2013 World Rally Championship

The 2013 FIA World Rally Championship was the 41st season of the World Rally Championship, a rallying championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the highest class of international rallying. The season was run over 13 rallies, starting with the Rallye Monte Carlo on 16 January, and finishing with the Wales Rally of Great Britain on 17 November. Volkswagen entered the series as a constructor with the Polo R WRC, while Ford and Mini ended their factory support for the Fiesta RS WRC and John Cooper Works WRC respectively, though both continued to make their cars available to customer teams.

The 2013 season also marked the first appearances of the Super 2000 and Group N replacement category, Group R. As part of this introduction, the support series – Super 2000, Group N Production Cars and the World Rally Championship Academy – were restructured, with the Super 2000, four-wheel-drive Group R and Group N categories reorganised as the FIA WRC2 Championship, two-wheel-drive Group R categories becoming FIA WRC3 Championship, and the WRC Academy becoming the FIA Junior WRC Championship. An FIA Production Car Cup will also be awarded to a registered entrant in WRC-2 who is driving a Group N car.

Sébastien Loeb started the season as the defending World Champion after securing his ninth consecutive title in 2012. However, Loeb did not return to contest the full 2013 season. Citroën were the defending Constructors' Champions. Both Loeb and Citroën secured their titles at the 2012 Rallye de France Alsace.

Volkswagen Motorsport driver Sébastien Ogier won the Drivers' Championship at the Rallye de France Alsace, after Qatar World Rally Team driver Thierry Neuville failed to score maximum points on the rally-opening power stage. Neuville finished runner-up in the championship, ahead of Ogier's teammate, Jari-Matti Latvala. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Volkswagen Motorsport won the Championship at the Rally de España as Ogier and Latvala finished in the top two placings. Abu Dhabi Citroën Total World Rally Team finished second with Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team in third.

The 2013 calendar was announced at a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Singapore on 28 September 2012. The 2013 championship was contested over thirteen rounds in Europe, the Americas and Oceania.

The following teams and drivers are scheduled to compete in the World Rally Championship during the 2013 season:

The 2013 season will see the introduction of a new rally category, Group R. No new cars will be homologated under the Group A and Group N regulations for production cars, and will instead be reclassified under Group R before being phased out of competition. With the introduction of Group R, the rules for the feeder categories re-written in a bid to boost entries:

After the collapse of promoter North One Sport and parent company Convers Sports Initiatives in early 2012, and being forced to arrange event coverage on an event-by-event basis for most of the 2012 season, the World Rally Championship sought out a new promoter for 2013 in Red Bull House Media.