is the answer to your performance vehicle prayers—with 797 horsepower, you’ll have all the power you need for tearing down the highway. If you’re looking for an off-roading vehicle, though, it’s best to keep searching.

Maybe you’re the type who dreams of climbing a mountain and pitching a tent, or bumping along a deserted beach until you find the perfect surf spot. Either way, you’ll need a great off-road vehicle to get you there. How can you tell which vehicles are best suited for off-roading and which ones are better left to the pavement?

The

car insurance

comparison super app

Jerry

is here to do more than

save you money

—we’re here to break down the off-road specs of the Dodge Hellcat. We’ve got coverage on the basics, like ground clearance and torque, and information on how these factors affect the off-roading experience.

Compare insurance quotes from 50+ insurance companies with Jerry in under 45 seconds

Find Savings!

4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars

4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ drivers

Can the Dodge Hellcat go off-road?

No, it’s best if you keep your Dodge Hellcat on the road. With a muscle car this dedicated to speed and performance, it’s poorly equipped to handle the challenges of off-roading. If you do take your Hellcat onto a rocky trail, you’ll surely be faced with an expensive repair bill.

That being said, if you’re in search of a contemporary muscle car that has absolutely incredible power and performance, the Dodge Hellcat should be your first choice. It starts at $68,125 so it’s definitely an investment, but if you’re a collector enthusiast, you might find the hefty price tag is well worth it.

Why can’t you take the Hellcat off-roading, though? We’ll talk about all the factors that go into making a vehicle suitable for off-roading and what the Hellcat is lacking in comparison.

Ground clearance

Perhaps the most important aspect of off-roading is the vehicle’s ground clearance. This is the measurement between the ground and the lowest point of a vehicle’s chassis. The ground clearance for Dodge Hellcat is dependent on the trim level and falls between 4.5 and 5.2 inches.

For context, the best off-roading vehicles have ground clearances between 8.8 and 10.8 inches. Having a high ground clearance enables drivers to handle rough terrain without damaging their vehicle’s undercarriage. The absolute bare minimum ground clearance you should have for off-roading is 8.5 inches, which is nearly twice as much as the Dodge Hellcat—it’s clear to see why taking your Hellcat off-road is a terrible idea.

Torque

Off-roading vehicles need a lot of power at low speeds to get them over obstacles and rough terrain. Ideally, your vehicle will have a high low-end torque—or, a high amount of torque at low RPMs. Torque determines how much turning power your vehicle has, which is far more important than speed when off-roading.

The Dodge Hellcat has a 6.2-liter V8 engine with a max torque of 707 lb-ft @ 4,500 RPM. This is a lot of power, but it’s only fully accessible at high speeds, making it unsuitable for off-roading.

Tires

Your Dodge Hellcat came with P275/40YR20 tires. We’ll break this down if you’re not clear on how that translates to off-road readiness.

These are high-performance tires, which are perfect for sports performance and really “feeling” the road. While these tires offer superior grip, they’re designed for high speeds and lack the durability needed for off-roading as you’d find in

all-terrain tires

Drivetrain

The best drivetrains for off-roading are AWD and 4WD. These drivetrains enable the tires to gain traction independently of one another. This is crucial in case not all the tires are making contact with the ground at the same time.

The Dodge Hellcat has RWD, which provides power to the rear wheels only, leaving the front wheels spinning freely if the rear wheels lose contact with the pavement. This is bad news if you’re off-roading!

Angles

Important angles in off-roading are the approach angle and the departure angle:

Approach angle: The maximum angle at which a vehicle can climb without interference

Departure angle: The maximum angle at which a vehicle can descend without interference

The Dodge Hellcat is so poorly suited for off-roading that Dodge hasn’t taken the time to measure the approach and departure angles. The minimum angle for light off-roading should be 20 degrees, and due to the low ground clearance of the Dodge Hellcat, the approach angle can’t be more than 10 degrees.

Off-road rating: Don’t Try It

We’ve rated the Dodge Hellcat using

Jerry’s

super-technical DIRT rating system, broken down in the table below:

Rating	Meaning	Description
D	Don’t Try It	Vehicles better suited to highway conditions
I	In a Pinch	Vehicles that can handle off-road conditions in certain circumstances
R	Rough and Ready	Vehicles designed for casual off-roading
T	Trail Boss	True off-road vehicles capable of tackling a range of terrain

Are you overpaying for your car insurance?

Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.

Compare Rates Now

No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms

No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms · No fees

4.717k Ratings

5M+Drivers Joined

7M+Cars Garaged

We’re giving the Dodge Hellcat a D rating for off-roading. Surely this is a surprise to no one! The Dodge Hellcat should be one of your first choices for a sporty muscle car that can handle high speeds and performance driving, but it should definitely be at the bottom of your off-roading list.

Some people have had success adding lift kits and heavy-duty off-roading tires, but for the combined price of the Hellcat and add-ons, you’d be better off spending your money on a vehicle designed for off-roading, like a

Toyota 4Runner

Jeep Wrangler

MORE:

The best old-school off-road vehicles

The best alternatives to the Dodge Hellcat

If off-roading isn’t really your thing, you won’t be disappointed by keeping your Dodge Hellcat on the pavement. If you’re looking for high-performance vehicles like the Dodge Hellcat, we’ve got some suggestions.

These are the best alternatives to the Dodge Hellcat:

Alternative	Model	Price	Description
Best affordable alternative	Chevrolet Camaro	$25,000	Though more of a true sports car than a muscle car, the Camaro packs a lot of performance into a modest price tag.
Best for a daily driver	Toyota Supra	$43,190	It might not have as much horsepower as a Hellcat or other competitors, but the Supra will be fun to drive all over town.
Best luxury option	Mercedes AMG C63-S	$76,200	The best blend of performance and luxury on the market, the AMG C63-S still packs a lot of power at 503 hp.

MORE: Cheap off-road trucks

"I’m earning

awesome rewards

every week, just for driving safe!”

How to find affordable car insurance for your Dodge Hellcat

Insuring a vehicle that’s specced out for off-roading is going to be more expensive than if you were rattling around in an old

Honda Civic

—and the same principle holds true for cars tuned for performance, like the Dodge Hellcat.

Saving on insurance doesn’t have to be something you can only dream of—make it a reality with the

Jerry

app. Jerry is a licensed insurance broker that can save you $800 per year or more on your car insurance just by spending a few minutes in an app.

Answer a few questions and let Jerry finesse its network of over 55 insurance companies—you’ll be browsing affordable quotes in less than two minutes. Jerry’s superb agents are standing by in case you need any help and they’ll even assist you in canceling your old policy. That’s service to smile about!

“I was struggling because I wanted great insurance for my new car.
Jerry
was so helpful, and the team answered all of my questions. Now I have the policy type I was looking for!” —Avery W.