How to Install Custom Vehicles in FiveM – Complete Guide for ESX & QBCore (2026)

What Are Custom Vehicles in FiveM?

• Realistic police interceptors & marked units
• Luxury supercars & exotic imports
• Gang rides with custom liveries
• EMS ambulances & fire trucks
• Mechanic flatbeds & tow trucks
• Civilian daily drivers & off-roaders

If your framework is what makes your server work, custom vehicles are what make it feel alive. They're one of the fastest ways to give your server its own identity — and keep players coming back.

Why Add Custom Vehicles to Your Server

Did you know? All vehicles on FiveVault are ESX & QBCore ready out of the box — no framework conversion needed. Browse all vehicles →

Prerequisites

Step 1: Download Your Vehicle Pack

Head to FiveVault and grab a vehicle pack. Every vehicle on FiveVault works with ESX and QBCore out of the box — no extra configuration needed for basic streaming.

Once downloaded, extract the .zip or .rar. You should see a folder structured like this:

my-vehicle-pack/
├── stream/
│   ├── myvehicle.yft
│   ├── myvehicle.ytd
│   └── myvehicle+hi.yft
├── fxmanifest.lua
└── data/
    └── vehicles.meta (optional)

Pro tip: If the extracted folder contains only loose .yft and .ytd files with no fxmanifest.lua, the resource is incomplete. Always download from a trusted source like FiveVault to avoid broken packs.

Step 2: Upload to Your Server's Resources Folder

Connect to your server via SFTP or your hosting panel's file manager. Navigate to your resources folder:

server-data/
└── resources/

Best practice is to keep vehicles organised in a dedicated subfolder:

resources/
└── [vehicles]/
    └── my-vehicle-pack/

Upload the entire extracted vehicle folder into resources/[vehicles]/. Do not rename the folder after uploading — the name must match exactly what you put in server.cfg.

Step 3: Verify the fxmanifest.lua

Before starting your server, open fxmanifest.lua inside the vehicle folder and confirm it looks something like this:

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

description 'My Custom Vehicle Pack'
version '1.0.0'

client_scripts {
    'data/*.lua'
}

data_file 'VEHICLE_METADATA_FILE' 'data/vehicles.meta'
data_file 'HANDLING_FILE' 'data/handling.meta'

files {
    'data/*.meta'
}

If the manifest only contains stream {} with no data files, that's fine — it means the vehicle uses default GTA handling and metadata. Both formats work perfectly.

Step 4: Add the Vehicle to server.cfg

Open your server.cfg and add the ensure line. Place it after your framework resources:

# Framework
ensure es_extended
# or
ensure qb-core

# Vehicles
ensure [vehicles]/my-vehicle-pack

For large servers with many vehicle packs, keep them grouped:

# Vehicle packs
ensure [vehicles]/police-pack-2026
ensure [vehicles]/civilian-supercars
ensure [vehicles]/ems-vehicles
ensure [vehicles]/gang-rides

Step 5: Add the Vehicle Spawn Name to Your Framework

INSERT INTO vehicles (model, price, category)
VALUES ('myvehicle', 50000, 'super');

['myvehicle'] = {
    name = 'My Custom Vehicle',
    brand = 'Custom',
    model = 'myvehicle',
    price = 50000,
    category = 'super',
    categoryLabel = 'Super',
    type = 'automobile',
    shop = 'pdm',
},

Pro tip: The spawn name must exactly match the .yft filename inside the stream/ folder, lowercase, no spaces.

Step 6: Restart and Test

Restart the resource in your txAdmin console or server console:

restart [vehicles]/my-vehicle-pack

Once in-game, test with:

/car myvehicle

If the vehicle spawns correctly, you're done. If not, check the troubleshooting section below.

Framework Compatibility

Troubleshooting Common Vehicle Issues

❌ Vehicle spawns as a plain white or invisible model

❌ "Could not find resource" error in console

❌ Vehicle spawns but handling feels wrong

❌ ESX vehicle shop doesn't show the vehicle

❌ QBCore PDM shop doesn't show vehicle

❌ Server crashes on startup after adding vehicle

Recommended Vehicle Packs for Your Server

Final Tips

• ✅ Keep vehicles in [vehicles] — organised subfolders make your resource list manageable
• ✅ Match spawn names exactly — the .yft filename is your spawn name, always lowercase
• ✅ Test on a dev server first — a broken vehicle manifest can crash your whole server
• ✅ Don't add 100 packs at once — add and test in batches of 5–10 to isolate issues
• ✅ Back up server.cfg before every session of adding new vehicles
• ✅ All FiveVault vehicles are ESX & QBCore ready — no framework conversion needed
• ✅ Use txAdmin's resource list to confirm the vehicle resource shows as "started"

Frequently Asked Questions

A: There's no hard limit, but servers with 200+ vehicle resources can see longer load times. Monitor your startup time and client download size.

A: No — FiveM streams vehicle assets to players automatically when they join.

A: Yes. The streaming part is framework-agnostic. Only the shop/spawn registration differs.

A: The spawn name in your framework config doesn't match the .yft filename. Double-check both are identical.

A: Yes — liveries use additional .ytd files named with _sign_ suffixes in the stream/ folder.