the main free cars I’ve tracked down, organized by the type of activity involved.

Exploration, Expeditions, and Early Wins

The earliest free cars often come from discovering roads, breaking boards, and finishing initial challenges. I still use my Ford Focus RS from exploring just 10 roads as a reliable early-game machine. The Nissan Fairlady Z comes from destroying a Fast Travel Board, while taking part in a Horizon Arcade event and finishing a round unlocks the Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205. If you enjoy long races, winning the Goliath grants the Dodge Charger R/T, winning the Colossus rewards the Nissan Skyline GTS-R HR31, and winning the Marathon gives the Toyota Celica GT-Four RC ST185.

Expeditions are a major source of free vehicles. I remember completing the Tulum Expedition to unlock the BAC Mono, a nimble track toy. The Jungle Expedition rewards the Peugeot 207 Super 2000, the Baja Expedition gives the DeBerti F-150 Prerunner, and finishing the Guanajuato Expedition unlocks the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec and the Buenas Vistas house for fast travel. Story chapters also hide cars: the Vocho story gives both the Volkswagen Beetle and its Forza Edition, while Test Driver and El Camino chapters reward the Volvo V60 Polestar, Chevrolet El Camino Super Sport 454, and Ferrari GTC4Lusso.

Horizon Stories and Signature Events

Horizon Stories are packed with free car rewards. I spent a lot of time in the Lucha de Carreteras story, which unlocks the Renault 5 Turbo, Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, MG Metro 6R4, and the Ford M-Sport Fiesta RS once all chapters are complete. The Born Fast story grants the Jaguar F-Type Project 7 when you earn three stars on every chapter, while the V10 story rewards the Koenigsegg Jesko. These high-speed narrative missions are some of my favorite ways to earn rare metal.

Skill Mastery and Car Progression

Some Accolade cars are tied to skills and Car Mastery. I unlocked the Renault Megane R.S. by purchasing a mastery node on another car, and the Lotus Exige S after reaching a total skill score of 10,000,000. The Audi RS 6 Avant requires unlocking 25 Car Masteries, which is a long-term goal but worth it. If you love chaining drifts and near-miss skills, the Formula Drift #64 Nissan 370Z comes from earning 5,000 skills of any type. The Nissan Silvia K’s is earned by triggering an Ultimate Skill Chain in any Ultima.

Racing, Festival Playlist, and Stunt Challenges

Winning races is one of the most straightforward ways to earn cars. I won all Road Races to unlock the Lola #6 Penske Sunoco T70, all Dirt Races for the Porsche #185 959 Prodrive Rally Raid, and all Cross-Country Races for the Jeep Trailcat. Street Races completion gives the Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG. For Festival Playlist engagement, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe comes from completing 50 activities, 100 activities, and at least one activity in every season type. If you prefer stunts, three stars on every Speed Trap unlocks the Lexus LFA, every Speed Zone gives the Honda NSX-R, every Danger Sign the Hot Wheels Bone Shaker, every Trailblazer the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and every Drift Zone the Formula Drift #43 Dodge Viper SRT.

Online Multiplayer, Eliminator, and Rivals

Online modes hide some of the most desirable free cars. I remember grinding Horizon Tour events—earning 5,000 individual score unlocks the Ford Falcon XA GT-HO, winning 20 races gives the Porsche Macan Turbo, and winning 20 Tours rewards the Nissan GT-R Black Edition R35. Horizon Arcade completion rewards the Lotus Evija and Funco Motorsports F9. In The Eliminator, eliminating opponents and winning matches can unlock the Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce, Mini Cooper S, Lamborghini Urus, Hoonigan Gymkhana 10 Ford Focus RS RX, Mercedes-Benz G 65 AMG, Porsche 918 Spyder, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, and Ford Ranger T6 Rally Raid. Rivals leaderboards, where you post top 5% times, unlock class-specific machines like the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 for D Class, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR for B Class, and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG for S2 Class.

Overall Progression and Completion

Finally, many free cars are tied to your player level and completion milestones. Reaching level 50 grants the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, level 75 the Dodge Viper ACR, level 100 the Aston Martin Vantage GT12, level 125 the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro, and level 175 the TVR Cerbera Speed 12. Beating Drivatar difficulty on Unbeatable unlocks vehicles like the Toyota Supra RZ, Audi Sport Quattro, Lexus RC F, Local Motors Rally Fighter, Sierra Cars RX3, and Jaguar I-Pace. Completing all Hall of Fame Accolades rewards the Koenigsegg Regera, while the Ford GT comes from spending 2,000,000 credits on upgrades, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS from photographing 200 vehicles, and the Lotus Evija from 20 Horizon Arcade events.

I’ve learned that patience is the key. Some of these Accolades require dozens of hours, but the savings are massive—many of these cars would cost millions of credits. Whether you’re a completionist or just want a few extra rides for free, the Accolade system rewards every kind of player. In 2026, I still jump into Forza Horizon 5 to chip away at unfinished Accolades, knowing there’s always another free car waiting at the end of the road.