How to Do Motor & Battery Swap in Forza Horizon 6

TL;DR

• The Motor & Battery Swap is a Car Upgrades Collection Journal challenge worth 10 Discover Japan Points.
• It is not the same as a regular Motor & Battery upgrade — the swap is found under Body Kits and Conversions, not the standard upgrade menu.
• The cheapest car to use is the 2022 Wuling Hongguang Mini EV at around 4,750 Credits from the Autoshow.
• Other confirmed working EVs: 2022 Honda e (28,500 CR), 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, and the BMW iX xDrive50.
• The cheapest swap option on the Mini EV and Honda e is a 235 BHP motor for 20,000 Credits.
• After installing, save the upgrade setup and return to free roam — the journal registers on exit.
• There is a separate Motor & Battery Parts upgrade challenge in the same journal — these are two distinct tasks, not one.

The Motor & Battery Swap is one of the most misunderstood challenges in Forza Horizon 6‘s Collection Journal. It sits under the Car Upgrades category and awards 10 Discover Japan Points on completion — but a huge number of players spend credits on standard motor and battery parts, see nothing happen, and assume the challenge is broken. It is not broken. The swap and the regular upgrade are two completely separate things, hidden in different parts of the upgrade menu, and only one of them counts for the Collection Journal objective. This guide explains the exact path to take and the cheapest way to complete it.

Motor & Battery Swap vs Motor & Battery Upgrade — What Is the Difference?

This is the core source of confusion and it is worth understanding before touching the menu.

Motor & Battery Upgrade — found under the standard Motor and Battery tab in Upgrades and Tuning. This improves individual components of your EV’s existing drivetrain — things like a Sport or Race battery pack, or an upgraded motor unit within the same powertrain architecture. Installing these parts completes a separate Collection Journal task called Motor & Battery (worth 5 points), but does not complete the Motor & Battery Swap challenge.

Motor & Battery Swap — found under Body Kits and Conversions in the Custom Upgrade menu. This is a full powertrain conversion — a complete replacement of the EV’s motor and battery with a higher-output system. It is the electric equivalent of an engine swap on a combustion car. This is the one that completes the 10-point Collection Journal challenge.

The naming is similar enough that players confuse them constantly. The menu locations are completely different. Go straight to Body Kits and Conversions and ignore the standard Motor and Battery tab for this specific challenge.

Which Cars Support the Motor & Battery Swap?

Not all electric vehicles in FH6 support the Motor & Battery Swap conversion. Most EVs in the game only have the standard motor and battery upgrade tab and will not show the swap option under Body Kits and Conversions at all. Using a car that does not support the swap means you will never see the option no matter how long you look.

These are the confirmed cars that support the Motor & Battery Swap:

• 2022 Wuling Hongguang Mini EV — cheapest option at approximately 4,750 Credits. Cheapest swap motor costs 20,000 Credits (235 BHP).
• 2022 Honda e — costs 28,500 Credits from the Autoshow. Same two swap options as the Mini EV: 235 BHP at 20,000 CR or 670 BHP at 75,000 CR.
• 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N — also confirmed. The IONIQ 5 N is notable because it can complete both the Motor & Battery Parts upgrade and the Motor & Battery Swap in a single session using the same car, which saves buying two different vehicles.
• BMW iX xDrive50 — confirmed working. Swap options start at the 670 BHP motor (75,000 CR) and go up to a 1,893 BHP option at 100,000 CR. More expensive but useful if you want the performance benefit alongside the journal tick.
• GMC Hummer EV — also confirmed by community testing.

For pure journal completion at the lowest possible credit cost, the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is the pick. It is the cheapest EV in the Autoshow and its base swap motor is the most affordable option. You will spend roughly 25,000 Credits total — 4,750 for the car plus 20,000 for the swap.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Complete the Motor & Battery Swap

Step 1 — Buy a Compatible EV

Open the main menu and go to Cars → Autoshow → Electric to filter by electric vehicles. Find and purchase the 2022 Wuling Hongguang Mini EV for the cheapest route. If you already own one of the other compatible EVs listed above, skip this step and use your existing car.

You can also check the Auction House for the Mini EV if it is not immediately available in the Autoshow rotation — it tends to appear at low buyout prices given how little demand it sees as a racing vehicle.

Step 2 — Open Upgrades and Tuning

With the compatible EV selected in your garage, go to:

• Cars → Upgrades and Tuning → Custom Upgrade

This opens the full upgrade menu for your car. Do not select the standard Upgrades option — you need Custom Upgrade specifically to access the Body Kits and Conversions section where the swap is located.

Step 3 — Navigate to Body Kits and Conversions

Inside Custom Upgrade, scroll through the category list and select Body Kits and Conversions. This is where the Motor & Battery Swap option lives — not under Motor and Battery in the drivetrain section.

Once you are in Body Kits and Conversions, look for the Motor and Battery Swap option in the list. On the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV and Honda e, two swap options will appear:

• 235 BHP motor — 20,000 Credits (recommended for pure journal completion)
• 670 BHP motor — 75,000 Credits (for performance purposes)

Select either one. The journal credit requires any swap installation — the power output does not matter for completion purposes.

Step 4 — Install the Swap and Save

Select your chosen swap option and press the menu button on controller (the button to the right of the Xbox/guide button) to add it to your basket, then press it again to confirm the purchase and install the parts.

Once installed, save the upgrade setup before exiting. Do not just back out without saving — the Collection Journal registers the completion when you save and return to the upgrade list or exit to free roam. If you back out without saving you may need to repeat the process.

Step 5 — Return to Free Roam

Exit the upgrade menu and return to the open world. You should see a Discover Japan progress pop-up on the right side of your screen confirming the journal entry is complete. The Motor & Battery Swap challenge awards 10 Discover Japan Points when it registers. If the pop-up does not appear immediately, drive a short distance in free roam and it should trigger.

Why Is My Motor & Battery Swap Not Counting?

If you have installed EV upgrades and the journal is not updating, these are the most common causes:

• You used the wrong menu. Installing parts from the Motor and Battery upgrade tab in the standard drivetrain section does not complete the swap challenge. You must go through Custom Upgrade → Body Kits and Conversions → Motor and Battery Swap.
• You used a car that does not support the swap. Most EVs in FH6 do not have the Body Kits and Conversions swap option. Only the confirmed cars listed above are known to work. If you bought a random EV and the Motor and Battery Swap option does not appear under Body Kits and Conversions, that car does not support the conversion.
• You did not save the upgrade setup. The journal needs you to save the configuration before exiting. Back out of the upgrade screen without saving and the installation may not register.
• The Motor & Battery and Motor & Battery Swap are two separate challenges. Completing one does not tick off the other. You need to do both independently — the regular parts upgrade for the 5-point challenge and the Body Kits and Conversions swap for the 10-point challenge.

Completing Both EV Challenges at Once

The Collection Journal has two separate EV upgrade challenges in the Car Upgrades category:

• Motor & Battery — install any motor or battery upgrade from the standard Motor and Battery upgrade tab. Worth 5 Discover Japan Points.
• Motor & Battery Swap — install a conversion from Body Kits and Conversions. Worth 10 Discover Japan Points.

The most efficient way to complete both in one session is to use the 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. This car supports both the standard Motor and Battery Parts upgrade and the Motor and Battery Swap conversion. Complete the standard upgrade first from the Motor and Battery tab (Race Motor and Battery Parts), then go to Body Kits and Conversions for the swap. Both journal entries register in the same upgrade session on the same car, saving you from buying two separate vehicles.

If you are using the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV for its low cost, you will need a second EV that supports standard motor and battery parts for the other challenge. Any EV with a Race Motor and Battery Parts upgrade available in the standard drivetrain tab works for that one.

What Do Discover Japan Points Do?

Discover Japan Points feed into your Collection Journal stamp progression. Earning enough points advances you through the stamp tiers — Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink, Orange, Purple, and Gold — each of which unlocks the next purchasable house in the game and other perks. The Motor & Battery Swap’s 10-point reward is one of the larger single-task point grants available under the Car Upgrades category.

For the full breakdown of how stamp tiers work, what they unlock, and the fastest ways to earn points across every category, see our Discover Japan stamps guide. And for all the houses each stamp tier unlocks — including their costs, locations, and perks — the all houses locations and perks guide has the complete list.

Should You Keep the EV After the Swap?

If you bought the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV purely for the journal challenge, it has limited use as a racing car in its stock or lightly upgraded form. You can sell it through the how to sell cars guide to recover some credits once the challenge is done.

If you installed the higher-tier swap on a more capable EV like the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N or the BMW iX xDrive50, the result can be a genuinely competitive build. The Motor & Battery Swap effectively replaces the entire powertrain with a higher-output electric system. Instant torque delivery from zero RPM changes how the car accelerates and affects gearing, braking distances, and traction management. The motor sets your power and torque, and because EV power arrives instantly from zero with no torque band to manage, it removes a whole layer of setup decisions that combustion builds require. For building a competitive EV setup after the swap, the tuning guide covers how to work with the instant torque delivery and adjust gearing accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep Building Your Collection Journal

With the Motor & Battery Swap ticked off, you have one of the more awkward Car Upgrades challenges out of the way. For the other upgrade-related journal entries, the Car Mastery skill trees guide covers another major journal category, and the best cars upgrade body kit presets guide helps you get the most out of the customisation system beyond just journal completion.

For everything else in the Collection Journal — achievements tied to exploration, houses, and progression — the achievements and trophy guide maps out every unlock requirement. And if you are low on credits after the swap purchase, see how to earn credits fast and the Wheelspins guide for the quickest ways to rebuild your balance.

For other hidden or confusing features worth knowing about while working through completionist goals, check out our guide on how to visit another player’s estate — another rare achievement that most players miss entirely.

Forza Horizon 6 is available on Xbox, PC via Steam, PlayStation, and via the official Forza website.