How to Add Cars to a FiveM Server (Add-On and Replace)

To add a car to a FiveM server, put it in its own resource folder inside resources, with the model and texture files (.yft and .ytd) in a stream folder, the .meta files next to them, and an fxmanifest.lua that declares those metas with data_file lines. Then add ensure your-car-resource to server.cfg and restart. Here is the exact layout, the manifest to copy, and how to keep car packs from wrecking load times.

Add-on or replace: which kind of car do you have?

Custom cars come in two kinds, and they install differently.

Use add-on cars where you can. Replacing a vanilla model changes every copy of it, including the ones traffic spawns, and two replace resources for the same model fight each other.

What files does a FiveM car need?

A typical add-on car from a creator looks like this once it is ready for FiveM:

resources/
  [cars]/
    mycar/
      fxmanifest.lua
      data/
        vehicles.meta
        carvariations.meta
        carcols.meta
        handling.meta
        vehiclelayouts.meta   (only some cars have this)
      stream/
        mycar.yft
        mycar_hi.yft
        mycar.ytd
        mycar+hi.ytd          (some cars)

Anything inside the stream folder is streamed to players automatically. You do not list it in the manifest.

Folders in square brackets like [cars] are just for sorting. FiveM looks inside them for resources, so ensure mycar still works.

The fxmanifest.lua for an add-on car

Create fxmanifest.lua in the car's folder:

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

files {
    'data/vehicles.meta',
    'data/carvariations.meta',
    'data/carcols.meta',
    'data/handling.meta',
    'data/vehiclelayouts.meta',
}

data_file 'HANDLING_FILE' 'data/handling.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_METADATA_FILE' 'data/vehicles.meta'
data_file 'CARCOLS_FILE' 'data/carcols.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_VARIATION_FILE' 'data/carvariations.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_LAYOUTS_FILE' 'data/vehiclelayouts.meta'

Two rules people miss:

1. Every meta must be in both files and data_file. files sends it to players, data_file tells the game what kind of file it is. A meta in only one of the two does nothing.
2. Leave out lines for files the car does not have. No vehiclelayouts.meta in the download means no VEHICLE_LAYOUTS_FILE line.

The FiveM resource manifest reference documents fx_version, game, files and data_file.

Putting many cars in one pack

Ten cars as ten resources means ten folders to keep track of. A pack is tidier:

resources/[cars]/carpack/
  fxmanifest.lua
  data/
    car1/vehicles.meta ...
    car2/vehicles.meta ...
  stream/
    car1/ ...
    car2/ ...

Use wildcards so you do not list every file:

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

files {
    'data/**/*.meta',
}

data_file 'HANDLING_FILE' 'data/**/handling.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_METADATA_FILE' 'data/**/vehicles.meta'
data_file 'CARCOLS_FILE' 'data/**/carcols.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_VARIATION_FILE' 'data/**/carvariations.meta'
data_file 'VEHICLE_LAYOUTS_FILE' 'data/**/vehiclelayouts.meta'

Keep model names unique across the whole server. Two cars both called mycar will load whichever streams last.

How to install a replace car

1. Find the vanilla spawn name you are replacing, for example police.
2. Rename the files to match: police.yft, police_hi.yft, police.ytd.
3. Put them in a stream folder inside a new resource with a two line manifest:

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

If the creator also gives you a handling.meta, add it with files and a HANDLING_FILE line like the add-on example.

Start the car in server.cfg

Upload the folder to resources with the Files tab or SFTP, then add one line to server.cfg. On the txAdmin type, edit it in txAdmin's CFG Editor:

ensure mycar

or for a bracket folder full of cars:

ensure [cars]

Then load it without a full restart. In txAdmin's Live Console (or the panel console on the Plain FXServer type):

refresh
ensure mycar

refresh makes the server notice new folders. ensure starts the resource, or restarts it if it is running. Players already on the server may need to reconnect before a brand new car shows correctly. A scheduled restart handles that for everyone.

How do I spawn the car?

That depends on your framework or menu:

• QBCore and Qbox: an admin can type /car mycar in chat.
• ESX Legacy: admins use /car mycar.
• txAdmin menu: admins with the vehicle permission can spawn by model name from the /tx menu.
• vMenu: the vehicle spawner has a field for a custom model name.

Selling the car at a dealership

Spawning is not the same as owning. To make a car buyable and storable in garages, add it to your framework's vehicle list:

• QBCore: qb-core/shared/vehicles.lua, one entry with model, name, brand, price, category, type and shop.
• Qbox: qbx_core/shared/vehicles.lua, keyed by model name.
• ESX: the vehicles table in your database, which the vehicle shop reads.

The model must match the <modelName> in the car's vehicles.meta exactly, in lowercase.

How big can FiveM car files be?

Big textures are the main reason car packs cause problems. FXServer prints a warning when a streamed asset uses a lot of memory, along the lines of Asset mycar.ytd uses 22.5 MiB of physical memory. Oversized assets can and WILL lead to streaming issues.

What we suggest:

• Keep each .ytd under about 16 MB, ideally under 10 MB. Large .ytd files are the usual cause of "texture loss", where roads and buildings fail to load around players.
• Shrink oversized textures with a tool like OpenIV or a texture optimizer: 4K textures on a licence plate are wasted. 2K or 1K is plenty for most car parts.
• Watch the download size. Every car is downloaded by every player on their first join. A pack of 200 lightly optimised cars can add several gigabytes.
• Fewer, better cars beat hundreds of copies. Most roleplay servers do not need five versions of the same supercar.

More cars also means more server RAM, because FXServer has to hold and serve every resource. A server with a large car pack is the reason our 12 GB FiveM plan exists. See the FiveM plans for sizing.

Why is my car not spawning or invisible?

Check the server console after ensure mycar. It names the resource and file when something fails to load.

Only use cars you are allowed to use

Use cars the creator lets you run on a server, from the Cfx.re forum, Tebex stores or creators' own pages. Models ripped from other games or leaked paid cars break the FiveM terms and can get a server taken off the list.

Add cars on GamezServers

On a GamezServers FiveM server, press Backup first, upload the car folder to resources in the Files tab or over SFTP, add the ensure line in txAdmin's CFG Editor, and run refresh and ensure in txAdmin's Live Console. If you want to check whether the new pack is hurting performance, our FiveM lag and hitch warning guide shows how to measure it.

FAQ

Do I need to restart the server to add a car?

No. Run refresh and then ensure yourcar in the console. A full restart is still the cleanest way to make sure every player gets the new files, so many servers just wait for the next scheduled restart.

What is the difference between fxmanifest.lua and __resource.lua?

__resource.lua is the old manifest format. Use fxmanifest.lua with fx_version 'cerulean' and game 'gta5' for anything new. If a car download only has __resource.lua, you can write an fxmanifest.lua with the same files and data_file lines and delete the old file.

How many cars can a FiveM server have?

There is no fixed number. The limits are RAM, player download size and texture sizes. A few dozen well optimised cars are easy, hundreds need more RAM and careful texture work.

Can I add cars without a framework?

Yes. Add-on cars are plain resources and work on any server. Without a framework you spawn them with the txAdmin menu, vMenu or your own script.