Vehicles are the primary mode of transportation in State of Decay 2, allowing players to travel faster and more safely across the map.
They also serve as mobile storage, with trunks providing space for loot, weapons, and rucksacks.
Vehicles can be upgraded to improve durability, speed, and handling, making them even more reliable for survival.
Characteristics[]
Unlike in the first installment of the series, there doesn't seem to be a set number of vehicles in any particular game world. Upon moving a vehicle from its original spawning point, another vehicle eventually replaces it after some time.
Headlights provide strong illumination when turned on.
The door can be opened while driving to bash passing zombies, and has become iconic to the franchise.
Fuel[]
In State of Decay 2, vehicles use gas to operate and can be refueled using a Gas Can. Smaller vehicles receive a greater benefit from a single Gas Can, as their fuel meters fill up more compared to larger vehicles, which have bigger fuel tanks and appear to consume less fuel per can. Fuel consumption can be reduced if a survivor possesses the Driving quirk skill or if an Auto Shop is available.
Speed & Control[]
These speeds were determined by measuring how long each vehicle took to travel 1,000 meters. Some vehicles fall into the faster 99 km/h category, while others are capped at 88 km/h.
However, vehicles do differ in acceleration, which was tested through a 1,000-meter drag race. The fastest vehicles completed the race in about 37 seconds, while the slower ones took around 42 seconds. Even within the same speed category, acceleration varies slightly, causing up to a 1-second difference in race times.
Some vehicles, like the Road Racer MX, use their name and engine sound to create the illusion of extreme speed. However, many other vehicles match its top speed and even outperform it in acceleration.
Noise[]
Vehicles generate different levels of noise. Larger and economy vehicles are generally quieter, while sporty vehicles tend to be louder. Honking the horn can be an effective way to lure zombies, making it useful for drawing them out of an Infestation or distracting them in Plague Heart zones. This tactic works well in both single-player and co-op play.
Upgraded vehicles are believed to produce more noise overall, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Durability[]
Larger, heavier and upgraded vehicles are able to plow through groups of zombies easier and much more effectively than smaller, lighter vehicles and those which have yet to be upgraded. They are considerably more durable and tend to survive more crashes along the way. All vehicles receive a significant boost in durability after receiving their upgrade.
Damage[]
Vehicle damage is divided into different areas, meaning that hitting a zombie with your door won't damage the engine, and front-end collisions won't affect the driver's door.
Unlike weapons or survivors, vehicles do not have visible health bars. Instead, their condition is indicated by visible dents, scratches, engine sounds, and overall shape. Damage is reflected on all parts of the vehicle, and when the engine sustains enough damage, the vehicle will explode. Similarly, if a car door takes too much damage, it will break off.
The rear of the vehicle takes no penalties from damage, making it a great option for ramming zombies. Using the trunk to hit enemies helps preserve the rest of the vehicle, reducing the need for repairs.
Repair[]
Toolkits and advanced toolkits are used to repair vehicles. The normal toolkit repairs the vehicle slowly and it may require multiple toolkits to fully repair the vehicle, while advanced toolkits repair vehicles to 100% condition with only one toolkit, and does so in about a second. The advanced toolkit can be especially useful when your vehicle is completely destroyed, as it repairs it back to full health immediately.
Toolkits can be created at workshops starting at level 2 as long as you have a survivor with the Mechanics skill. Automechanics allows crafting of advanced toolkits as well as normal ones, with the advanced toolkits costing more parts to make.
All vehicles can be restored to mint condition with toolkits.
Storage[]
Any item can be loaded into the trunk of a vehicle. When a vehicle is parked at home base, the player can transfer items from the trunk of the car into the supply locker or rucksacks into storage. The rucksack into storage auto deposit function didn't make a return from the first game. As one would expect, a car does not have as many inventory spots as a pickup truck. Players may find vehicles like the Pilato or Cargo Van more useful for hauling a large amount of items rather than a car that can reach higher speeds. The main exception is the Brogan Trekker that can carry 8 inventory slots.
Vehicles & Zombies[]
Zombies can cling to a vehicle and damage it to the point where the car will shut down. The longer zombies stay on a car, the more damage they will inflict upon it. Zombies that cling on the doors, if left unchecked, will rip off the doors, grab survivors within reach and drag them out of the car. Players can open their doors to hit zombies, as well as sending zombies off by drifting or abruptly stopping the car or driving the zombies into an obstacle, which will most likely result in the death of the zombies.
The impact will kill zombies if the car is going fast enough and can cause damage to the vehicle.
Some Freaks also have their own special interactions with vehicles. Ramming a Juggernaut head-on will damage it quite a bit, and will usually completely stop the vehicle. Also, it will also severely damage your vehicle, often losing a door and causing the engine to smoke
Driving into a Bloater will cover the car in its gas for some time, causing a sharp depletion of health for all survivors on board, and possibly causing them to get sick.
Ferals seem less likely to dodge in State of Decay 2 and will generally rush straight at the player's vehicle. They latch onto and can quickly do a lot of damage to a vehicle.
Comparison of Vehicles[]
There are some cars that are variants of the same base vehicle. When vehicles are upgraded, they upgrade into the same vehicle as the rest of their variants. For example, the survey car and brogan trekker both upgrade into the Hellion which only has 5 storage slots.
| Name | Seats | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Ambulance Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 9 |
|
Bloodmobile Credits: Red Cross Blood |
2 | 9 |
|
Passenger Van Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 9 |
|
Cargo Van  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 15 |
|
Repair Van  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 12 |
|
Vandito  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 15 |
|
News Van  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 8 |
|
| Meatwagon | 2 | 15 |
|
| Wizard Van | 2 | 12 |
|
Royale  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Taxi  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Police Cruiser  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Kaiser  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Pilato  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 8 |
|
Pilato CR  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 9 |
|
Ranger SUV  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 8 |
|
Smashwagon  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom
|
4 | 10 |
|
Miragra  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Miragra NT  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Wichita ES  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 7 |
|
Brogan Rapscallion  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 5 |
|
Brogan Sport  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 5 |
|
| Brogan Trekker | 4 | 8 |
|
Hellion  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom
|
4 | 5 |
|
| Pyrohawk | 4 | 5 |
|
Survey Car  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom
|
4 | 5 |
|
Maximilian  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 4 |
|
Megalodon  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 4 |
|
Mega Max  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 4 |
|
Legendre  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Impaler  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 4 |
|
Rhames V  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
6 | 7 |
|
Utility Truck  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
6 | 8 |
|
Viking  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
6 | 8 |
|
Military Truck  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
6 | 8 |
|
Big Boss  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
6 | 9 |
|
| Burninator | 6 | 6 |
|
| Trumbull 4x4 | 6 | 6 |
|
Vagabond  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 7 |
|
Desperado  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 8 |
|
Trail Beast  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 7 |
|
Road Racer  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 3 |
|
Road Racer MX  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 3 |
|
Road Mangler  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
2 | 3 |
|
Norma  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 7 |
|
Zedbuster  Credits - State of Decay 2 Wiki - Fandom |
4 | 9 |
|
| Mad Norma | 4 | 6 |
|
Upgrades[]
Vehicles in State of Decay 2 can be upgraded, unlike the first game. There are light, medium, and heavy upgrade kits that can be applied to vehicles. These upgrade kits are typically paired with vehicle types, so light kits upgrade cars, medium kits upgrade trucks, and heavy kits upgrade vans, with some exceptions. While these upgrades can sometimes be found on wandering traders, the Auto Shop is required to build these upgrade kits. Upgrade kits can be created in another player's base and then taken back to your own game state to apply on your vehicles.
Light upgrades cost 15 scraps of circuitry, 70 parts, and 4 materials. Medium upgrades cost 10 scraps of circuitry, 85 parts, and 4 materials. Heavy upgrades cost 5 scraps of circuitry, 100 parts, and 4 materials.
Vehicles with the same base will upgrade into the same upgraded vehicle. All van types will upgrade into Vandito with 4 passenger slots and 15 inventory slots.
Objectively, not all upgraded vehicles are superior to their non-upgraded counterpart. In certain circumstances, you may prefer non-upgraded vehicles. Maximilian loses two inventory slots upon becoming Mega Max. Brogan Trekker loses three inventory slots once upgraded. The Utility Truck forgoes its plow once it becomes Viking. The Police Cruiser and Ambulance lose their sirens upon becoming Kaiser and Vandito, respectively.
| Name | Seats | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vandito | 4 | 15 | Comes from Van (Heavy Kit) |
| Hellion | 4 | 5 | Comes from Brogan (Light Kit) |
| Smashwagon | 4 | 10 | Comes from Pilato (Heavy Kit) |
| Road Mangler | 2 | 3 | Comes from Road Racer (Light Kit) |
| Trail Beast | 2 | 7 | Comes from Vagabond and Desperado (Light Kit) |
| Viking | 4 | 8 | Comes from Rhames V and Utility Truck (Medium Kit) |
| Mega Max | 2 | 4 | Comes from Maximilian (Medium Kit) |
| Wichita ES | 4 | 7 | Comes from Miragra (Medium Kit) |
| Impaler | 4 | 4 | Comes from Legendre (Medium Kit) |
| Kaiser | 4 | 4 | Comes from Royale, Taxi, Police Cruiser (Heavy Kit) |
| Big Boss | 6 | 9 | Comes from Military Truck and adds ramming grill (Heavy Kit) |
| Zedbuster | 4 | 9 | Comes from Norma (Light Kit) |
Trivia[]
- When entering a pickup truck with a follower, they will usually jump into the truck bed instead of the cabin. This puts them at risk of being thrown out by a Zombie or Feral and blocks the use of the right-side door. It's unclear if this is a bug or if the AI simply chooses the fastest seat to enter.