A side-by-side and a golf cart look alike, but they are built for different ground. A side-by-side, or UTV, is an off-highway vehicle made for trails, mud and farm work. A golf cart is a low-speed vehicle made for golf courses, paths and planned communities. Choose by where you will drive and what you need to carry.
Key specifications from each manufacturer's website, read on 13 October 2026:
| Specification | Club Car Onward 4 Passenger (golf cart) | Honda Pioneer 520, 2026 (side-by-side) | Polaris Ranger 600, 2027 (side-by-side) |
|---|
| Overall width | 48.75 in (49.5 in lifted) | 50.0 in | 56 in |
| Ground clearance | 4.5 in (6.4 in lifted) | 8.5 in | 11 in |
| Load rating, as each maker states it | 800 lb vehicle load capacity | 450 lb bed capacity | 500 lb box capacity |
| Towing capacity | None stated | 1,000 lb | 1,500 lb |
| Starting MSRP | None stated | $10,999 | $11,999 plus $1,145 destination |
Prices are each maker's listed base MSRP. Polaris excludes destination, tax, title, license and registration; Honda lists the Pioneer 520's destination charge as not yet set. Club Car's specification page gives no price or towing figure.
We compared one golf cart with two lower-priced utility side-by-sides, using only what each manufacturer publishes. The Club Car Onward 4 Passenger, the 2026 Honda Pioneer 520 and the 2027 Polaris Ranger 600 were chosen because their makers publish width, clearance and load figures on their own websites. We read those pages on 13 October 2026, along with the federal rule that defines low-speed vehicles and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's guidance on off-road vehicles.
The comparison comes from published data, not test drives. Club Car rates the load the whole vehicle can carry, while Honda and Polaris rate only the cargo bed, so the load figures in the table are not a like-for-like contest.
A golf cart is built for smooth, firm ground, and a side-by-side is built for rough ground. Club Car calls the Onward 4 Passenger a personal transportation vehicle that can be driven "in neighbourhoods and planned communities where PTVs are locally permitted", and says the non-lifted model is also approved for golf courses. Its ground clearance is 4.5 inches, or 6.4 inches on the lifted version.
The two side-by-sides sit much higher: 8.5 inches of clearance on the Honda Pioneer 520 and 11 inches on the Polaris Ranger 600. Both send power to all four wheels when needed: Honda's front locking differential lets the driver choose 2WD or 4WD, and Polaris uses on-demand AWD. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says off-road vehicles "are designed to be driven only on off-road terrain, not paved surfaces."
Width matters if you ride trails. The Pioneer 520 is 50 inches wide, and Honda says that width suits narrow trails and fits in most full-size pickup beds. The Ranger 600 is 56 inches wide. You can browse both types side by side in the ATV and side-by-side listings on Searchshop.
Speed decides which rules apply to a small four-wheeler on public streets. Federal rules define a low-speed vehicle (LSV) as a four-wheeled motor vehicle whose top speed is more than 20 mph and not more than 25 mph on a paved level surface, with a gross vehicle weight rating under 3,000 pounds.
Federal Standard No. 500 requires every LSV to have equipment including headlamps, turn signals, tail lamps, stop lamps, reflectors, mirrors, a parking brake, a windshield, a vehicle identification number and a seat belt at each seat. The Onward 4 Passenger sits below that speed band: Club Car rates the Onward 4 Passenger at 19 mph on level ground. Club Car sells a separate street-legal version, the Onward LSV 4 Forward, rated at 25 mph.
Side-by-sides are treated differently. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it is "extremely dangerous" to use ATVs and ROVs on paved roads, and that "even if a locality allows ATVs and RTVs on paved roads, CPSC strongly recommends not using them on paved surfaces."
Local rules vary widely, and some towns group both vehicles together. In Braidwood, Illinois, for example, the city's FAQ treats golf carts and side-by-sides the same: both may use only municipal streets under the city's jurisdiction, the driver needs a valid license and insurance, and the vehicle needs equipment such as seat belts, lights, turn signals and a slow-moving vehicle emblem. Check with your city, county and state before driving either one on a public road.
Side-by-sides are the better tool for hauling and towing. The 2026 Honda Pioneer 520 has a tilt bed rated at 450 pounds and a towing capacity of 1,000 pounds. The 2027 Polaris Ranger 600 has a gas-assist dump box rated at 500 pounds and tows up to 1,500 pounds with a standard 2-inch hitch. Polaris also offers a Turf Mode that unlocks the rear differential for tighter turns on lawns.
The Club Car Onward 4 Passenger is built mainly to carry people. Club Car rates its vehicle load capacity at 800 pounds and says the flip-down rear seat converts into a cargo deck for gear, groceries or equipment. Club Car's specification page lists no towing capacity.
The Onward golf cart offers a choice of gas or battery power. The Onward 4 Passenger comes with a 429cc Kohler gas engine rated at 14 horsepower, lead-acid batteries, or lithium-ion batteries. The Pioneer 520 uses a 518cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine with a five-speed automatic transmission, and the Ranger 600 uses a 44-horsepower engine.
Club Car estimates first-year range for the non-lifted Onward 4 Passenger at about 20 to 40 miles with flooded lead-acid batteries, 20 to 35 miles with its standard lithium-ion pack, and 35 to 55 miles with its extended-range lithium-ion pack. After four years, Club Car estimates the lead-acid version drops to about 5 to 15 miles, while the extended-range lithium version holds about 30 to 50 miles. Club Car says its lithium-ion batteries need no watering or terminal maintenance.
Both vehicles need care, and the safety advice for side-by-sides is especially specific. The Consumer Product Safety Commission tells side-by-side riders to wear a helmet, always fasten seat belts, keep every part of the body inside the vehicle, and never carry more passengers than there are seat belts or carry anyone in the cargo bed.
Honda recommends the Pioneer 520 for drivers 16 years of age and older, and fits it with three-point seat belts, doors with side nets and a rollover protection structure that Honda says meets ISO's rollover protection standard. On the golf cart side, the Onward 4 Passenger uses rear mechanical drum brakes, while Club Car's street-legal Onward LSV 4 Forward uses four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.
The two utility side-by-sides start at $10,999 and $11,999 before fees. Honda lists the 2026 Pioneer 520 at a base MSRP of $10,999, with the destination charge not yet set on its page. Polaris lists the 2027 Ranger 600 at $11,999 plus a $1,145 destination charge. Polaris says its price excludes destination, tax, title, license and registration.
Club Car's two Onward specification pages read for this article give no prices, so dealer listings are the place to compare golf cart prices in your area.
Buy a golf cart if most of your driving is on paved paths, a golf course or streets in a community that permits golf carts, and you mainly move people. Buy a side-by-side if you need to cross rough ground, haul loads in a bed, tow a trailer or ride trails.
- Neighborhood or course trips, mostly people: a golf cart such as the Onward 4 Passenger, or an LSV version if you need 25 mph and street-legal equipment where your state allows LSVs.
- Property work on grass and dirt: a utility side-by-side such as the Pioneer 520 or the Ranger 600.
- Narrow trails or a pickup bed for transport: check overall width first; the Pioneer 520 is 50 inches wide.
To compare utility models in more depth, read our Honda Pioneer vs Polaris Ranger comparison, the best side-by-sides for the money, the side-by-side buyer's guide and our ATV vs UTV guide. When you are ready, shop side-by-sides and golf carts from dealers on Searchshop.
No, a golf cart and a UTV are different vehicles. A UTV, or utility side-by-side, is an off-highway vehicle built for rough terrain; the Honda Pioneer 520, for example, has 8.5 inches of ground clearance, selectable 4WD and a 450-pound cargo bed. A golf cart is a low-speed vehicle for golf courses and paved paths; the Club Car Onward 4 Passenger, for example, has 4.5 inches of ground clearance and a 19 mph top speed.
Golf cart top speeds are set by each maker, and Club Car rates the Onward 4 Passenger at 19 mph on level ground. Its street-legal low-speed vehicle version, the Onward LSV 4 Forward, is rated at 25 mph, the top of the federal low-speed vehicle range of more than 20 and not more than 25 mph.
Whether a golf cart can be driven on the street depends on state and local law. Federal rules set equipment requirements, such as lights, mirrors, a windshield and seat belts, for low-speed vehicles that reach more than 20 mph and not more than 25 mph. Some towns also allow ordinary golf carts on certain streets with listed equipment, so check with your local authorities first.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises against driving a side-by-side on paved roads. It says off-road vehicles are designed for off-road terrain only, that the risk of collision and tip-over rises on pavement, and that it strongly recommends staying off paved surfaces even where a locality allows them.
- Club Car Onward 4 Passenger specifications
- Club Car Onward LSV 4 Forward specifications
- Honda Powersports, 2026 Pioneer 520
- Polaris, 2027 Ranger 600
- 49 CFR 571.3, definition of low-speed vehicle
- 49 CFR 571.500, Standard No. 500, low-speed vehicles
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, ROV Safety Information Center
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Gear Up, Limit Riders and Keep ATVs and ROVs Off Roads" (2021)
- City of Braidwood, Illinois, golf cart and side-by-side FAQ
