City Car Driving mods don’t work like the drop-in mods of BeamNG or Farming Simulator. A car mod is a set of folders that merges into the game’s own files, plus a short entry in a configuration file that tells the game the car exists. That sounds fiddly, but after the first one it takes about two minutes per car. Nearly every mod on CrashMods is set up for version 1.5.9.2, so make sure that’s what you’re running before you start.
The short version
- Back up the
data\configfolder inside the game folder. - Extract the mod archive into a temporary folder.
- Copy its
dataandexportfolders into the City Car Driving folder and let Windows replace the files. - Paste the car’s registration code into
data\config\player_cars.xml, unless the mod says it’s already included. - Start the game and look for the car in the Custom section of the car selection.
Check the version first
Car mods are built and tuned for a specific game version, and on CrashMods every mod page says which one, for example “physics adjusted for 1.5.9.2” on the Mercedes-Benz E300. A car made for an older 1.5.x release may still drive, but it can lack newer features, show broken gauges or crash the game the moment you select it. On the current 1.5.9.2, stick to cars marked for that version. If you play the Steam version and let it update, you already have it.
Find the game folder
Car mods go into the folder the game is installed in. Your Documents folder only holds your profile and settings, so it’s the wrong place.
- Steam: right-click City Car Driving in your library and choose Manage → Browse local files. By default that’s
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\City Car Driving. - Standalone version: right-click the desktop or Start-menu shortcut and choose Open file location.
Because the game usually lives under Program Files, Windows protects the folder. Copying files into it works after a permission prompt, but to edit a file in place you need an editor started with Run as administrator. Notepad++ is a good pick, because it also highlights mistakes in XML.
Back up the config before your first mod
Copy the whole data\config folder somewhere safe. The two files that matter most are player_cars.xml, the list of every car you can drive, and traffic_cars.xml, which controls the AI traffic around you. If an edit ever goes wrong, putting these two back restores the game in seconds.
Installing a car mod by hand
- Extract the download (
.zip,.raror.7z) into an empty temporary folder. Unlike BeamNG, City Car Driving can’t read the archive itself. - Look inside. A typical car has a
datafolder and anexportfolder, sometimes abinfolder as well, plus a text file with the car’s registration code. - Copy those folders into the game folder. When Windows says the folders already exist, merge them and replace the files.
- Open
data\config\player_cars.xmlin your editor and paste the code from the text file where the readme tells you to, usually as a new block next to the other car entries. Save the file. - Start the game, open the car selection and switch to the Custom section.
Some packages save you step 4. The BMW X6M Competition, for example, comes with its registration code already entered, which usually means it brings its own player_cars.xml. For your very first mod, letting it replace yours is fine. If you already have other mod cars, don’t overwrite blindly: open both files and copy only the new car’s block into your existing player_cars.xml. Otherwise every car you added earlier vanishes from the list.
A few cars, like the BMW M850i xDrive, also include an optional “fix” folder for texture problems. Leave it alone unless the car actually shows the issue the readme describes.
The Steam Workshop route
If you own City Car Driving on Steam, the Workshop is the easiest option of all: subscribe to a car on its Workshop page, start the game and it appears in the Custom section. The catch is that it only covers cars someone uploaded to the Workshop. Everything else, including most of the cars on CrashMods, is installed by hand as described above. You can use both methods side by side.
What about the CCD Mod Installer?
Older guides often point to an automatic tool, the CCD Mod Installer, which edits player_cars.xml for you. It was made for version 1.5.0, so with cars built for 1.5.9.2 the manual method is the safer bet, and you always know exactly what changed. If you do use it and get an error about editing player_cars.xml, run it as administrator and check that your antivirus isn’t blocking it.
Traffic mods
Traffic packs change the cars that drive around you rather than your own. They’re copied into the game folder the same way, but instead of player_cars.xml they change traffic_cars.xml in data\config. Most of them replace that file completely, so back it up first and expect any earlier traffic changes to be overwritten.
Removing a car
To take a car out of the game, open player_cars.xml and delete that car’s block. The car disappears from the Custom list. Its files can stay in export without doing any harm, or you can delete what the mod added. If anything goes wrong, copy your backup of data\config back over.
Common mistakes
- Copying the archive’s top folder instead of its contents. The game expects
City Car Driving\data, notCity Car Driving\Mercedes E300\data. - Broken XML. One missing bracket or closing tag in
player_cars.xmlcan wipe out the whole custom car list. Paste carefully and keep that backup. - Overwriting player_cars.xml with a new mod’s copy and losing every car you added before.
- Cars for the wrong version. Stick to mods made for the version you play.
- Editing without admin rights. The change may never be saved where the game looks for it.
Quick troubleshooting
A car that doesn’t appear at all almost always means a missing or broken entry in player_cars.xml. A car that appears but crashes the game when you pick it usually has files missing from export, or was made for another version. Black or white textures often point to a version mismatch, which is exactly what those optional fix folders are for. And if your entire custom list is suddenly empty, restore player_cars.xml from your backup and add the cars back one at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to unpack City Car Driving mods?
Yes. Extract the archive first, then copy the folders inside it into the game folder. The game doesn’t read zipped mods.
Do car mods replace the standard cars?
Most car mods on CrashMods are added as new cars in the Custom section, so the standard fleet stays as it is. Traffic packs are the exception: they do change what drives around you.
Does it matter whether I have the Steam version?
Only for the Workshop. The folder layout is the same in the Steam and standalone versions, so manual installs work in both.
Are these mods free?
Yes. Every City Car Driving mod on CrashMods is a free download, and each file is scanned with VirusTotal before it’s published.
Find your next car in the City Car Driving mods collection, or browse the cars and other mods directly.
