I still remember the first time a Tyger Claw pickup tried to turn me into road paste in Night City. It was 2026, long after the 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty had permanently changed Cyberpunk 2077, and I thought I could just drive away. I was wrong. Vehicle combat is not a side activity anymore. It is a core language of the streets, and if you do not speak it, you get flatlined between stoplights. So I practiced. I died. I reloaded. Eventually, I became the kind of merc who can shoot a scav from the passenger seat while weaving through traffic. Here is everything I wish I had known from the start.

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Shooting from the Driver or Passenger Seat

The first lesson is simple: you do not have to choose between driving and fighting. In Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, after the 2.0 update, you can draw handguns and submachine guns while behind the wheel or riding shotgun. The game locks onto enemy vehicles automatically, which means you can focus on not crashing into a noodle stand. That auto-lock is a lifesaver. I am not a pro with a controller, and manual aiming while driving would have ended with my car wrapped around a neon sign.

If you are driving, tap Y or Triangle, depending on your console, to draw your weapon. Hold LT or L2 to aim. Press RB or R1 to shoot. X or Square reloads. B or Circle holsters. You can use consumables by pressing the Up button on the D-pad. In the passenger seat, the rhythm changes. Hold LT or L2 to aim, then shoot with RT or R2. Reload with X or Square, and tap Up on the D-pad for consumables. The shoot button swaps back to normal when you are riding shotgun, which took me an embarrassing number of explosions to remember.

Seat Draw Weapon Aim Shoot Reload Holster Consumable
Driver Y / Triangle LT / L2 RB / R1 X / Square B / Circle D-pad Up
Passenger — LT / L2 RT / R2 X / Square — D-pad Up

Precision Shots and the Art of Ramming

Sometimes a stream of bullets is not enough. You can land precise shots on specific parts of an enemy car and instantly disable it. I learned this the hard way after wasting a full magazine on an armored SUV. Then I hit the right spot, and the whole thing spun out like a drunk Roomba. Do not hesitate to aim for different areas. The game rewards curiosity, and a disabled car is one less problem.

Ramming is another brutal option. Slamming into enemy vehicles can take them out instantly, but you and your ride will take damage too. That trade-off used to terrify me. Then I discovered perks. With the right build, ramming becomes a legitimate strategy instead of a suicide attempt. You can mitigate the damage, boost your own collision damage, and even protect yourself as an occupant. It turns your car into a weapon, not just a getaway vehicle.

The Vehicle Perks That Changed Everything

Every attribute in Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty has one vehicle perk, and each one can reshape how you fight on the road. I have tried them all, and I still mix and match depending on my mood.

Body: Fury Road

  • In vehicle collisions, deal +50% damage to enemy vehicles and their occupants.

  • In vehicle collisions, your car takes -50% damage.

  • In vehicle collisions, you, as an occupant, receive no damage.

This is the perk for people who think braking is a suggestion. I once cleared a whole convoy by playing bumper cars with a smile. It is chaotic, beautiful, and deeply effective.

Reflexes: Stunt Jock

  • Unlocks new ways to exit a vehicle: double tap B or Circle to jump out, hold B or Circle to slide out.

  • You can fire weapons during these motions.

  • When driving, you gain no bullet spread penalty from movement.

  • -50% bullet spread overall.

Stunt Jock made me feel like an action hero. Jumping out of a moving car while shooting a pistol is not practical in real life, but in Night City it is a Tuesday.

Technical Ability: Gearhead

  • +33% vehicle health.

  • Vehicle-mounted weapons do +25% more damage.

  • Vehicle-mounted weapons have -0.7 seconds lock-on time.

If you love cars with built-in turrets and missile launchers, this is your perk. Some vehicles in Night City come with their own weaponry, and Gearhead turns them from fun toys into genuine war machines. That faster lock-on has saved me more times than I can count.

Intelligence: Carhacker

  • Unlocks vehicle quickhacks.

  • Lets you remotely take control of a car, set off alarms, or blow them up.

  • Availability depends on the tier of your installed cyberdeck.

Carhacker is the quiet killer. I do not always need to shoot when I can make an enemy car betray its driver. Setting off alarms and watching chaos unfold from a distance never gets old. Just remember that your cyberdeck tier matters. A cheap deck will not give you the best quickhacks.

Cool: Road Warrior

  • Use Sandevistan to slow time while driving.

  • Activate Kerenzikov when aiming and hand-braking at the same time.

  • Gain +25% air damage when the vehicle is drifting or airborne.

Road Warrior is pure style. Slowing time while drifting through a rain-slicked intersection, firing out the window, is the closest I have come to feeling like a legend. The +25% air damage bonus makes every jump and drift count.

My 2026 Verdict

Even in 2026, after all the patches and expansions, vehicle combat remains one of the best reasons to return to Cyberpunk 2077. It is not just a mechanic. It is a mindset. You stop seeing cars as transportation and start seeing them as weapons, shields, and escape routes. You learn to shoot, ram, hack, and drift with equal confidence. And if you are lucky, you survive long enough to enjoy the neon lights.

So if you see me tearing down the highway with a pistol out the window, do not worry. I am not crazy. I am just a player who finally learned how to fight from the driver's seat. 😎