For a new player, choosing which Rocket League car to use can be daunting. When you consider all of the unlockable bodies, there are over 70 cars to choose from, which can seem like too many to try before finding the one that works best for you.
Thankfully, the choice is a lot simpler when you look at what the best players in the game use.
Sure, you can go off the beaten path, but most high-level players are choosing from a handful of car options rather than cycling through all of the rare unlocks over the history of the game.
Ahead, we’re going to get into more detail about three of the most popular Rocket League cars that you’ll see: The Dominus, Octane, and Fennec, along with some other honourable mentions.
Of course, don’t take this article as gospel. If you like the way a certain car looks or just unlocked a rare body, great!
You can use any car model and perform well in this game, but there are a few cars that are a cut above the rest - at least in terms of popularity and versatility.
The first thing to note when deciding on the best car in Rocket League is the hitbox. As you can probably guess, the hitbox determines where the car makes contact with the ball. Some cars share hitboxes, as we see with the Fennec and the Octane, but most cars that look distinct from one another have different hitboxes you need to consider.
There’s also the question of hidden stats, which is a bit debated in the Rocket League community. Cars certainly feel like they have a variance in turning radius and other small differences. Still, Psyonix has debunked this idea, claiming that all of the cars have the same stats and that the only difference between them is the hitbox.
While there are still some who claim that there are different stats between cars, we’ll operate as though it’s all an even playing field when it comes to stats.
We’ll start with the Octane because that’s the first car that a lot of people think of when they think about Rocket League. It’s on the logo and is still a go-to for a lot of players to this day. This is probably the most popular car in the game, as everyone has access to it, and it’s perfectly positioned in the META.
The benefit of the Octane and the Fennec, by association, is the hitbox. The Octane hitbox is considered arguably the best in the game, and the Octane car model accurately depicts it. Although other cars share this hitbox, the shape of the Octane fits better than some, making your hits feel more intuitive and consistent.
The Octane also carries the ball high off the ground, so it’s easier to dribble on and turn without the ball falling off.
Flicks and aerial play are still good with the Octane and Fennec, although most players would consider the Dominus king of these categories. Still, if you favour the Octane, you’ll do just fine in the air. Unless you’re trying to make a career off of Rocket League freestyle clips on TikTok, you won’t lose much by choosing the Octane.
If the Fennec has the same hitbox as the Octane and, therefore, the same stats, then why do some people prefer to use it over the Octane? Well, most of this comes down to the feel of the car.
While the selling point of the Octane is its visual shape, the shape of the Fennec fits the hitbox even better, in many people’s opinion. That’s why so many people choose it over the Octane. Being that you need to unlock it, the Fennec is also rarer than the Octane, which naturally makes it more desirable, as everyone has access to its counterpart.
Apart from that, there shouldn’t be any tangible difference between the Octane and Fennec. Some people will choose one or the other because of the visuals, rarity, or feel - but there shouldn’t be any difference between the two of them.
The Dominus is typically considered the best car for flicks, aerial shots, and freestyles. It has a longer and shorter hitbox than that of the Octane and Fennec, meaning you can beat an Octane user to the ball most of the time.
Since there’s more flat surface area to play with, the Dominus is the best car in Rocket League for aerials and flicks as well. It’s more forgiving and feels more natural to use when you’re off the ground.
On the flipside, it’s a bit more difficult to ground dribble with the Dominus since its shorter stature leads to less room for mistakes. If you’re an Octane user who switches to the Dominus, the first thing you’ll likely notice is that the ball falls off of your car more when dribbling.
Dribbling happens the most in 1v1s, though, so if you only play with other people, the Dominus could be the number-one pick. Although the Dominus wasn’t always free for every player, it is now - so anyone can grab it and start doing tricks.
In this category, we’ll put two of the best pinching cars in the game - both of which aren’t very popular in today’s meta: the Merc and the Batmobile.
The Merc is actually a decently strong pick for new players, as it has the tallest hitbox in the game and will help you block shots easier than other, shorter cars.
The downside of the Merc is that it’s clunky, boxy, and just looks weird. It also has a much more narrow hitbox than you’d think, leading players to miss shots they think they should have hit.
As for the Batmobile, this car got its time in the sun for a bit but has since fallen out of favor. Psynoix attempted to create an entire hitbox style around the Batmobile: the plank, but this, too, was eventually abandoned by both the developer and community.
The Batmobile shares some of the benefits with the Dominus, but it’s too short to be widely used. Naturally, it still gets some play, though, being as it’s a Batmobile.
Of course, you can still perform well with any of the cars in the game. With enough practice, even meme choices like the Scarab can do well - it has the Octane hitbox, after all. Play whichever car you prefer, but these top three choices are a great place to start if you’re looking for the best car in Rocket League.
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