The effects of car wake on the performance of low-capacity vertical axis wind turbines were studied numerically. A three-blade vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) was designed to obtain wind energy generated from the car wake. Three VAWTs were mounted on the median strip of a two-lane highway. Computational fluid dynamics was performed to evaluate the performance of wind turbines. The speeds of the car and the distance between the turbines (L) were considered the main factors. The velocity of the car varied in the range of 60 km/h to 120 km/h, while L was operated in 2D, 3D, and 4D. The FFT analysis technique was employed to reveal the car wake characteristics. The car wake significantly affects the performance of turbines interns of revolution and power. The power of a low-capacity VAWT attains a maximum value of about 4.8 W at the velocity of 90 km/h. © 2023, Kyushu University. All rights reserved.