While most cars aim for timeless design and broad appeal, some vehicles miss the mark so spectacularly that they become infamous. Forget about the gleaming classics at concours events; we’re diving into the world of automotive mishaps, the tragically styled cars that are solely remembered for being, well, ugly. Buckle up as we explore 100 of the car industry’s biggest design blunders, presented in no particular order, showcasing some of the Ugliest Cars to ever disgrace the roads.
2010 Porsche Panamera: Yes, it’s become more aesthetically pleasing over time, but the original Panamera was undeniably awkward. That sloping roof, intended for headroom, resulted in a bizarre, hunchback-like silhouette, making it one of the ugliest cars in Porsche’s otherwise stellar lineup.
2010 Toyota Prius: The poster child for eco-consciousness, the Prius, in its 2010 iteration, resembled a bloated tadpole. Efficiency seemed to come at the cost of any visual excitement, cementing its place among the ugliest cars of the modern era.
2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser: Imagine 1940s styling cues clumsily grafted onto a front-wheel-drive station wagon frame. The PT Cruiser is retro design gone horribly wrong, a strong contender in any ugliest cars competition.
2011 Nissan Leaf: Marketed as a futuristic electric vehicle, the first-generation Nissan Leaf looked more like a giant bubble of chewing gum with door handles. Its design did little to excite, proving that the future of cars didn’t have to be visually unappealing, yet it landed squarely on lists of ugliest cars.
1959 Buick Electra 225: A chaotic clash of 1950s styling excesses, the Electra 225 epitomized tastelessness. Those massive tailfins weren’t just for show; they were weapons-grade chrome, making it a monument to over-the-top design and a frequent entry in discussions about ugliest cars.
1973 Austin Allegro: So bizarre it could have been mistaken for French design, yet it was British Leyland’s most aesthetically challenged creation. The Austin Allegro, with its awkward proportions and even a square steering wheel, became an unfortunate icon of British automotive decline and a staple in lists of ugliest cars.
1959 Ford Anglia: Taking all the questionable aspects of late 1950s American styling and shrinking them onto a tiny British Ford resulted in the Anglia. The roofline’s awkward attempt to meet the rear window is a masterclass in design embarrassment, solidifying its reputation as one of the ugliest cars of its time.
1990 Chrysler Imperial: The once-prestigious Imperial name was tarnished by being slapped onto a stretched, front-wheel-drive K-car chassis, topped off with a ludicrous front end. This Imperial was a car that seemed destined for desert abandonment even before the lease agreements expired, making it a sad chapter in the story of ugliest cars.
1975 Ford Granada: A clumsy imitation of a Mercedes-Benz built on a dated Ford Falcon chassis, the Granada was awkward in every sense. Despite surprisingly strong sales figures back then, it’s now largely forgotten, except perhaps when discussing ugliest cars of the 70s.
1957 Trabant: When East Germany wasn’t busy with other failures, they inflicted the Trabant upon their citizens – a rattling, ugly, and miserable vehicle. Its panels rarely aligned, a testament to its shoddy construction and undeniably ugly aesthetic, earning it a spot among the ugliest cars globally.
1958 Ford Thunderbird: The sleek, classic two-seater Thunderbird morphed into this ungainly four-seater, yet ironically sold incredibly well. While the Soviets launched Sputnik, America countered with this automotive atrocity, a symbol of design gone wrong and a frequent feature in ugliest cars retrospectives.
1990 Chrysler LeBaron Landau: Another K-car derivative, the LeBaron Landau, was essentially a Plymouth Acclaim burdened with a ridiculous grille and a vinyl half-roof that shrunk the rear window. It’s a prime example of how not to add “luxury” and a clear contender for ugliest cars lists.
1973 Oldsmobile Omega: Take a Chevrolet Nova, make it uglier with a split waterfall grille, and you get the Oldsmobile Omega. Unnecessary, unloved, and unattractive, it reflected a certain disregard from GM for its customer base, and is often cited when discussing ugliest cars from the American auto industry.
1959 Ford Fairlane: The somewhat attractive ’57 Ford design crumbled under the weight of a flat nose, clumsy fins, and a goofy roof in the ’59 Fairlane. It was often likened to a Kleenex box on skinny whitewall tires, definitely one of the ugliest cars from Ford’s stable in that era.
2007 Jeep Compass: The questionable idea of a front-wheel-drive Jeep became a truly awful and weak reality with the 2007 Compass. Poorly proportioned, overly detailed, and cheap-looking, it even made the similarly misguided Patriot look almost rugged by comparison, securing its place among the ugliest cars in Jeep’s history.
1977 Dodge Charger: The once-muscular and exciting Charger was transformed into a caricature, dressed in a double-knit leisure suit and forced to compete with the Chevy Monte Carlo. It was a design misstep that seemed to foreshadow Chrysler’s financial troubles, marking it as one of the ugliest cars to bear the Charger name.
1961 Checker Marathon: Brutally bulky and painfully outdated, the Marathon’s ruggedness and utility made it a taxi legend. Sometimes, even being one of the ugliest cars doesn’t matter when functionality takes precedence.
1986 Hyundai Excel: Hyundai’s entry into the US market was a collection of Mitsubishi cast-off parts wrapped in a decidedly plain and unattractive package. Priced at $4,995, it was cheap and, undeniably, one of the ugliest cars available at the time, though it surprisingly paved the way for Hyundai’s later success.
1977 Chrysler LeBaron: Chrysler took the poorly built Plymouth Volare and absurdly tried to make it luxurious with padding. The result? A visual disaster, complete with headlights that appeared to be installed upside down, firmly placing it in the category of ugliest cars.
1971 Mercury Cougar: The once-agile Cougar ballooned into an over-styled mess. Its massive rear bumper threatened to consume the world’s chrome supply, a symbol of design excess and a strong contender for ugliest cars of the early 70s.
1976 Jaguar XJ-S: As the successor to the beautiful E-Type, the XJ-S was Jaguar’s attempt at a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Its flying buttress roof and enormous taillights resembled red plastic salad tongs, a design departure that landed it on many lists of ugliest cars, especially compared to its predecessor.
1965 Rambler Marlin: AMC’s attempt to move upscale involved adding a tapered fastback roof to the boring American, resulting in the dorky Marlin. This design experiment failed to impress, making the Marlin an unfortunate example of ugliest cars from AMC.
2013 GMC Terrain Denali: The brick-shaped Terrain was already visually challenged. Covering the Denali version in shiny plastic only amplified its ugliness. Its blocky design aesthetic cemented its reputation as one of the ugliest cars in the modern SUV market.
1972 Ford Thunderbird: A staggering 214 inches of pure, unadulterated goofy sheet metal. This mega-Thunderbird was essentially a Lincoln Mark IV devoid of any style, a design excess that makes it a strong contender for ugliest cars of the 70s.
1986 Cadillac Eldorado: The dwarfed generation of Cadillac’s once-glorious front-wheel-drive coupe. Even pimps couldn’t make this Eldorado look good, a sad decline for a once-iconic nameplate and a frequent mention in discussions about ugliest cars.
1959 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88: Every square inch of the Dynamic 88 was more bizarre than the last. Extravagantly tasteless yet somehow also dull and forlorn, it’s a perfect example of 1950s design excess and a regular feature in ugliest cars lists.
2009 Nissan Cube: Desperate to be seen as cute, the Nissan Cube ended up just weird and contrived. Its asymmetrical design and boxy shape proved polarizing, with many finding it simply unattractive, solidifying its place among the ugliest cars of the 2000s.
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca: Subaru’s trademark quirkiness was amplified in the B9 Tribeca, bloated in size and cursed with an alien-like nose and tail. This design misstep was a departure from Subaru’s typically functional aesthetics, landing it squarely on lists of ugliest cars.
1980 Oldsmobile Omega: All of GM’s X-car front-wheel-drive models were flawed in their own unique ways. The Omega combined a ridiculous grille with a dumpy body, openly declaring its aesthetic shortcomings and earning its spot among the ugliest cars of the era.
1978 Volvo 262C: Volvo tasked Italy’s Bertone with chopping the roof off the 260 series. The result was laughably unstylish and hopelessly boxy, a bizarre attempt at “luxury” that positioned it as one of the ugliest cars Volvo ever produced.
1971 Plymouth Cricket: Britain’s dull Hillman Avenger was given a new grille and whitewalls for America. It was ugly in the most uninteresting way imaginable, a design that failed to capture any attention, except perhaps for its inclusion in lists of ugliest cars.
1958 Lincoln Continental: Relentlessly over-styled from its massive winged front bumper to its slanted headlights, scalloped sides, and overhanging roof, the ’58 Continental was simply hideous. It stands as a monument to 1950s design excess and a textbook example of ugliest cars.
1982 Chrysler LeBaron: The K-car subjected to a formal grille, a dopey vinyl roof, and two-tone paint. At least the original K-car was honest about being ordinary, unlike this pretender, which often appears in discussions about ugliest cars.
1975 AMC Pacer: The legendary fishbowl of automotive oddities. Too wide, too short, and painfully bulbous, the Pacer is a design icon, but for all the wrong reasons, consistently ranking high in ugliest cars polls.
2000 Hyundai Tiburon: Hyundai’s progress towards respectability was briefly derailed by the overly sculpted second-generation Tiburon coupe. Styled like gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe, it was a design misstep that made it one of the ugliest cars in Hyundai’s history.
1983 Chrysler Executive Limousine: Yes, someone at Chrysler thought stretching a K-car into a limousine was a good idea. They were profoundly wrong. The Executive Limousine was a testament to questionable decision-making and easily earns a spot among ugliest cars.
1965 Renault 16: Everything a quirky French car should be, including arbitrarily sculpted and awkwardly perched on skinny tires. The Renault 16 embraced its weirdness, resulting in a design that many consider to be among the ugliest cars of the 60s.
2011 Nissan Juke: Boasting at least six headlights and fenders that seemed like afterthoughts, the Nissan Juke is proudly peculiar and undeniably unpretty. Its unconventional design has made it a frequent topic in discussions about ugliest cars.
2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx: A half-hearted attempt at a long-wheelbase station wagon that resembled a stack of saltine crackers. The Malibu Maxx lacked visual appeal and often appears on lists of ugliest cars from the early 2000s.
1974 Bricklin SV-1: A wavy, thick fiberglass body with gullwing doors that rarely closed properly. The Bricklin SV-1 looked like it was falling apart even during assembly, a design and engineering disaster that firmly places it among ugliest cars.
1991 Chevrolet Caprice: A marine mammal on wheels. The ’91 Caprice was redeemed slightly by the more powerful V8 Impala SS version in 1994, but its initial design was widely criticized, earning it a reputation as one of the ugliest cars of the 90s.
1996 Ford Taurus: Based entirely on ovals, this redesign was so disastrously unattractive that it nearly killed the Taurus brand. The ’96 Taurus became synonymous with rental car blandness and is frequently cited as one of the ugliest cars of its generation.
2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo: A car whose design seemed to be melting. The Monte Carlo featured a chaotic mix of styling cues competing for attention. NASCAR-themed editions only amplified its visual flaws, making it a strong contender in ugliest cars discussions.
1992 Buick Skylark: A strange attempt to combine a wedge-shaped grille with a generic economy car. GS models featured hideous lower body molding, compounding its design issues and securing its place among the ugliest cars of the 90s.
1989 Chevrolet Corsica Hatchback: A fifth door clumsily added to an already boring sedan. Imagine Boris Karloff’s head on Bela Lugosi’s body – that’s the Corsica Hatchback, a design Frankenstein that often makes lists of ugliest cars.
2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV: Resembling an egg that refuses to crack open, the i-MiEV was the misery module we feared the future would bring. Its awkward proportions and uninspired design solidified its reputation as one of the ugliest cars in the electric vehicle segment.
1974 AMC Matador Coupe: A flabby, goggle-eyed attempt to revive AMC’s midsize car line. Its only redeeming feature was its surprisingly good looks when racing in NASCAR, but for everyday drivers, it remained one of the ugliest cars on the road.
1957 Rambler Cross Country: The car for nerds who wanted the world to know. When haphazardly converted into a wagon, it became almost psychedelic in its ugliness, a true testament to questionable design choices and a frequent entry in ugliest cars lists.
1956 Nash Ambassador Super: At the height of the Cold War, the Ambassador Super was so bizarrely styled it could have been mistaken for a Russian car. Diplomatically put, it was awfully unattractive, making it one of the ugliest cars of the 50s.
1949 Airway: A rear-engine, 10-horsepower obscurity with comically tiny wheels. Essentially a go-kart with an aluminum body, the Airway was more strange than stylish, and definitely a contender for ugliest cars of its era.
1980 Cadillac Seville: A misguided attempt to revive 1930s styling cues. The Seville’s bustle-back trunk was arguably the ugliest until Chris Bangle’s BMW designs emerged, making it a landmark in ugliest cars history.
1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass: Four-door fastback styling applied to a car nobody wanted as a fastback. It looked foolish and sold poorly, a design experiment gone wrong and a frequent example in discussions about ugliest cars.
1973 Datsun B-210: The epitome of a cheap car in the 1970s. Later versions with oversized bumpers were particularly offensive to the eyes, making the B-210 a prime example of ugliest cars from the budget segment.
1982 Cadillac Cimarron: A Chevrolet Cavalier dressed up to compete with BMW. Laughably unattractive, it somehow remained in production for seven years, a testament to brand loyalty over good design and a clear entry in ugliest cars lists.
1980 Ford Thunderbird: A tragic attempt to apply large-car styling to a downsized, boxy coupe. Actual boxes were less boxy than this design disaster, cementing its place among the ugliest cars of the 80s.
2010 BMW 5 Series GT: An oversized five-door that tarnished the 5 Series legacy with a clumsy, high-riding rear end. If BMW has lost its design direction, cars like the 5 Series GT are leading the way astray, earning it a spot among ugliest cars from a usually stylish brand.
1961 Plymouth Valiant: Every questionable and geeky styling element of larger early 1960s Chrysler products, condensed into a smaller package. The Valiant amplified the design flaws of its larger siblings, making it one of the ugliest cars of its time.
1986 Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2: Built for NASCAR racing, it featured a silly pointed front and a massive rear window. Ugly and not particularly successful in racing either, the Grand Prix 2+2 is a design failure often mentioned in ugliest cars discussions.
2008 BMW X6: Think of it as a BMW X5 with a fastback roof and none of the practicality. Resembling a Bavarian cockroach, the X6’s controversial design has made it a frequent feature in lists of ugliest cars, despite its popularity.
1974 Ford Mustang II: Every classic Mustang styling cue exaggerated to the point of visual pain. The Mustang II is the one Mustang generation that many enthusiasts love to hate, often cited as one of the ugliest cars to bear the Mustang name.
1961 Renault 4: Imagine a 2CV without any of the charm, whimsy, or promise of simplicity. The Renault 4 was a deliberately obtuse design that remarkably stayed in production for 32 years, proving that even ugliest cars can find their market.
1959 Dodge Coronet: Every surface of the ’59 Coronet seemed to be going in a different direction. The gaping grille looked ready to swallow the entire ocean’s plankton, contributing to its status as one of the ugliest cars of the late 50s.
1996 Suzuki X90: The only vehicle that arguably looks better with a giant Red Bull can bolted on top. The Suzuki X90’s quirky and unconventional design made it a frequent target for ugliest cars lists.
2002 Lexus SC 430: Flip a bathtub upside down, cut out a section for a convertible top, add a Lexus powertrain, and you get the SC 430. Its ungainly proportions and uninspired styling have made it a regular entry in ugliest cars discussions, especially for a luxury brand like Lexus.
1970 AMC Gremlin: Desperate for a subcompact car, AMC chopped up the Hornet compact and created the Gremlin. A design butchery that looked like it was done with a rusty cleaver, the Gremlin is a legendarily ugly car and a frequent star in ugliest cars retrospectives.
1980 Lincoln Mark VI: The shrunken Mark VI two-door was hideous, but the four-door sedan version was both hideous and atrocious. It combined every bad styling idea Ford had at the time into one vehicle, making it a true champion in the realm of ugliest cars.
2003 Saturn Ion Sedan: Seemingly designed by randomly assembling Lego pieces. Yet, despite its chaotic design, it was also strangely generic and forgettable, a unique blend of contradictions that lands it on ugliest cars lists.
1985 Pontiac Grand Am: Pontiac’s shrunken coupe and sedan were smothered in cheap plastic cladding. The Grand Am marked the beginning of the end for Pontiac’s design credibility and is often mentioned when discussing ugliest cars of the 80s.
1961 Citroen Ami: Embodying pure aesthetic aggression, the Citroen Ami dared buyers not to love it. Quintessentially French in its design audacity, it’s a love-it-or-hate-it car that often appears in discussions about ugliest cars, even though some find its oddness charming.
1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser: Featuring a ridiculous front bumper, roof-mounted radio antennas, silly side trim, and a downward-opening rear window. The Turnpike Cruiser was a festival of design excesses, making it a strong contender for ugliest cars of the 50s.
1958 Subaru 360: Looking like concrete hardened in a wheelbarrow, only less comfortable. The Subaru 360 was quirky and basic, but not conventionally attractive, earning it a place among ugliest cars.
1947 Davis D-2 Divan: A ludicrous three-wheeled vehicle with four-across seating. Mercifully, the company went bankrupt as production ramped up, saving the world from more of these design oddities, but cementing its status as one of the ugliest cars ever conceived.
1985 Oldsmobile Calais: Maliciously ill-proportioned, the Calais was the ugliest of the GM N-platform cars. It was a car for buyers who had given up on life, or at least on automotive aesthetics, making it a frequent mention in ugliest cars lists.
1959 Daimler SP250: British sports cars are expected to be eccentric, and the SP250 took eccentricity to new levels. Its fish-lips grille clashed violently with its sparrowhawk tailfins, creating a design disaster that makes it one of the ugliest cars from Britain.
1948 Citroen 2CV: Yes, the 2CV is a ramshackle collection of corrugated tin. It’s undeniably ugly, but in a way that’s almost charming. Sometimes, ugly can be perfect, and the 2CV, despite its looks, is an icon, proving that not all ugliest cars are failures.
1982 Lincoln Continental: The Continental plummeted onto Ford’s mundane Fox platform and inherited the 1980 Seville’s awkward bustle-back styling. This design downgrade made it one of the ugliest cars to wear the Continental badge.
2004 Kia Amanti: Bolt upright and almost comically formal. The Amanti’s grille resembled a sewer grate, contributing to its overall uninspired and unattractive design, and earning it a place among ugliest cars.
1971 Subaru Leone: More comfortable-looking riding lawnmowers exist. The Leone was positively agricultural in its design, lacking any visual finesse and frequently cited as one of the ugliest cars from Subaru’s past.
1978 Subaru Brat: A whimsical name for a bizarre pickup version of the Leone. The Brat was the kind of car that loudly announced your economic struggles, not helped by its unconventional and unattractive styling, making it one of the ugliest cars in the pickup category.
1974 AMC Matador: To comply with new bumper regulations, AMC grafted a large, snout-like nose onto the once-inoffensive Matador sedan. Even police officers were embarrassed to drive them, a clear sign of its design failure and its place among ugliest cars.
2010 Lincoln MKT: Thick-hipped, big-nosed, and strangely misshapen. A Lincoln station wagon desperately trying to pass as a crossover, yet nobody cared. Its awkward proportions and ungainly design have made it a frequent target in discussions about ugliest cars.
1974 Ford Torino Elite: A desperate attempt to compete with the Chevy Monte Carlo. Essentially a Mercury Cougar with a vast and ugly nose, the Torino Elite failed to capture the style or appeal of its target, becoming just another entry in the ugliest cars category.
1958 Packard Hawk: Unwilling to let Packard die gracefully, its name was slapped onto a particularly awful version of the Studebaker Hawk. Inexcusable and undeniably ugly, the Packard Hawk is a sad chapter in automotive history and a strong contender for ugliest cars of the 50s.
1976 Aston Martin Lagonda: Styled by William Townes seemingly using only a straight edge and a box cutter. Crude modernism at its worst, the Lagonda is a stark and unattractive design that often appears in ugliest cars lists, especially considering its prestigious brand.
2009 Ferrari California: Over-styled and heavy in the rear, the California is the least Ferrari-like of all Ferraris. A soft-bodied cruiser from a brand known for hardcore performance, its design missteps have led many to consider it one of the ugliest cars to wear the Ferrari badge.
1956 Tatra 603: Yet another communist automotive atrocity. This Czechoslovakian oddity used a rear-mounted, air-cooled V8, partially explaining its bizarre appearance, but not excusing it. The Tatra 603 is a frequent example of ugliest cars from behind the Iron Curtain.
1961 Dodge Dart: The full-size 1961 Dodges received concave grilles and overwrought front fenders to complement their goofy tailfins. The Dart, in particular, showcased these questionable design choices, making it one of the ugliest cars of the early 60s.
1961 Plymouth Fury: Even worse than the ’61 Dodges were the ’61 Plymouths, with a front end that looked literally insane. The Fury took the questionable design elements of the era to an extreme, solidifying its place among the ugliest cars.
1960 Plymouth Fury: The ’59 Cadillac had bigger fins, but the ’60 Fury had the ugliest. And the front end wasn’t much better either. The 1960 Fury was a design low point for Plymouth and a strong contender for ugliest cars of the decade.
1976 Rolls-Royce Camargue: Pininfarina proved that even they could design a clumsy and ridiculous coupe with enough provocation. The Camargue is a Rolls-Royce that oddly resembles a Fiat, a design mismatch that makes it one of the ugliest cars to wear the Spirit of Ecstasy.
2002 BMW 7 Series: Chris Bangle’s infamous redesign of BMW’s flagship sedan, featuring a complex front end and the notorious “Bangle butt” trunk. A first-class design blunder, the E65 7 Series is often cited as one of the ugliest cars from a major luxury brand.
1976 Bristol Blenheim: What a not-very-bright 13-year-old British schoolboy might sketch during class. The Bristol Blenheim is a bizarre and awkward design that often appears in discussions about ugliest cars, especially from British manufacturers.
1958 Edsel: As a car, the Edsel was no worse than a Ford or Mercury. But its hideously designed front grille was so offensive that the market rejected it, and the Edsel has been synonymous with failure ever since. Its design makes it a poster child for ugliest cars.
1974 Datsun F10: Nissan seemed to intentionally make every component of the F10 as ugly as possible. The result was even worse than the sum of its parts, a truly unattractive vehicle that often ranks among the ugliest cars from Japanese automakers.
1998 Fiat Multipla: It looks like it escaped from Neptune, bounced around the solar system, and then melted upon re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere. The Fiat Multipla is a design abomination, frequently topping lists of ugliest cars worldwide.
2001 Pontiac Aztek: A good idea ruined by being forced onto a minivan chassis. If any GM executives who approved this design are still around, there’s no justice in the automotive universe. The Aztek is almost universally recognized as one of the ugliest cars ever made.
1985 Cadillac DeVille: Squashed, squared, and indistinguishable from an Oldsmobile or Buick. The ’85 DeVille signaled that GM no longer cared about the Cadillac brand, and its uninspired design makes it a strong contender in ugliest cars discussions.
2010 Acura ZDX: Insanity manifested as a space-age five-door thingamajig. Utterly pointless and it looked it too. The ZDX was a design experiment gone wrong, resulting in one of the ugliest cars from Acura.
1977 Lincoln Versailles: A rushed response to the original Cadillac Seville, the Versailles was essentially a Ford Granada with a cheap Continental kit. A 1979 facelift worsened its roofline, making it even uglier, and securing its spot among ugliest cars.
2024 Tesla Cybertruck: Yes, Elon’s creation deserves a place on this list. A brutalist triangle on wheels that rusts in the rain. What a marvel of questionable design! The Cybertruck, with its polarizing and unconventional aesthetic, is a fitting modern addition to any list of ugliest cars.
Conclusion:
Beauty is subjective, but these 100 cars often find themselves united in discussions about automotive design failures. From misguided retro attempts to overambitious futuristic visions, these vehicles serve as cautionary tales in car design. While some might find a quirky charm in their ugliness, there’s no denying their place in the pantheon of ugliest cars ever produced. They remind us that sometimes, in the quest for innovation or distinctiveness, car designers can, and occasionally do, steer wildly off course, creating vehicles that are more likely to elicit a grimace than a gaze of admiration.
