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Understeer vs Oversteer: differences between the two and causes

27 March 2025

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When we talk about oversteer and understeer, we’re referring to the handling characteristics of a vehicle and how it responds to the driver’s steering inputs when turning. In other words, when the wheels turn the car more or less than the driver intended.

The issue with this is that it adversely affects overall vehicle stability and traction, and is often an indicator that something isn’t quite right. If you frequently experience understeer or oversteer, you should investigate the cause as quickly as possible.

What is understeer? Meaning + explanation

Understeer vs Oversteer

As the name suggests, understeer is when the car wheels do not turn as sharply as the input given from the steering wheel, which causes problems when cornering as the car will only turn slightly. In this case, it may feel as though the vehicle wants to go straight even though the wheels are turned and you may hear the front wheels screeching as you turn. However, you should resist the urge to turn the steering wheel more as this can reduce road contact further.

What causes understeer?

Understeer is usually the result of a loss of traction at the front wheels, causing them to lock. It is therefore more common for front-wheel and all-wheel drive cars. However, there are many ways that this can happen.

First of all, understeer can occur when the driver enters a corner too quickly or due to hard braking when turning, preventing the front wheels from turning. Other causes may include harsh steering, worn front tyres or incorrect tyre pressures, and a stiff front suspension. You may be able to resolve the issue by reducing your speed when cornering, replacing the tyres, or adjusting the shocks, struts, springs, or anti-roll bar of your car.

What is oversteer? Meaning + explanation

Also known as powersliding or drifting, oversteering is when the rear wheels lose traction before the front wheels causing the vehicle to swing out at the back as it is turning. For example, if you make a sudden left turn, the rear of the vehicle will swing out to the right. It is more common in rear-wheel drive cars than others. It can make the car feel unstable and cause it to spin if left unchecked.

What is oversteer

Due to the danger of understeering and oversteering, modern cars feature electronic (ESC) or cornering stability control systems (CSC) to reduce the risks and prevent the driver from losing control of the vehicle when turning, braking, or manoeuvring.

What causes oversteer?

The car can oversteer as a result of excessively high speeds when turning, incorrect gear selection, aggressive driving, worn rear tyres, strong crosswinds, a stiff rear suspension, and suddenly applying or reducing the vehicle's throttle. To correct oversteer, the driver may be able to countersteer by steering into the skid and gradually releasing the throttle pressure, however, this is tricky to master.

To reduce the risk of oversteer, you should make sure to carefully select gears and downshift as you approach a corner, going easy on the car accelerator pedal and steering wheel.

Understeer vs Oversteer: differences explained

First of all, understeer occurs when the tyres lose grip at the front of the vehicle, while oversteer occurs at the rear of the vehicle. Secondly, understeer causes the vehicle to go straight whereas oversteer causes it to spin on its axis. Oversteer is arguably a lot more difficult to control than understeer and it is far less predictable. It’s for this reason that manufacturers design cars with more of a tendency towards understeering than oversteering.

For the former, you should respond by reducing your speed whereas the latter requires more effort to countersteer and a gradual release of the throttle. In both cases, driving at a moderate speed and maintaining the suspension, steering, and quality vehicle tires properly can prevent steering problems.

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