The very first Burnout game featured a very low number of only 9 vehicles, named simply after what they were, a theme that carried over to the sequel. The first Burnout did not feature any racing-tuned vehicles or upgraded models, with the exception of the Saloon GT, an upgrade of the standard Saloon. This results in a very small pool of selectable vehicles with not much variety between them.
Vehicles are not given proper statistics in the car select menu. Instead, vehicles are ranked by how difficult they are to control. For example, the Supermini is an "Easy" ranked vehicle, as it is a small car that is easy to control and can weave in and out of traffic effectively. In comparison, the Muscle is a "Hard" ranked vehicle due to being very fast with bad handling. The only vehicles to fall outside of this rating system are the Bus and Tow Truck, which are listed as "Special" vehicles and are not viable for serious races due to their high speed and sluggish movement.
Listing
| Car | Image | Difficulty | Cruising Boosting | Unlock Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratings | ||||
| Bus | 
| 125 mph 141 mph | Win Face Off 4. | |
   
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| Muscle | 
| Hard | 135 mph 149 mph | Initially Unlocked. |
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| Pickup | 
| Hard | 130 mph 141 mph | Initially Unlocked. |
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| Roadster | 
| 133 mph 141 mph | Win Face-Off 1. | |
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| Saloon | 
| Medium | 131 mph 141 mph | Initially Unlocked. |
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| Saloon GT | 
| Hard | 135 mph 149 mph | Win Face-Off 3. |
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| Sports Coupe | 
| Medium | 134 mph 141 mph | Initially Unlocked. |
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| Supermini | 
| Easy | 130 mph 141 mph | Initially Unlocked. |
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| Tow Truck | 
| 134 mph 143 mph | Win Face-Off 2. | |
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| Burnout 1 Vehicles | ||
|---|---|---|
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