How to Add a Custom Car to FiveM (Add-On Vehicles Explained)

Installing one custom car is the same skill that lets you install a hundred. Once you understand how a single add-on vehicle is structured, packs become trivial. Here's the full flow.

Add-on vs replace

Most quality vehicles today are add-on — they spawn under their own model name and don't overwrite a base game car. That's what you want for a server. If you're unsure of the difference, read add-on vs replace vehicles first. Got a single-player replace mod you want to use instead? Our partner GTA5 Mods Convertor turns it into a server-ready add-on.

1. Unzip and inspect the folder

A proper add-on car is a self-contained resource. Inside you'll usually see a stream folder (the .yft and .ytd model files) and a data folder (the meta files), plus an fxmanifest.lua.

2. Check the fxmanifest.lua

The manifest tells the server which meta files to load. A typical one declares the data files for vehicles.meta, carvariations.meta,carcols.meta and handling.meta. If a car ships without a manifest, it's an old-format resource — add one or skip it.

3. Drop it into resources

Move the folder into resources (lowercase name, no spaces). Many people keep cars inside a [cars] bracket folder to stay organized — FiveM treats bracketed folders as groups.

4. Ensure it and restart

Add ensure your_car_resource to server.cfg and restart. Then spawn it by its spawn name — the model name set in the meta, not the folder name. Not sure how to spawn? See how to spawn vehicles in FiveM.

If the car doesn't appear

• Check the server console for a red error naming the resource.
• A black/untextured car usually means a missing or misnamed .ytd.
• No collision or it falls through the map? See our fixing vehicle errors guide.

Ready to skip the one-by-one grind? Our add-on cars and packs are pre-structured to drop in cleanly — and our partner Five Garage is another great source of add-on vehicles.