History Main / InVehicleInvulnerability

** ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'' is a semi-exception, as the various crew members are treated like vehicle subsystems, and if they die the vehicle ability they were responsible for stops working. Volksgrenadiers ordered to attack tanks without using their Panzerfaust will sometimes quip that their only hope is that the rattle of bullets on the hull giving the crew a headache.

* Almost all RTS games follow this rule, for both vehicle crews and units in a transport. ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'' is a semi-exception, as the various crew members are treated like vehicle subsystems, and if they die the vehicle ability they were responsible for stops working.

* Most, but not all vehicles in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' make anyone riding in them invulnerable, although they still take damage from debuffs active on them while they entered. This is particularly odd with the Demolisher, as both the driver and his two passengers are completely exposed (and the passengers can even use their normal attacks and spells). The few vehicles that avert this trope are not used in PvP and monsters will generally only attack the vehicle, which does the damage.

* In the ''{{Mercenaries}}'' games, you take no damage while in a vehicle, so if you're badly wounded it's usually a good idea to hop into the nearest car and let it soak damage while your character slowly heals. Of course, when the car hits about 20% health, it catches fire and starts "bleeding" health until it [[StuffBlowingUp blows up]] when it hits 0%, so don't sit in there ''too'' long...

** Space combat in the ''[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}} Rogue Trader]]'' RPG works similarly; ships can suffer "damage" to their crew population as well as their hull integrity and [[SubsystemDamage specific systems]]. The player characters are generally held to be immune, though, as it would take a serious DiabolusExMachina for them to be hit at such a scale (and would be nigh-instantly fatal).
* Played straight in ''AllPointsBulletin''. The only exception happens when you lean out to fire as a passenger - then, you're fair game. Especially to FriendlyFire from other passengers.

** Averted in [[VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy first game]]. Taking hit while on vehicle damages you, though inexplicably the Zoomer is destroyed/Flut Flut faints if ''Jak's'' health decreases to zero.
** Played straight in ''Videogame/JakIIRenegade''. Made jarring by the fact it applies even for a type of vehicle that is quite similar to the one in the first game. This goes both ways though, because if you activate Invulnerability cheat from menu the vehicle still can be destroyed and in case of some vehicles it still means an instant Game Over, which is especially painful for one certain mission at Drill Platform on Hero Mode.

* In the ''VideoGame/Borderlands'' series, vehicles do not take damage from collisions and a player sitting in a vehicle will not take damage themselves. However, the explosion resulting from a completely damaged vehicle can hurt the player.

* ''Franchise/JakAndDaxter'':

* ''SteelBattalion'' will not have the pilot injured from concussion no matter how many times the VT gets shaken, slammed, and/or knocked down. However, pilots can still die in their [=VTs=] if they asphyxiate from keeping them shut down too long. Yes, like all other pilot deaths such as not ejecting when your VT is about to explode or flood, this counts as a FinalDeath.

* ''TheSaboteur'' follows this trope to the letter. Unfortunately, being in a vehicle also prevents you from regenerating any health you may have lost before entering the vehicle.

* ''{{Trackmania}} Nations'' is a bad, bad offender. This is the game where cars can go Mach 5, crash into the pavement, ''remain airborne for half a minute after the crash'', land on four wheels, and move on as if nothing has happened.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', taking out D.Va requires the enemy to first destroy her hulking MiniMecha, and then deal with the fast-moving, armed pilot herself. SnipingTheCockpit does extra damage ''to the mech'', equivalent to a headshot, but doesn't reduce the pilot's health at all; she always gets out at full health.

* Fully [[AvertedTrope averted]] in ''[[VideoGame/{{Driver}} Driv3r]]''. Crashing into things damages you. It's entirely possible to kill yourself by crashing into a wall. Or, if you've been shot a couple of times before getting into the car, just by backing into another car trying to get out of a parking space.

* The TwistedMetal series. Mr. Grimm even manages to ''lose an arm'' when he's damaged on his motorcycle but still goes on. Then again, he is [[spoiler: undead.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', taking out D.Va requires the enemy to first destroy her hulking MiniMecha, and then deal with the fast-moving, armed pilot herself. SnipingTheCockpit does extra damage, equivalent to a headshot, but doesn't reduce the pilot's health at all; she always gets out at full health.

Contrast SnipingTheCockpit.

* Justified in any ''VideoGame/FormulaOne'' game. In RealLife F1, it's probably difficult to seriously injure yourself if you were trying on most modern circuits.
** As demonstrated by Richard Hammond in ''VideoGame/TopGear'', though, it's insanely easy to injure yourself due to exhaustion and the incredible G-forces generated by acceleration, turning, and braking.

* The same applies to the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series, although the second game onwards lets people clearly damage and outright destroy vehicles. However, vehicles NEVER explode and become unusable unless the occupants die first.

* Almost all RTS games follow this rule, for both vehicle crews and units in a transport. ''CompanyOfHeroes'' is a semi-exception, as the various crew members are treated like vehicle subsystems, and if they die the vehicle ability they were responsible for stops working.

* Inverted in ''SaintsRowTheThird'' once you've gotten all the character upgrades. On foot, you're immune to every form of damage (save for being smacked up by melee weapons), up to and including explosions. Inside a vehicle, if the vehicle blows up, you automatically die.

* ''{{Flatout}}'' tries to be an aversion, [[RuleOfFunny although it's more to see your driver fly like a rag doll]].
* ''RedFaction: Guerrilla''. Even if you are one shot away from death, the moment you get into a vehicle, it takes all the damage which comes your way. Don't be inside a vehicle that is [[CriticalExistenceFailure taken to zero hit points]], though: it will explode and hurt or kill you.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''': A Zeppelin shot down over land will drop all its cargo, but they suffer from ''massive'' movement penalties for a short while from "Dizziness". If over deep water though, they're as good as gone. Same goes for ships as well.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''': A Zeppelin shot down over land will drop all its cargo, but they suffer from ''massive'' movement penalties for a short while from "Dizziness". If over water though (and ships not in shallow water), they're as good as gone.

It arrived with the very first racing games, making it OlderThanTheNES.