If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a crash test dummy, you’re in luck: Test Track at Epcot is going to give you the opportunity for just that.
First, you’ll design your own virtual concept car before hopping on board a vehicle called a “SIM car” as its performance is tested on tough terrain, unexpected breaking, tight turns, and more conditions it could run into on the road.
Those who have a need for speed are going to love this ride, too — it races around a track at a speed up to 65 miles per hour, bringing major thrills.
Ready to race? Keep reading for our guide to Test Track.
Test Track Reimagining
Test Track is being reimagined — again. We’re not sure when this will happen, but the ride will receive some type of overhaul with help from Chevrolet.
According to Disney, Imagineers are “reaching back into history for inspiration — from the original World of Motion – and bringing that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of the Test Track attraction.”
Stay tuned for more details. Until then, here’s what you can expect from the current version of Test Track.
Test Track Quick Facts
Description: Test Track gives guests the opportunity to see what kind of testing cars go through before they are brought to market.
After designing your own car (complete with fun features that probably wouldn’t be practical on the road today), you will ride around the track and experience vehicle testing including sudden stops, exposure to cold and heat, and a speedy finale that will allow you to feel the wind in your hair. At the end, you’ll get to see how the car you designed would have performed.
Location
You can find Test Track in World Discovery (formerly known as Future World) between Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Mission: SPACE. Here’s the location on the map.
How to Ride Test Track
There are plenty of options when it comes to riding Test Track. Not only is there both a Standby Line and a Lightning Lane available, but this is also one of the few rides that offers a Single Rider Line.
That means you’ll ride separately from your party, and a Cast Member will direct you to sit wherever there happens to be an empty seat. Since many people aren’t willing to split up from the rest of their group, this is a great way to experience the attraction with a much lower wait time than the Standby Line.
Standby waits here can be quite long, especially during busy seasons, so Single Rider is a great option if you’re looking to tour the park as efficiently as possible.
Eligible guests can also ride Test Track during both Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.
Do I Need To Use Genie+ at Test Track?
As one of the few thrill rides in Epcot, Test Track is generally pretty popular with guests, and lines here can get long — often upwards of an hour during the afternoon, when the park is busiest.
That said, it’s a good idea to get a Lightning Lane here with Genie+.
In fact, it might be wise to make Test Track your first Lightning Lane selection of the day, unless riding Frozen Ever After or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is top priority for you, in which case, you might want to choose either of those rides first and then grab a Lightning Lane for Test Track as soon as your window opens up again.
If you can’t get a Lightning Lane for Test Track, we recommend refreshing the app, as more selections may appear throughout the day. Those going the Standby route will likely have the best results heading straight here at park open or riding right before close (and the race around the track is even more fun at night).
For more tips and advice as you plan out your day, check out our touring strategies for Epcot.
Rider Switch/Child Swap
You can use Rider Switch for Test Track, which is Disney’s system that allows guests with small children to take turns riding bigger rides, while another person/people wait with the little one.
There’s plenty to do to keep yourself busy while you wait. The gift shop at the exit to Test Track includes various Chevy cars on display, along with interactive games, and can be a lot of fun to check out (especially for kids who happen to be in a car phase).
There’s also a splash pad not too far away from the ride’s entrance.
What To Expect When You Ride
Queue
Test Track’s queue is both indoors and outdoors, but you’ll spend most of your time inside.
When you walk inside the building, it’s basically like walking into a Chevy commercial — after all, they are the sponsor of the attraction. You’ll see a car on display, along with huge screens, showing off different cars and features.
Things get much more exciting when you enter the Design Studio, which is the interactive part of the queue. Here, you’ll get to step up to a touch screen and create a custom virtual car concept.
You’ll choose all of the various elements of your vehicle, from the color to the wheels to the graphics. You will even get to select your engine type — do you want a Solar Drive, EV Hybrid, or a Plasma Burner? It’s totally up to you.
When you’re done tweaking your design, you can scan your MagicBand or MagicBand+ at the touchpoint to see how your design competes with the SIM Car you’ll be riding in while on the attraction.
Ride Vehicles
The ride vehicles are called SIM cars, and look much like regular cars that we all ride in every day. They even have a windshield, and the seats each have headrests and include handle bars for guests to hold on to if they choose.
Each vehicle has two rows that can fit three people across for a total of six guests in one ride vehicle. Like an actual car, you wear a seatbelt for safety.
Accessibility Information
Guests using a wheelchair or ECV must transfer to the ride vehicle when it’s time to board. Video captioning is available for those with hearing disabilities.
Disney World notes that Test Track is a thrill ride that includes “slippery road surfaces, rapid acceleration, sudden braking, sharp turns, and steeply-banked curves,” warning that those who ride should be free of conditions like high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, or motion sickness that could be aggravated by this attraction.
Expectant mothers are advised not to ride.
PhotoPass/On-Ride Photos
Your photo is taken on Test Track — and it’s always a funny one. Let’s just say there’s no controlling wind-blown hair!
When you ride with a MagicBand or Magic Band+, your PhotoPass photo will automatically be uploaded to your My Disney Experience account.
At the end of the ride, there’s also a touch point for those without a MagicBand to tap their park ticket or Memory Maker card. Your photo will then be added to your account, where it will stay for 45 days. it’s included with the purchase of Memory Maker and can also be purchased individually.
Guests purchasing Genie+ will receive digital downloads of their on-ride photos taken in the park on the day of their purchase, at no additional charge.
If you’re having trouble locating your photo after you ride, a visit to the PhotoPass office might help. In Epcot, you can find it at the Camera Center at the front of the park.
Motion Sickness
Test Track has tight turns, abrupt stops, and can be rough in certain spots. You also race around a circular track at a speed of 65 miles per hour, which may not settle well with certain guests.
For more help figuring out whether or not this ride (and others at Disney World) will exacerbate your symptoms, our guide on motion sickness is filled with information and tips.
On the Ride
If you’re hoping to be surprised by what happens after you board your car for a spin around the track, proceed with caution — there are spoilers ahead!
Shortly after you’ve finished designing your vehicle in the Design Studio (and scan your band or park ticket at the touchpoint right before boarding) it will be your turn to hop into a SIM car. After you’ve passed the seatbelt check, the tests can officially begin.
First, you’ll head up a big hill for the capability test, and the ride will simulate extreme weather and off roading conditions, including plenty of curves and short stops. Watch out for that truck!
The car will be scanned for “fuel efficiency” and “aerodynamic efficiency,” along with other factors, and at the end of each test, the results of the custom cars made by guests in your vehicle will display on screens throughout the ride.
The final test is the best one (in our opinion): Speed, of course. You’ll head around the track, hitting speeds of 65 miles per hour, while getting a pretty sweet view of Epcot (including some backstage areas).
But just as the adrenaline really gets pumping, your car will begin to slow down as the right comes to an end. It’s over already?!
Is Test Track Kid-Friendly?
Test Track is a fun ride and isn’t meant to be “scary.” It’s like going really fast on a highway, but not all little ones may like it.
There are darker areas as you ride through, along with quick turns and abrupt stops. Some children may not like the end, which involves speeding around at 65 miles per hour.
Some kids, especially those who are adrenaline junkies already, might really love this ride, but others may not. For more tips, check out our guide to things that might scare little ones at WDW.
Strollers
If you have a stroller with you, you won’t be able to take it in the queue for Test Track. You can leave it in the designated stroller parking area located right in front of the entrance to the attraction.
Be sure to take any valuables with you before walking away from your stroller, like your phone, wallet, and keys. It may also be wise to cover your stroller with a poncho or rain cover before joining the queue, just in case it happens to rain while you’re inside enjoying the attraction.
History
Test Track actually replaced World of Motion, which showcased the evolution of transportation and operated from October 1982 through January 1996.
After a grand (and delayed) opening, Test Track debuted in 1999 and was originally sponsored by General Motors. When the ride first opened, the vehicles looked like actual test cars, so much so they were even painted yellow with white and black patterns.
However, Test Track closed for an extensive overhaul in April 2021 and didn’t reopen until December of that same year. The updates included Chevrolet taking over as the ride’s sponsor, at which point the ride was officially named “Test Track Presented by Chevrolet.”
This is when the interactive queue was installed, introducing guests to the Design Studio, where they could create their own custom virtual car concept and see how their design compares to the SIM Car in Capability, Efficiency, Responsiveness, and Power.
The ride vehicles themselves were also altered in color and design.
At the 2023 Destination D23 parks panel, Disney announced that Test Track would once again be reimagined. Per Disney, they are “reaching back into history for inspiration — from the original World of Motion – and bringing that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of the Test Track attraction.” The timeline on this reimagining remains unclear.
Other Fun Details
- References to World of Motion, the attraction that Test Track replaced, can be found here. The logo for the old attraction can be found in multiple areas, including the exit sign you see after you ride and on the trash cans in the area.
- While you’re speeding around the track, you’ll see a sign that says “FN2BFRE,” which means “Fun to Be Free” — the name of the World of Motion theme song.
- Multiple Hidden Mickeys are just waiting to be discovered at Test Track. You’ll spot one in the queue. Where you see a bunch of tools out on a table, you’ll also spot three washers in the shape of the mouse himself.
- Each car on Test Track will travel 50,000 miles through the attraction each year.