20 Best Car Adverts of all Time

Car adverts are renowned for being some of the best around, they’ve got the budget, the team and a product that is powerful, sexy and desirable. Though some take this and still manage to create something average, there are many commercials that, for whatever reason, will stick in our minds for years to come. Here are our 20 best car adverts of all time.

Honda Accord ,

To those in the biz, this advert is nicknamed “The Cog”. Premiering in the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix advert break, it cost £1,000,000, took 606 takes over 4 days of filming. It was worth it though, not only did it win awards for its excellence it resulted in huge sales boosts.

Mercedes-Benz,

The pure ridiculousness of this ad is the very reason it made it into our Top 20. It’s funny and catchy, adding further evidence to the realisation that we enjoy watching animals act like humans.

Audi R8,

Audi hit the jackpot with this commercial. Recreating that infamous scene from The Godfather where the gangster wakes up with a horse’s head in his bed is pure genius.

Citron C4,

Everyone loves a robot. Especially one with such killer disco moves.

Shell Ferarri Racing Advert,

Though technically not an advert for Ferrari itself – rather Shell, the petrol that powers Ferrari race cars – this is all the same a great advert. Created in 2007, it recognises the power and beauty of Ferrari, we could listen to that sound all day…

Jaguar F-Type Coupé,

“Have you ever wondered why in Hollywood movies, all the villains are played by Brits?” Premiered at this year’s Superbowl, this advert entitled Rendezvous featured Tom Hiddleston, Ben Kingsley and Mark Strong uniting as the ultimate British film villains to let us know just why we are so good at being bad. Directed by famed director Tom Hooper, this commercial has put Jaguar back on the map.

BMW films ,

A collection of short films from BMW featuring a whole host of famous names and directed by a whole host of famous directors. This particular one, Hostage, features Clive Owen and Kathryn Morris.

Land Rover Discovery 4,

Perfectly encapsulates all that the Land Rover offers.

Vauxhall Cavalier,

Just the idea that the far depths of the future, where everything will be world’s away from what it was then, is actually the year 2000 is hilarious. Just remember when watching this that it was made in the 1980s..

BMW M5,

Though it faced stiff competition (most notably from Mercedes-Benz’s E55 AMG), with its 394 horsepower the BMW M5 was the fastest production sedan in the world. This ad brilliantly highlights that superior speed.

Skoda Fabia,

The truly amazing thing about this sickly sweet advert from Skoda is that they actually did it. Set to The Sound of Music‘s My Favourite Things, they used 100kg of flour, 100kg of caster sugar, 12.5kg of jam and 179 eggs. Phew. I wonder who got to eat it after…

Ford Sierra,

Simple, practical and what ever type of journey you are doing, it gets the job done.

Audi A6,

This 1-min 2009 Superbowl ad features Jason Statham in an epic car chase that takes us through the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.

Volkswagen Passat,

Playing into the hearts and minds of Star Wars‘ fans was always going to be a great idea. They are passionate, plentiful and obsessive. Created by Donny Deutsch Advertising Inc, this advert features a small boy dressed as Darth Vadar.

Chrysler 200,

Highlighting Detroit, USA, for its good and its bad, this 2-minute commercial premiered in 2011 Superbowl is striking, powerful and moving. Some celebrity endorsement, this time from Eminem, never hurts either.

Peugeot 206,

Titled, The Sculptor, this advert is very clever. Great storyline, great soundtrack and top points for originality.

Maserati Ghibli,

The cinematography, in this latest offering from Maserati, is stunningly created. That alone pulls it into our top 20.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class,

“Not in this weather” was actually banned because of of its promotion of its subject matter of infidelity. We agree it’s pretty close to the line, but aren’t the best adverts always?

Volkswagon Sport Golf,

“If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen”. This 1987 classic advert features a woman, played by British model Paula Hamilton, leaving her husband, discarding everything except her car keys. Well, she is going to need a getaway vehicle…

Vauxhall Meriva and Zafira,

Though you might not remember which car this was advertising, everyone remembers this ‘Little Dads‘ advert. Funny, sweet and slightly scary how accurate the kids are.

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