Which ship should you race?

The three stats

• Top speed — how fast you go flat out. Higher is better on tracks with long straights, but fast ships are less nimble.
• Acceleration — how quickly you get back up to speed after a corner, a crash or a hit. Great on twisty, item-heavy tracks.
• Handling — how sharply you turn. High-handling ships thread technical sections and hold tight lines.

The speed stat creates a real top-speed spread, so a high-speed ship genuinely pulls away on the straights — and pays for it with weaker acceleration or handling.

Which to pick

• New? Start with a balanced all-rounder (3/3/3) while you learn the tracks.
• Fast tracks (lots of straights) → a high top-speed ship.
• Technical tracks (tight, twisty) → a high-handling or drift-focused ship.
• Item brawls (you get hit a lot) → high acceleration, so you recover quickly after a spin.

Let the data decide

The best way to choose is to try two or three and see which gets you better finishing places on the tracks you play most. A ship that fits your style beats a ship that looks fast on paper.