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Rank Guides8 min readupdated

Gran Turismo 7 Driver Rating Explained: DR and SR from E to S

GT7 Sport Mode in 2026: Driver Rating (DR) and Sportsmanship Rating (SR) from E to S, point thresholds, matchmaking, championship leagues and tips for clean racing.

* Ad link: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links go to Amazon.de – the price stays the same for you.

Contents
  1. What DR and SR measure
  2. All DR grades in order
  3. How you gain and lose DR
  4. All SR grades and what costs you
  5. Why SR matters more than DR
  6. Championship leagues
  7. Qualifying in Daily Races
  8. Tips for better DR and SR
  9. Recommended hardware
  10. FAQ
  11. Sources

Sport Mode in Gran Turismo 7 gives you two ratings: the Driver Rating (DR) and the Sportsmanship Rating (SR). DR shows how fast you are. SR shows how cleanly you race. Both run in letters from E to S, and the game uses both for matchmaking.

This guide covers every grade, how you gain and lose points, why SR matters more than most players think, and how championship leagues are split. Status: 2 November 2026, based on the official GT7 manual and Polyphony Digital's Sport Mode announcements. Polyphony does not publish exact point values; the numbers below come from the community and are marked as such.

What DR and SR measure

Polyphony Digital introduced both ratings with GT Sport's Sport Mode and carried them over to GT7. The official explanation is short:

  • DR (Driver Rating) shows how fast a player is. It depends on your results against the other drivers in the race.
  • SR (Sportsmanship Rating) shows how well-mannered you are during a race. Contact, cutting corners and penalties cost SR, clean laps earn it.

According to the manual, your performance and results in Daily Races affect both ratings. In championship races, DR changes even more according to Polyphony. The game shows your current grade in your status in Sport Mode.

All DR grades in order

Rank orderhighest rank on top
  1. 07 DR S stars of the Gran Turismo World Series
  2. 06 DR A+ 50 · 000 points and up*
  3. 05 DR A 30 · 000–49 · 999 points*
  4. 04 DR B 10 · 000–29 · 999 points*
  5. 03 DR C 4 · 000–9 · 999 points*
  6. 02 DR D 0–3 · 999 points*
  7. 01 DR E starting grade · fewer than 5 races
Rank Tiers
DR E starting grade, fewer than 5 races
DR D 0–3,999 points*
DR C 4,000–9,999 points*
DR B 10,000–29,999 points*
DR A 30,000–49,999 points*
DR A+ 50,000 points and up*
DR S stars of the Gran Turismo World Series

*Community values (Coach Dave Academy, GTPlanet), not official. The game only shows the letter, not the points.

Every new driver starts at E. Sony said so back when Sport Mode launched in GT Sport. According to Coach Dave Academy, you stay at E for your first five races before moving onto the points scale. You can't reach S through points alone; it's reserved for participants of Gran Turismo World Series live events.

The DR cap was raised in 2025

According to GTPlanet, the DR points cap was first 75,000 and from April 2020 100,000. With the January 2025 update, Polyphony raised it again without revealing the new value. At the same time, points in championship races now change more than in Daily Races. That has officially applied since the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 Nations Cup (Exhibition 1, from 22 January 2025). A championship can move you up or down much faster.

How you gain and lose DR

DR works like an Elo rating. According to GTPlanet and Coach Dave Academy, the game treats each race as many duels at once: you take points from every driver who finishes behind you and give points to everyone who finishes ahead.

How much you get per duel depends on the gap between your ratings:

  • Beat someone with a higher DR and you get more points.
  • Beat someone with a lower DR and you get fewer.
  • Lose to a lower-rated driver and you lose more.

In a full lobby (up to 16 drivers according to Coach Dave Academy) that's 15 duels per race. Fifth place in a strong lobby can be worth more than a win in a weak one.

All SR grades and what costs you

SR grade Points (community values)
S 80–99
A 65–79
B 40–64
C 20–39
D 10–19
E 0–9

Source for the points is Coach Dave Academy; in game you only see the letter.

SR does not depend on your finishing position. According to Coach Dave Academy, it rises with every sector you complete without an incident. These cost SR:

  • Contact with other cars
  • Cutting track limits
  • Penalties the game hands out
  • Quitting a race before it ends

Why SR matters more than DR

It sounds odd at first, but it's the key point of this guide. Back at Sport Mode's launch, Sony explained that a poor SR limits your DR progress. According to Coach Dave Academy, your DR grade can't be higher than your SR grade. With SR B you won't reach DR A, no matter how fast you are.

Matchmaking adds to that. According to Coach Dave Academy, the game groups lobbies by SR first and DR second. With a low SR you end up with drivers who make contact a lot themselves. That makes clean races harder and costs even more SR.

So the order is: get SR to S first, then chase DR.

Championship leagues

In championships such as the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup of the Gran Turismo World Series, the official manual says you're placed into a league automatically based on DR:

League DR grades
GT1 League S, A+, A
GT2 League B
GT3 League C, D, E

Your league stays the same until the season ends. If you rank up mid-season, you still finish the championship in the league you started in. In the Manufacturers Cup you also sign a contract with one manufacturer and drive its Group 3 or Group 4 car all season.

If you enter several championship races, the manual says only the points from the last race you take part in count.

Qualifying in Daily Races

In Daily Races, the qualifying time trial decides your grid slot. If you don't set a qualifying time, the manual says you start behind all drivers with a time, ordered by DR. One clean lap is enough to avoid the back of the grid, where most first-corner crashes happen.

Tips for better DR and SR

  • Always set a qualifying time. Starting further up means less traffic in turn 1 and less risk to your SR.
  • Take lap one calmly. Losing a position beats risking contact. SR is harder to win back than a place.
  • Keep your distance. Any contact can cost SR.
  • Never quit mid-race. Even if it's going badly: quitting costs SR.
  • Cable over Wi-Fi. The manual recommends a LAN cable on your PS5 or PS4 if your connection is slow. A lag bump counts the same as a real one.
  • Learn the track first. Use qualifying to learn the braking points before you go racing.

You can drive Gran Turismo 7 with a controller. A force feedback wheel, though, lets you feel when the tyres lose grip, which helps with clean driving. More in our racing wheel buying guide and racing cockpit buying guide. Three example products for PlayStation (specs from the manufacturer or the Amazon listing, not our own tests):

Example model

Entry-level force feedback: Thrustmaster T128

Platform
PS5, PS4, PC (Windows 10/11)
Drive
Hybrid Drive (belt + gears)
Rotation
270–900 degrees
Pedals
T2PM, 2 pedals, magnetic
Mounting
desk clamp

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Example model

More torque and three pedals: Thrustmaster T248R

Platform
PS5, PS4, PC
Torque
3.1 Nm (48 W continuous power)
Rotation
180, 360, 540, 900 degrees or AUTO
Pedals
T3PM, 3 pedals, Hall effect sensors
Extras
colour LCD, 25 action buttons

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Example model

Hitting your braking points: Thrustmaster Raceline Pedals III LC

If you want to race cleanly and consistently, a load cell brake can help with braking points: according to Thrustmaster, the sensor measures pressure instead of pedal travel. The Raceline Pedals III LC connect to Thrustmaster wheel bases such as the T128 or T248R, and per Thrustmaster support a servo base must be set to T3PA mode. More on load cells, kg ratings and alternatives in the sim racing pedals buying guide.

Platform
PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox (via Thrustmaster wheel base)
Brake
load cell, 100 kg range, 25–100 kg adjustable
Pedals
3, throttle and clutch with Hall effect sensors

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Example model

No cockpit needed: Next Level Racing Wheel Stand Lite 2.0

No room for a fixed cockpit, and the desk clamp slips under heavy braking? A foldable wheel stand holds the wheel and pedals in place while you sit on your own chair. According to Next Level Racing it fits wheel bases up to 10 Nm, which includes the T128 and T248R. More options in the racing cockpit buying guide.

Type
wheel stand, foldable
Wheel base
up to 10 Nm
Driver height
150–210 cm
Extras
chair cradle, shifter plate

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More rank guides: iRacing licenses, EA FC 27 Rivals divisions and Rocket League ranks.

FAQ

What do DR and SR mean in Gran Turismo 7?

DR is the Driver Rating and measures your speed. SR is the Sportsmanship Rating and measures how cleanly you race. Both go from E to S.

What is the highest Driver Rating in GT7?

Through points you can reach A+ at most. S is reserved for Gran Turismo World Series stars.

How fast does SR go up?

According to Coach Dave Academy, with every sector without an incident. Polyphony doesn't publish a fixed number. Finishing lots of races cleanly is the fastest way up.

Can my DR be higher than my SR?

According to Coach Dave Academy, no. With SR B you're capped at DR B until your SR improves.

Where do DR and SR change the most?

In championship races. Since 2025, Polyphony says DR swings more there than in Daily Races.

Which league do I get with DR B?

The GT2 League. A and above race in GT1, C to E in GT3.

Sources

* Ad link: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links go to Amazon.de – the price stays the same for you.