If you’ve ever queued for a Rocket League match and stared in envy at the opponent’s sleek, rare car decal and matching body, you’re not alone. Customizing your ride is half the fun of the game, after all – it lets you show off your personality, flex rare rewards, and even feel more confident in 1v1 or tournament matches. A lot of new players don’t realize there are far more ways to expand your garage than just buying the first pack you see in the item shop. This guide breaks down every legitimate way for how to get new cars on Rocket League, no sketchy third-party hacks or account risks required.
How to Get New Cars on Rocket League for Free: No Real Money Required
You don’t have to drop a single cent to build a garage full of meta, good-looking cars, and this is the best place to start if you’re a new player still learning the ropes. The game has multiple built-in systems that reward regular play with free car bodies, and most of the top competitive rides are available through these methods.
First up are random post-match drops. After every casual or competitive match you finish, you have a 15-20% chance to earn a free item drop, which can range from common decals to rare car bodies. You don’t have to win the match to qualify either – even a last-place finish in a chaotic 4v4 casual lobby counts. These drops are completely random, but you’re more likely to get higher-rarity items as your account level increases.
Next, don’t sleep on seasonal free Rocket Pass tiers. Every 3 months, a new Rocket Pass launches, and the free track (no purchase required) almost always includes at least one unique car body between tiers 1 and 70. You level up the pass just by playing matches, so you’ll unlock these cars without even trying if you log in a few times a week. All free pass cars come with their own unique decals and wheel variants too, so you can customize them right away.
The trade-up system is another underrated free method. You can combine 5 items of the same rarity to get one random item of the next higher rarity. If you have a pile of common decals or toppers you never use, you can roll them for a chance to get an uncommon or rare car body for no extra cost.
- Octane (default, but you can unlock painted variants for free via drops if you don’t want to buy them, and it’s the most used car in competitive play)
- Nomad (available via free Rocket Pass tiers most seasons, a great off-road style body for casual play with the same hitbox as the popular Fennec)
- Dominus (frequently drops as a post-match reward for players between level 10 and 50, perfect for players who prefer a flatter hitbox for air dribbles and flip resets)
Just note that you can’t trade free drops you get after the 2023 system update, so if you get a car you don’t want, you can either keep it or use it for trade-ups, no way to sell it to other players.
Premium In-Game Purchase Options for Rare Car Bodies
If you’re willing to spend a little money to get specific cars you’ve had your eye on, there are a few safe, official options directly in the game that carry zero account risk. If you're wondering how to get new cars on Rocket League that no one else in your lobby has, limited crossover packs are your best bet.
The rotating item shop updates every 24 hours, and it regularly features car bodies ranging from 50 to 800 credits. Some are permanent options you can buy any time, while others are limited-time drops that only show up once every few months. You can filter the shop to only show car bodies if you don’t want to sift through decals and wheels to find what you’re looking for.
Premium Rocket Pass tiers cost 1000 credits (roughly $10) and usually include 3 to 4 exclusive car bodies that you can’t get anywhere else, plus painted variants of those cars as you level up past tier 100. If you play regularly enough to hit tier 100 before the pass ends, you’ll earn 1000 credits back in rewards, so you can essentially buy the next pass for free. It’s the best value for money if you play a few times a week.
Limited-time crossover bundle packs are released every few months for franchises like Fast & Furious, Batman, Jurassic World, and even popular sports teams. These packs usually cost between 1000 and 2000 credits, and they come with exclusive cars, decals, wheels, and boost effects that are never added to the regular item shop. Just keep in mind these cars are always trade-locked, so you can’t resell them later, so only buy them if you actually want to use them, not as an investment.
Player Trading: Get Rare, Discontinued Cars for Your Garage
Player trading is the only way to get cars that are no longer available in the item shop or from old Rocket Passes. Whether you’re looking for a painted Fennec from 3 seasons ago or a rare limited edition car that only dropped once, trading lets you pick up exactly what you want without waiting for it to come back to the shop.
First, you’ll need to meet the minimum requirement to unlock trading: you have to have purchased at least 500 credits on your account at some point. This rule was added to stop scammers and bot accounts from spamming trade requests, and it’s non-negotiable. Once you have that unlocked, you can either trade directly with friends or use the in-game trade finder to connect with other players looking to sell the car you want.
Always check the current market value of a car before you agree to a trade – some rare painted variants of popular cars can go for thousands of credits, and scammers often target new players who don’t know how much their items are worth. You can find up-to-date price lists from trusted community resources to make sure you’re getting a fair deal.
Never trade with someone who says they’ll send you the car later after you send them your items first, and never click links from people offering to sell you cars outside the game. All of these are scams that will either steal your items or get your account banned permanently. Also, note that crossover cars like the Fast & Furious Dodge Charger can’t be traded, so you can only get those if you bought the pack when it was originally available.
Limited-Time Event Exclusive Cars You Don't Want to Miss
Every few months, Psyonix runs themed in-game events like Haunted Hallows (Halloween), Frosty Fest (Christmas), Radical Summer (90s themed) and more. These events have their own unique game modes, and you earn event-specific currency for every match you play in the event playlist. You can use this currency to buy exclusive event cars, decals, wheels, and boost effects that you can’t get anywhere else.
Event cars are usually only available for 2 to 4 weeks while the event is running, so if you see one you want, make sure to grind enough event currency before it ends. Some event cars come back in future events, but most are only available once every 1 to 2 years, so it’s worth putting in a few extra hours of play if you really have your eye on a specific model. For example, the Haunted Hallows event regularly brings back the spooky themed painted variant of the '99 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), one of the most popular cars in the game.
All event rewards are trade-locked, so you can’t buy them from other players, you have to earn them yourself during the event. The good news is you don’t have to win matches to earn event currency – even losses give you half the currency of a win, so you can grind while playing casual modes with friends without stressing about your rank.
At the end of the day, expanding your Rocket League garage doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. You can grind for free drops, earn cars from event rewards, pick up limited edition packs when they drop, or trade with other players for rare discontinued models. Whatever your budget or play style, there’s a legitimate method for how to get new cars on Rocket League that fits your needs. Don’t waste your time on sketchy third-party sites that promise free rare cars – all of those are scams that will get your account banned. Stick to the methods we covered, and you’ll have a garage full of your dream cars before you know it.
