Can You Get V‘s Car Back in Cyberpunk 2077?

As an avid Cyberpunk 2077 player, one of the most common questions I‘ve seen from the community is "can you get V‘s car back after it‘s destroyed?"

And I‘m happy to report that yes, you absolutely can regain access to V‘s personal vehicle even if it explodes, gets stolen, or disappears for a while during the game‘s story.

But how exactly DO you get your wheels back in Cyberpunk 2077? And what happens when you lose your main set of car keys initially? Let‘s dive in…

What Happens When You Lose V‘s Car

Early on in Act 2, during the mission "Life During Wartime," V‘s car gets completely totaled in a fiery crash with another vehicle. I still wince watching my beautiful Hella EC-D I360 get crunched!

With your car destroyed, an optional side job called "Epistrophy" also pops up in your journal. This multi-part job from Delamain eventually leads to unlocking repairs for V‘s car – but more on that later.

The immediate impact from losing your car is needing to hoof it on foot more or steal random vehicles to get around Night City. Fast traveling or calling a temporary car from the map works too. But I missed my own ride‘s speed, handling, and style!

Can You Permanently Lose V‘s Car?

The good news is you CANNOT permanently lose V‘s personal car at any point in Cyberpunk 2077. No matter what damage it takes, how long you go without seeing it, or where you leave it last – your car will eventually return fixed up and ready to roll.

Cyberpunk 2077 does track your owned vehicle independently from random cars you "borrow." So you don‘t have to stress about losing your favorite set of wheels for good.

How to Get V‘s Car Back

So if you‘re stuck wondering how to get your car back after the crash in Act 2, here are a few methods to speed up restoring your ride:

Advance Time By Skipping Hours

One trick is to intentionally skip forward time in 6-12 hour chunks. Open your map or character menu and cycle periods of the day. This pushes the invisible timer tracking your car‘s respawn forward too.

Fast Travel or Drive 50+ Meters Away

Fast traveling also advances time automatically. Or you can just hoof it on foot for a distance over 50 meters. This resets spawn points and can summon your car back.

Complete The "Epistrophy" Side Job

This multi-part side job for Delamain eventually rewards you with a free, fully-repaired replacement car. It kicks off right after your original car‘s destroyed too.

I‘d recommend prioritizing "Epistrophy" right away in Act 2 to unlock repairs faster. Just be prepared for a lengthy, 10+ hour job bouncing around Watson and the Badlands.

Finish "Human Nature" in Act 3

Once you reach the "Human Nature" main job in Act 3, completing it also restores your busted up car automatically. The game considers enough time to have passed by then for it to be fixed and returned from the junkyard.

Skip ahead to Act 3‘s main jobs if you get impatient like me! This quest finale serves as a fallback for getting your car back.

How Long Does It Take?

If you prefer not to rush and just let the timer play out, it takes 8-10 hours of active gameplay before you‘ll get the call from the mechanic that V‘s car has been repaired.

The key is KEEP playing or advancing time for at least 8 real-world hours. Don‘t quit to the menu or close the game, which pauses the counter.

What About Nomad/Unique Cars?

If you start the game as Nomad V, the same rules apply for getting your car back from the early desert theft. Continue the "These Boots Are Made for Walkin‘" gig to reclaim your first vehicle.

For other unique cars tied to finishing jobs, you‘ll need to complete the related activity or quest line before obtaining access permanently.

For example, Panam‘s Basilisk off-roader requires finishing her side jobs before gifting you the car after "Queen of the Highway."

Tips For Getting V‘s Car Back Faster

If you don‘t fancy walking everywhere or jacking random cars in the meantime, follow these tips to accelerate getting your own set of wheels again:

• Focus early main/side jobs connected to repairs – Prioritizing content like "Epistrophy" or "Human Nature" directly links to V‘s replacement car
• Let the game run for 8-10 real-world hours – Don‘t exit completely or this pauses your car‘s timer
• Drive 50+ meters away before calling your car – Try resetting stubborn spawn points
• Fast travel to apartments/fixers to skip time – Burns through hours faster

Skipping 23 hours at a time worked well during my playthrough to inch the countdown along too!

Can You Steal & Keep Cars in Cyberpunk 2077?

I know everyone wants to steal and stash awesome rides they find around Night City – but sadly Cyberpunk 2077 still doesn‘t let you keep randomly nabbed vehicles yet.

All cars besides V‘s personal car or earned story/job vehicles will eventually disappear even if hidden in a garage. No way to add them to a permanent collection.

But hey, maybe in DLCs or future updates? We can dream! For now, I take any hot car I find in Cyberpunk 2077 out for joyrides before it vanishes. Gotta indulge my inner boosting chops from my Nomad days!

Ready To Get Your Car Back?

Hopefully this guide gives you a better idea of how to get V‘s car restored after it‘s wrecked during Cyberpunk 2077‘s story.

Just know that with some quest prioritization, waiting, calling, and location resetting you‘ll be speeding around Night City before you know it.

Let me know if you have any other questions getting your favorite ride back! Now get out there, finish those jobs, and start burning rubber again. The streets of NC await, merc!