Born essentially at the same time, cinema and cars are practically siblings that have grown together for over a century. Ever since the first on-screen car chase in 1903’s Runaway Match, they have complemented each other to create some of the greatest scenes, thrilling chases, and iconic moments in cinema history. Many vehicles have stolen the show that they have become the stars themselves, outshining their human counterparts.
Buckle up as we count down the Top 100 Movie and TV Vehicles of All Time in a high-octane ride through the greatest legends on wheels to ever burn rubber on film! No spaceships or yellow submarines here; this list will celebrate the vehicles that have left tire tracks through movie, TV, and pop culture history!
20. “Akira Bike” | Akira (1988)
Few images are as iconic as Kaneda’s motorcycle from Akira. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you recognize the bike from the film’s indelible poster. Sleek, low-slung, and impossibly futuristic, the bike is more than just a ride — it’s a character in its own right and a visual shorthand for the film’s raw energy and rebellious tone. Kaneda’s bike is a bright red beast that hugs the ground like a racing bullet. Covered in decals (some fictional, others real like Canon and Shoei), the motorcycle has a gritty, streetwise feel that bridges real-world commercialism with dystopian style.
Its iconic design is said to be influenced by futuristic concept bikes and café racers, with Otomo drawing from the cutting-edge tech aesthetic of the ’80s. In addition to its eye-catching look, it’s also recognizable for the seminal slide Kaneda performs in it. Screeching sideways into a stop has become one of the most referenced shots in animation and cinema, replicated in everything from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Nope. The motorcycle itself has transcended Akira, becoming an enduring image of cyberpunk style and anime cool. There might be more iconic vehicles out there but I’d argue none come close to matching the coolness factor of this one.
-Sailor Monsoon
19. 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire | National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
Dubbed the “Wagon Queen Family Truckster”, this full-sized station wagon was transformed into a parody of late ‘70s, early ‘80s suburbia. Painted a hideous Metallic Pea Green, with faux woodgrain paneling, the beleaguered ride of the Griswolds would become a garish icon as it lumbered across America to Wally World. No one will forget Clark barreling down the highway with a “Honk if you’re horny” bumper sticker fantazing about Christine Brinkley driving beside him in her red ferrari.
-Vincent Kane
18. Bumblebee | Transformers (Franchise)
The ’80s were all about cartoons that could sell toys and toys that would get kids planted in front of the TV every Saturday morning. Transformers is easily the most successful attempt at this trickery, although, unlike G.I. Joe or Masters of the Universe, this franchise actually had a pretty cool gimmick. Its robots could transform into vehicles to disguise themselves. Who cares about Optimus Prime turning into a Freightliner when you have Bumblebee rocking the coolest Chevy muscle cars around? Sure, he originally transformed into a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, but the Michael Bay films updated his car body for a whole new generation of motorheads. With the ability to replicate any car it comes across, it’s guaranteed that Bumblebee will remain timelessly cool.
–Marmaduke Karlston
17. 1968 Mustang GT 390 | Bullitt (1968)
The coolest cop in San Francisco must drive the coolest car in town as he hunts down bad guys. Cloaked in Highland Green with black American Racing wheels, its stripped-down vibe oozes understated machismo that is built for the chase. Frank Bullitt would roar the 390-cubic-inch FE V8 engine while racing across San Fran’s unforgiving hills in this gritty thriller.
We would witness the Ford Mustang in all its glory during the immortal chase scene that was a 10-minute symphony of squealing tires and V8 thunder as Bullitt stalks a Dodge Charger through the roller coaster streets. The car’s primal howl and Steve McQueen’s hands-on wheelwork make it pure car chase magic
-Vincent Kane
16. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
As the titular main character of the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang isn’t just a car. It’s got character! From its memorable sound to the theme song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was and still is a delight to both children and adults. Despite initial appearances, those familiar with the story will know that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang isn’t just a car. It’s a magical car that can swim and fly! As in fairy tales, typically though, it’s the friendships we made along the way, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang certainly is “our fine four-fendered friend.”
– Valerie Morreale
15. The Captain America Chopper | Easy Rider (1969)
This freewheeling, star-spangled icon screams freedom as it cruises through Dennis Hopper’s counterculture classic. A bold representation of the restless spirit of 1960s rebellion with its stretched frame, high ape-hanger handlebars, and chrome teardrop gas tank, painted in a red-white-and-blue American flag motif, simply adds to its hippie swagger. Easy Rider would go on to become an open-road anthem while making choppers a cultural phenomenon.
-Vincent Kane
14. Mach 5 | Speed Racer (Franchise)
In the original Japanese anime Mach GoGoGo, the Mach 5 is a custom-built sports car with a fictional 5,000cc V8 engine, imagined to churn out 800 horsepower through a six-speed manual transmission in pure cartoon fantasy. It would come to life in the 1960s TV show and the live-action movie in 2008.
Painted white with a red “M” on the hood, red bucket seats, and a yellow nose, it’s equipped with seven buttons on the steering wheel for tricks like jack blades, bulletproof shields, and underwater propulsion. The Mach 5 would become a hit by also becoming a popular kids’ toy and appearing in video games over the years on different consoles
-Vincent Kane
13. Herbie | Herbie (Franchise)
Starting with The Love Bug in 1969, this spunky 1963 Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own has been stealing hearts as Disney’s lovable underdog. Herbie is one of the most easily recognizable cars with its pearl white paint job with red, white, and blue racing stripes. Add in the “53” on his hood, a sunroof, his round headlights, and a cheeky grin that just radiates charm, and you get a four-wheeled star that has made gearheads and families fall in love with his unbreakable spirit for over 50 years.
-Vincent Kane
12. “The Bluesmobile” | The Blues Brothers (1980)
When you are on a mission from God, you need the right car to get the job done. This ex-Mount Prospect black and white police cruiser with a roof-mounted loudspeaker blaring “Sweet Home Chicago” perfectly matched brothers Jake and Elwood. The 1974 Dodge Monaco would barrel its way through John Landis’s musical-comedy with a tank-like durability and straight into our hearts as the V8 roared past Nazis and cops alike.
-Vincent Kane
11. The RV | Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
When I picture the RV in Breaking Bad, I picture it at its absolute peak, which is, in my opinion, the first few minutes of the pilot. Barrelling across the desert, flooded with chemicals as Jesse sits passed out in the passenger seat with a mostly naked Walter White driving. I watch a ton of TV, but I would argue no TV pilot has a better opening scene than this. The RV, a 1986 Fleetwood Bounder, served as Walt and Jesse’s first meth lab, and though larger and I would argue more interesting locations are introduced, the RV remains the most iconic of all. Even those unfamiliar with the show recognize its old-fashioned exterior, complete with Walt’s pants flying in the wind. Farewell, RV, short-lived but never forgotten.
– Valerie Morreale
10. KITT | Knight Rider (1982-1986)
In the mid 80s, the mom of one of my best friends got a Dodge Daytona that talked. It didn’t say much, but it talked, and that was all that mattered. For us, it might as well have been KITT car, the famous Trans Am from the hit show Knight Rider. And because we all wanted a car like KITT car when we grew up and pretended we were driving KITT car when we rode out bikes, we thought this friend and this friend’s mom were the coolest people in town. Of course, David’s mom’s Daytona couldn’t do all the other cool stuff KITT could do. But in the 80s, it was hard to beat a talking car.
-William Dhalgren
9. The Mystery Machine | Scooby-Doo (Franchise)
The Mystery Machine serves as the main form of transportation for Mystery Inc., the beloved group of mystery-solving meddling kids comprised of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo. With its flower power paint job, the Mystery Machine is instantly recognizable on the road, both in animation and live-action. Fans have been turning their own vans into Mystery Machines for decades now, with one even popping up on Airbnb a few years ago. It’s proof that sometimes all your car needs to do to leave a lasting impact on a generation (or three) is have a cool paint job and an ascot-wearing trap lover behind the wheel.
–Marmaduke Karlston
8. Ecto 1 | Ghostbusters (Franchise)
Originally a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, this hulking hearse-turned-ecto-mobile packs a 390-cubic-inch V8 engine and has plenty of power to haul proton packs and ghost traps across New York City. Just thinking about Ecto 1 and you instantly hear the siren wailing with its red fins gleaming under neon lights as it weaves through New York traffic. Serving as the mobile HQ, this retro icon with faux tech perfectly matched the quirkiness of the Ghostbusters as they fight ghosts. Ecto-1 somehow captured the underdog spirit of Ray, Peter, Egon, and Winston, becoming the Ghostbusters’ four-wheeled mascot.
-Vincent Kane
7. Christine | Christine (1983)
Possibly my favorite on this list, Christine is a 1958 Plymouth Fury full of murderous and evil intent. She’s possessive, violent, and an absolute horror icon. In Carpenter’s adaptation of Stephen King’s incredible novel, we see her kill numerous people in baffling and over-the-top ways. Her kills in the book are even more baffling, namely the one where she breaks into a man’s home and drives up the stairs to murder him. Nowhere is safe!
What controls Christine and fuels her malice differs heavily in the book and movie versions. In the book, it’s the spirit of former owner Roland LeBay that possesses her, while in the movie, she was evil from the second she rolled off the factory conveyor belt. Both the movie and the book end with uncertainty, with the idea that she could always rebuild herself and return, as she does many times in the main story. She is powerful in a way that the story doesn’t completely explain, and it’s this that makes her a very compelling horror villain. With Blumhouse currently working on a remake, it’s likely she’ll grace our screens again soon.
– Valerie Morreale
6. 1977 Pontiac Trans Am | Smokey and The Bandit (1977)
I took a road trip with the fam recently, and on the way to our destination, a red Pontiac Trans Am turned in front of us. I ooohhhed and ahhhhed, and my wife just didn’t get it. “What’s the big deal? It’s just an old car.” An old car? Are you kidding me? My friend and I had little Hot Wheels trucks and cars, and we would play Smokey and the Bandit, taking turns on who got to be the Bandit and who got to be the Snowman. Mostly, we wanted to be the Bandit, but both of our dads were truck drivers, so we thought the 18-wheeler was pretty cool too. But that Trans Am, man–they don’t make ’em like they used to.
-William Dhalgren
5. General Lee | The Dukes of Hazard (1979-1985)
Just some good ol’ boys, never meanin’ no harm as they race around Hazzard County in their rebel-yelling icon, causing Sheriff Rosco all kinds of headaches. Simply mentioning the General Lee conjures up the image of the Hemi Orange 1969 Dodge Charger with a Confederate Flag on the roof, a #01 on the doors, and the Dixie Horn blaring as it flies through the air over some creek. It was pure Southern-fried adrenaline each week as we watched the Dukes’ reckless charm thrill us as they hopped in this four-wheeled outlaw and caused mayhem.
Over 300 Chargers were used during filming, as about 85% were destroyed during the stunts, but each was rebuilt to keep the General flying over creeks and outrunning the corrupt Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco. Easily one of my favorite all-time cars that has endured in car culture and TV lore, still jumping rivers in mine and fans’ memories alike.
-Vincent Kane
4. The Interceptor | Mad Max (Franchise)
I never cared that much for the Interceptor as a kid. I loved the Mad Max movies, but the Interceptor looked kind of junky to me as a kid. As an adult, though, I have come to really appreciate the modified Ford Falcon for what it is: pure American muscle. It’s something about the posture of the car. It gives the impression of a predator, crouched and ready to pounce on its prey. The all black paint job just adds to the impression of a stealthy, sleek, muscled cat that stalks the wastes of post-nuclear Australia.
-William Dhalgren
3. 1963 Aston Martin DB5 | Goldfinger (1964)
Aston Martins appear in multiple James Bond films, but this suave, gadget-laden legend is the definitive ride for 007. Painted Silver Birch with black leather interior, fitted with Q’s arsenal, such as an ejector seat, machine guns, tire slashers, oil slicks, and a bulletproof shield, would embody Bond’s secret agent brand of cool.
We would witness the Aston Martin in all its glory as Bond deploys all of its gadgets to fend off Tilly Masterson’s Mustang and Goldfinger’s goons while racing through the Swiss Alps. Its sleek and polished nature would be a perfect match for Bond’s sexy bravado and Connery’s signature smirk to help make the Aston Martin the ultimate spy machine.
-Vincent Kane
2. DeLorean Time Machine | Back to the Future (Franchise)
“The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?”
With just 22 words, Doc Brown marketed the DMC DeLorean better than John DeLorean and the DeLorean Motor Company ever had. With its stainless steel construction helping with the flux dispersal when traveling through the space-time continuum, the DeLorean was the perfect fit for a time machine on wheels. Sure, Doc Brown had to make some modifications to the interior and exterior to fit the flux capacitor and plutonium chamber, but the DeLorean is doing the heavy lifting here, with its gull-wing doors oozing sci-fi charm. And once Doc gave it that hover conversion and it could fly… I mean, c’mon, no other sci-fi car is ever reaching the bar that this vehicle set.
You have to wonder if the DeLorean Motor Company could have survived bankruptcy if it had managed to stay in business just long enough for Back to the Future to have come out. The DeLorean will forever be tied to Back to the Future. You cannot see a DeLorean and not immediately think of the sci-fi trilogy, whether it’s been customized to look like the time machine or is simply just a regular old DMC DeLorean. You just know that when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious shit.
–Marmaduke Karlston
1. Batmobile | Batman (Franchise)
I’m not about to splinter this list with a sub-list ranking all the cinematic Batmobiles (I’ll leave that for you to do down in the comments). Instead, I’ll focus on the only two cars I feel can go head-to-head in a showdown. First, and naturally, we have Tim Burton’s Hot Wheels masterpiece. Really, what’s not to love about Batman ‘89’s Batmobile, what with those sleek wings and deep curves? You have a jet engine in the rear balancing out what might be otherwise too sexy of a front. And let’s not forget all those wonderful toys and gadgets that would make a certain Aston Martin look stock. The car is Movie Magic on four wheels.
And then we have, as a surprise maybe to some, The Batman’s Batmobile. Under the hood, we have our chopped up 70’s Barracuda to go with Matt Reeves’ hyper grounded take on the comic book character. Yup, a Barracuda. But don’t let the apparent generic vision of the iconic vehicle fool you, as the thing is anything but. The film’s introduction of the car is that of a stalking beast, one with an ear-splitting roar and the means to spew flames. Let loose, the beast chews up the road, cutting paths around lesser creatures and withstanding the destruction it helps create. This isn’t a comic book car that sits best on the page—it’s a comic book car that is enviable and achievable, yet unattainable to us mortals despite the realism of it all. It is Batman’s car. And it is appropriately alive only in a movie.
-Nokoo
40-21 | Best and Worst Sequels
What are your thoughts on the list? Which of these is your favorite, or maybe even a dream car? Any glaring omissions or issues with the rankings?
