ATS car mods: the best of 2026

As of November 3, 2026, there are two ways to drive a car in American Truck Simulator: the official Road Trip: Ford DLC, with Car Mode and four Fords, or car mods, which don’t need the DLC and are bought at the mod dealer. The best ATS car mods are the ones by Nimit: the Porsche 911 Turbo S, the Chevrolet Corvette C8, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the BMW X5 G05 and the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, all free. Here are 20 cars by type, with version and file size; heads up, not all of them confirm 1.61.

Official cars: the Road Trip: Ford DLC

SCS Software released Road Trip: Ford on September 29, 2026, on top of version 1.61. It brings Car Mode, for exploring the map without a trailer, and four Fords: the 1967 Mustang, the 2023 F-150, the 2023 Bronco and the Crown Victoria (1998-2012). On Steam Workshop there are dozens of add-ons for those four cars (police paint jobs, tuning, accessories, engines) that need the DLC and aren’t new cars: we cover them in mods for Road Trip: Ford. This guide is about complete drivable cars.

How car mods work in ATS

• They don’t need the DLC. They’re used as a regular-mode vehicle: at any truck dealer, open the mod dealer, pick the brand and buy it. Nimit hasn’t released versions for Road Trip’s Car Mode.
• Where to download them. Nimit’s cars come from his verified ModLand account or his thread on the official SCS forum; the final file is on Modsfire, which shows ads. The Parati and the Skoda MPT are on Steam Workshop.
• Versions: read the mod page. The stable ATS version is 1.61 (since September 17, 2026) and 1.62 has been in open beta since October 20. Some of Nimit’s cars confirm 1.61, others only the 1.62 beta (they may fail on 1.61) and many are still on 1.54–1.59. If in doubt, use the ATS mod analyzer.
• Use every gear. They replicate real-world acceleration and only hit top speed in sixth or seventh.

Summary: the best ATS car mods

Except for Jon Ruda’s pickup, all of them are free. «1.62 beta»: the author only confirms the beta; it may fail on 1.61, so copy your profile first.

Sports cars

Porsche 911 Turbo S (991.2)

The 2016 911 Turbo S is one of Nimit’s best-known cars: performance very close to the real thing, two interiors and optional police lights with siren. Version 2.7 only confirms the 1.62 beta and was adapted to the Road Trip DLC without requiring it.

Chevrolet Corvette C8 and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

The Corvette C8 is the mid-engine sports car on its home turf, with a choice of exhausts, hoods and spoilers, updated to 1.61. The Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody (version 2.8, 1.61) is the muscle car with acceleration tuned to match the real one; one user reported that truck cabs swayed too much with the mod active.

Ford Mustang Dark Horse S650

The 2026 Mustang Dark Horse is Nimit’s newest (version 1.1, 1.62 beta only), with acceleration up to 300 km/h; one user mentions that the gearbox behaves strangely.

Sedans

BMW M5 G90 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223

The 2025 M5 G90 is BMW M’s current sports sedan, with its own digital dash and seven gears. The S-Class W223 is the comfortable option: digital dash, five wheel options and a comfort sound mode. Both are on versions for the 1.62 beta (1.6 and 2.5).

BMW 6 Series GT G32

The 6 Series GT (version 2.4, 1.61) is a fastback sedan with a working clock, cognac interior and a camper trailer included: one of the few on the list designed to tow something behind it.

Skoda MPT V.19 (Steam Workshop)

The Skoda MPT by joant94 is the most complete car on the ATS Workshop: over 18,000 subscribers, 200 and 280 hp 2.0 TSI engines, sirens and police and taxi paint jobs. V.19 (October 2, 2026) adapts it to 1.61. The BMW M5 E39 by SGDESIGN is a special case: it’s drivable, but it needs the DLC because it uses the official Crown Victoria’s interior, and it doesn’t state a game version.

SUVs

• BMW X5 G05 2024: premium SUV with a digital dash and two interiors, updated to 1.61.
• Porsche Cayenne Turbo (E3): version 2.1 for 1.61, updated with every game version since 1.50.
• Cadillac Escalade 2021: the American luxury SUV, the heaviest on the list (234 MB) and only for the 1.62 beta.

Off-roaders

• Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 2022: the G-Class with AMG mechanicals, very light (about 62 MB) and confirmed for 1.61. The Stock 2 variant doesn’t work in ATS, according to the author.
• Toyota Land Cruiser Prado J150: very well known in Mexico and Latin America, with a relaxed drive; updated to 1.61.
• Land Rover Defender 110 (L663): the most customizable in the shop: snorkel, roof box and ladder. Version 2.1 for the 1.62 beta only.
• Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (Road Trip): it’s on Steam Workshop and is bought at Ford dealers, because it’s made for Car Mode and needs the DLC. It’s very recent (October 31, 2026) and one user reports a crash when turning on the high beams.

Pickups

The Ford F-150 Raptor 2017 is Nimit’s most downloaded car in ATS (over 2,300 downloads on ModLand), but its version 2.6 only confirms 1.57 and may fail on 1.61; the DLC’s 2023 F-150 is the safe alternative. The RVM Pickup Truck by Jon Ruda is paid ($35) and more truck than car: four cabs, several chassis and three trailers, with version 5.8 for ATS 1.58 to 1.61.

Classics

The Mazda MX-5 Miata NA (version 2.4, 1.61) comes with 1.6 and 1.8 engines, a five-speed manual and plenty of parts: hoods, bumpers, wheels and roof. The 1994 Volkswagen Parati, by Cristhian Cardoso, is the Brazilian station wagon (Gol Country in Argentina) with AP 1800 and 2000 turbo engines; it’s on the Workshop, confirms 1.61 and 1.62 and works in Road Trip mode without requiring the DLC. Nimit has more classics (AE86, Crown Victoria 2012, Volvo 850, Mercedes W140), but they confirm 1.54 or 1.57; they’re in the ATS cars category.

Installation and common problems

1. Download the car from the official page linked on its mod page and copy the .scs file into Documents/American Truck Simulator/mod; Workshop cars install when you subscribe.
2. Enable it in the Mod Manager.
3. At a truck dealer, open the mod dealer, pick the brand and buy the car.

If the Mod Manager flags it as incompatible, check the version its mod page confirms. More detail in how to install mods in ATS and ATS mods not working.

More American Truck Simulator guides: mods for Road Trip: Ford, best ATS mods, ATS truck mods and ATS 1.62: what’s new and which mods work.

Frequently asked questions

Can you drive a car in American Truck Simulator?

Yes: with the official Road Trip: Ford DLC (four Fords, since September 29, 2026) or with free mods like Nimit’s, which don’t need the DLC.

Do car mods need the Road Trip: Ford DLC?

Nimit’s cars, the Skoda MPT and the Parati don’t. Only the add-ons for the official Fords and some Workshop cars need it, like the Road Trip Land Cruiser 200 or the BMW M5 E39.

Which Nimit cars work in ATS 1.61?

The ones that confirm 1.61 on their mod page: Corvette C8, Challenger Hellcat, BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, G63 AMG, Land Cruiser Prado, 6 Series GT and Mazda MX-5. The 1.62 beta or 1.54–1.59 ones may fail.

Do they work on TruckersMP?

No mod page confirms it. In Convoy, the official multiplayer, everyone needs the same mods (ATS multiplayer).