Step 1 :The acceleration of an object can be calculated using the formula: \(a = \frac{{v_f - v_i}}{{t}}\) where \(a\) is the acceleration, \(v_f\) is the final velocity, \(v_i\) is the initial velocity, and \(t\) is the time.
Step 2 :In this case, the car starts from rest, so \(v_i = 0\). The final velocity \(v_f\) is 12.5 m/s and the time \(t\) is 4.20 seconds.
Step 3 :We can substitute these values into the formula to find the acceleration: \(v_f = 12.5\), \(v_i = 0\), \(t = 4.2\).
Step 4 :Calculating the above values, we get \(a = 2.9761904761904763\).
Step 5 :The acceleration of the car is approximately 2.98 m/s². This value is very close to the second option, so it seems that the correct answer is 2.98 m/s².
Step 6 :Final Answer: The acceleration of the car is approximately \(\boxed{2.98 \, \mathrm{m/s}^2}\).