Can you drift a front-wheel-drive car?

Not in the strict sense. You can make the rear step out for a moment by lifting off mid-corner, with the handbrake or with weight transfer, but you cannot hold the slide on the throttle: the wheels that drive are the same ones that steer, and accelerating pulls the nose and straightens the car.

How do you drift a front-wheel-drive car?

There is no way to hold it the way a rear-wheel-drive car does. What you see in videos is lift-off oversteer, a handbrake pull or a pendulum flick, and it lasts only as long as the momentum. These are closed-track manoeuvres: on Argentine streets, besides the danger, taking part in an unauthorised skill test with a motor vehicle that endangers people is a crime under article 193 bis of the Penal Code.

For drifting, is front- or rear-wheel drive better?

Rear-wheel drive. It is the layout in which the throttle holds the angle, and the 2026 technical rules of Formula Drift, Drift Masters and the FIA only admit cars driven by the rear wheels.

Can you drift an all-wheel-drive car?

An all-wheel-drive car can slide under power, especially on gravel, but the front axle keeps pulling forward. Drift competitions require converting it to rear-wheel drive. Some road cars have shipped with a Drift mode, such as the 2016-2018 Ford Focus RS, and on the Mercedes-AMG E63 S that mode simply disconnects the front axle.

Do I need a rear-wheel-drive car to learn to drift?

It does not have to be yours. In a TROMPO class you drive the school’s rear-wheel-drive BMW E36 328i, with the instructor beside you, at El Picódromo (Esteban Echeverría, Buenos Aires), Monday to Thursday. You must be 18 to drive.

Oct 3, 20261 min readUpdated: Nov 7, 2026

Drifting a Front-Wheel-Drive Car: What Works, What Doesn't

By Dmitrii McCarthy

Drifting a Front-Wheel-Drive Car: What Works, What Doesn't

This article is currently available in Spanish. The short answer: a front-wheel-drive car can make its rear step out for a moment (lifting off mid-corner, a handbrake pull or a weight-transfer flick), but it cannot hold a drift on the throttle, because the wheels that drive are the same ones that steer, and accelerating pulls the nose straight. All-wheel-drive cars can slide under power, yet the 2026 technical rules of Formula Drift, Drift Masters and the FIA only admit cars driven by the rear wheels. The Spanish version explains each technique, how Argentine rallying groups its classes by drivetrain, the drift modes of some all-wheel-drive road cars, how to check which wheels drive your own car, and why none of this belongs on the street.

Read the full article in the Spanish version.

Frequently asked questions

Can you drift a front-wheel-drive car?: Not in the strict sense. You can make the rear step out for a moment by lifting off mid-corner, with the handbrake or with weight transfer, but you cannot hold the slide on the throttle: the wheels that drive are the same ones that steer, and accelerating pulls the nose and straightens the car.
How do you drift a front-wheel-drive car?: There is no way to hold it the way a rear-wheel-drive car does. What you see in videos is lift-off oversteer, a handbrake pull or a pendulum flick, and it lasts only as long as the momentum. These are closed-track manoeuvres: on Argentine streets, besides the danger, taking part in an unauthorised skill test with a motor vehicle that endangers people is a crime under article 193 bis of the Penal Code.
For drifting, is front- or rear-wheel drive better?: Rear-wheel drive. It is the layout in which the throttle holds the angle, and the 2026 technical rules of Formula Drift, Drift Masters and the FIA only admit cars driven by the rear wheels.
Can you drift an all-wheel-drive car?: An all-wheel-drive car can slide under power, especially on gravel, but the front axle keeps pulling forward. Drift competitions require converting it to rear-wheel drive. Some road cars have shipped with a Drift mode, such as the 2016-2018 Ford Focus RS, and on the Mercedes-AMG E63 S that mode simply disconnects the front axle.
Do I need a rear-wheel-drive car to learn to drift?: It does not have to be yours. In a TROMPO class you drive the school’s rear-wheel-drive BMW E36 328i, with the instructor beside you, at El Picódromo (Esteban Echeverría, Buenos Aires), Monday to Thursday. You must be 18 to drive.

Reading about it is one thing, driving it is another

Try it yourself: 30 min at the wheel, no experience needed. From 300 USD (≈504,000 ARS at the P2P dollar rate), Monday to Thursday. 1-on-1 instructor in a BMW E36 and a 50% deposit to book.

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We reply in minutes · Closed track in the outskirts of Buenos Aires · 1-on-1 class