The 'ugliest' cars ever made

What are the ugliest cars ever made?

“Ugly” is subjective, but we’re pretty confident you’ll agree that these vehicles are undeniably some of the ugliest cars ever made.

From a literal cube, to a London taxi-cross-hearse, there have been many strange concoctions that somehow made it onto our roads.

Without context, you’d probably struggle to guess they were even cars.

But alas, they are—and they’ve earned their place in the motoring hall of fame. Or shame.

So, what are our weirdest (and sometimes not so wonderful) cars?

Ugliest cars of the 21st Century

Fiat Multipla

Is this the ugliest Fiat car ever? It’s certainly in pole position.

Unveiled 25 years ago at the 1998 Turin Motor Show, the Multipla was Fiat’s answer to the question: “How to comfortably accommodate six people and their luggage in a car no more than four metres long?”

Practicality was the priority, but aesthetics? Not so much.

With its split-level headlights and boxy, bulging frame, the Multipla looked like a car designed by committee—one where everyone had wildly different ideas.

The 3+3 seating layout was innovative, squeezing six passengers inside, but it left the exterior looking like a squashed spaceship.

Yet, beneath the quirky looks, the Multipla was an engineering marvel. It had a custom-built platform, high-strength steel construction, and modular flexibility.

A true pioneer—but one that embodies the phrase “beauty is on the inside.”

Love it or loathe it, the Multipla proves that sometimes being unforgettable is enough.

Nissan Juke

It’s been voted the ugliest car more than once, but the Nissan Juke wears that crown with pride.

But let’s be honest—it’s like Marmite. You either love it, or you hate it, and Nissan leaned all the way into the chaos.

Introduced in the 2011 model year, the Juke quickly became a poster child for polarising design. Readers at Car Throttle voted it into the “Top 10 Ugliest Cars Ever Made,” while a Motor Trend forum outright awarded it the “Ugliest Car” title.

Even Edmunds editors couldn’t hold back, writing: “It has at least six headlights and fenders that seem tacked on as an afterthought. It’s proudly peculiar and un-pretty.” Ouch.

But Nissan embraced the oddball design, and for good reason: the Juke was a sales phenomenon. The company sold 420,000 units worldwide in less than 40 months, with 135,000 sold in 2013 alone.

Ugly or not, those numbers don’t lie.

Like Marmite, the Nissan Juke isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for the people who love it, it’s proof that being different can be downright irresistible.

Chrysler PT Cruiser

It’s giving London taxi by day, hearse by night.

The Chrysler PT Cruiser is definitely an odd one.

It's a car only its designer could love—or maybe not even him. Bryan Nesbitt, a 27-year-old graduate from the Art Centre College of Design, took inspiration from '30s curvy cars and '50s hot rods to create something that stood out in a world of bland hatchbacks.

Mission accomplished, Bryan, because this car stood out like a sore thumb.

The PT Cruiser wasn’t just weird to look at; it was weird by design. Its flat floor wasn’t just a quirky feature—it was a necessity so Chrysler could classify the car as a “light truck” to satisfy US fuel economy regulations.

A mix of scalloped lights, a huge grille, and retro vibes gave it a love-it-or-hate-it look.

But when it launched in 2000, the PT Cruiser was a hit. Waiting lists stretched a year long, and some buyers even paid twice the price.

Over time, though, the retro charm wore off, leaving behind a car that looked stuck in a time warp. Even multiple facelifts couldn’t save its divisive styling.

For all its faults, the PT Cruiser had something most cars lack: character. Whether you love it or hate it, it dared to be different—and we’re still talking about it decades later.

Nissan Cube

Imagine a five-year-old drawing a car. Boxy, cartoonish, and somehow… adorable? That’s the Nissan Cube. It’s like someone took "square" to heart and turned it into a car.

Despite its quirky, boxy shape, though, there’s more to the Cube than meets the eye.

The Cube was another Marmite car—either you loved it or you didn’t. Inside, it was surprisingly spacious with light steering and plenty of legroom, thanks to its absurdly high roof.

The interior even went all out with curvy details, from round windows to oval-shaped air vents, and a headliner that looked like a ripple in a raindrop. Very zen.

But let’s be real. On the outside, it’s a literal box with wheels. Imagine driving around in a car that looks like it could double as a delivery van for a toy store.

Not exactly sleek, but it definitely gets attention.

The Cube had its fans, and even if you weren't one of them, you have to admit—it was definitely unforgettable.

Tesla Cybertruck

Coming into the game most recently is the Tesla Cybertruck. Made in only 2024, you’d expect a bit more style from Tesla.

Known for its sleek designs and innovative cars, the Cybertruck comes across as bold, brutal, and intimidating. Some have even gone as far as to say it’s ‘laughably ugly’.

Yet despite this, it’s still loved by some.

However, it's also a big bundle of contradictions.

Practical elements, such as robust towing, good range and muscular acceleration, are offset by poor outward visibility, hard-to-judge steering and disjointed body panel alignment.

The Cybertruck's secret is that once you get past its polarizing, nonsensical exterior, it still feels and drives (for the most part) like any other Tesla.

It’s just not as aesthetically pleasing, hence making it onto our list of the ugliest cars.

Ugliest cars of the 20th Century

Stout Scarab

Behold, the world’s first minivan—and quite possibly the ugliest.

It’s what happens when you mix Art Deco inspiration with an aerodynamic fever dream. Designed by William B. Stout in the 1930s, the Scarab looked less like a car and more like a beetle that was just a little too ambitious.

The Scarab wasn’t just weird to look at—it was weird by design. Rotating seats and a fold-down table? It practically invented the carpool picnic.

A rear-mounted engine and independent suspension made for a surprisingly smooth ride, while power door locks, interior lighting, and a dust filter added a touch of luxury.

But let’s not ignore the elephant in the room—or rather, the beetle on the driveway.

With its bulbous body, flush glass, and hidden door hinges, the Scarab looked more like a shiny silver pill, or even a submarine, than a car.

Despite its groundbreaking features, the Scarab’s price tag of $5,000 (nearly $100,000 today) made it a hard sell during the Great Depression.

Only nine were built, and most ended up in the garages of Stout’s well-connected friends.

The Scarab may have looked like a sci-fi prop, but it was packed with ideas that shaped modern car design.

Still, there’s no denying that this beetle-esque beauty lands squarely on our list of the ugliest cars ever made.

Iso Isetta

Proof that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

As the world’s first microcar, it paved the way for quirky urban mobility—but not without raising a few eyebrows.

Dubbed the "bubble car," its egg-like shape and odd proportions weren’t exactly winning beauty contests. With a single door that swung out at the front, it looked more like a fridge on wheels than a car.

At just 2.29 metres long, it was hilariously tiny, with wheels that looked like they’d been borrowed from a pram.

The engine—a 236cc two-stroke—was plucky but hardly powerful, reaching a top speed of 47 mph. And that front-opening door? Functional, yes. Elegant? Absolutely not.

While Italians were quick to pass on its unusual looks, BMW gave it a second life, tweaking the design and selling over 160,000 units.

Love it or loathe it, the Isetta remains a reminder that cars don’t need to be pretty to make an impact.

Peel P50

The world’s smallest production car, and possibly the strangest-looking one too.

At just 137cm long and barely taller than a Labrador, this three-wheeled microcar looked more like a mobility scooter on steroids than a practical vehicle.

Dubbed the ultimate “city car,” it was designed to transport one adult with one shopping bag (so no shopping hauls allowed) and boasted thrilling features like a single windscreen wiper, one headlight, and—wait for it—no reverse gear.

If you needed to back up, you’d hop out, grab the handle on the back, and spin it around like a suitcase on wheels.

The P50 wasn’t just small; it was adorably ridiculous.

Its toy-like proportions made it look like it was ripped straight from a child’s playroom and plopped onto the streets. Yet, somehow, its charm earned it a Guinness World Record as the smallest production car ever.

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson famously squeezed himself inside one and drove it through the BBC’s offices, proving that the P50’s size was perfect for navigating both tight streets and, apparently, television studios.

Despite its oddball appearance, the Peel P50 has become a highly collectible cult classic, with one selling for a staggering £111,000 in 2022.

It’s proof that sometimes, the weirder a car looks, the more endearing it becomes.

Alfa Romeo BAT Series

And now for something truly bizarre: the Alfa Romeo BAT Series. These cars looked like they’d been dreamt up by someone with a very creative vision—and perhaps a few too many late-night sci-fi films.

The BAT (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) series was Alfa Romeo’s attempt to combine art and aerodynamics, but what they ended up with was a trio of cars that were more “what were they thinking?” than “wow, that’s beautiful.”

First up, the BAT 5. With tailfins so large, they could’ve been mistaken for wings, this car was the definition of "polarizing."

It was aerodynamic, sure, but it also looked like it was auditioning for a role in The Jetsons. The drag coefficient was a respectable 0.23—back then, that was revolutionary—but it didn’t stop the BAT 5 from looking like a spaceship that got stuck on Earth.

Then came the BAT 7, which took everything the BAT 5 did and cranked it up to 11. 

Smaller air intakes, crazier tailfins, and a drag coefficient of just 0.19 made it the aerodynamics champ, but it also made you wonder if someone had glued a bat to the back of a car and called it a masterpiece.

By the time the BAT 9 came around, they toned things down a bit. 

Smaller tailfins, a more practical design, and a car that almost looked like it could drive on Earth without attracting stares. Almost.

But don’t be fooled—it still looked like a concept car that was one too many steps ahead of its time.

Love them or loathe them, the Alfa Romeo BAT series is one of the ugliest (but strangely fascinating) car designs ever.

Just goes to show that sometimes, a little bit of weirdness can make a lasting impression!

Schlorwagen

The Schlörwagen, also known as the “Göttinger Egg” or “Pillbug,” was Germany’s attempt at creating the world’s most aerodynamic car. But, instead of sleek and sexy, it looked like a aerodynamic submarine* (not the most useful of things).

Unveiled in 1939, this bizarre vehicle was less about beauty and more about beating the wind.

Built on the chassis of a Mercedes 170 H, the Schlörwagen was a wing on wheels. It had flush windows, an aluminum body, and a drag coefficient that would make modern cars jealous.

But here’s the kicker: it was incredibly ugly.

The public called it a “tortoise” because of its weird shape, and no amount of aerodynamic brilliance could hide that fact.

Despite being faster and more fuel-efficient than its Mercedes counterpart, the Schlörwagen’s design was aerodynamically perfect but visually imperfect.

People just couldn’t get past its odd, bulky look. The crosswinds didn’t help either, making the car feel like it was always about to take flight—just not in a good way.

After the war, the Schlörwagen disappeared, probably lost forever in a pile of scrap metal.

But it’ll always be remembered as the car that could’ve changed the future of speed.

If only it hadn’t looked like a bug on wheels. 

Or those futuristic flying cars that films depict.

*I couldn't find an image to use for this article, but a quick Google search will show you what I mean.

And there you have it—some of the ugliest cars ever made, each with its own unique brand of "charm."

Whether it's the quirky Fiat Multipla, the Marmite-esque Nissan Juke, or the downright bizarre Alfa Romeo BAT series, these cars prove that beauty isn’t always in the eye of the beholder/

Sometimes, it’s just in the oddball appeal.

Sure, they may not win any beauty pageants, but these vehicles all left their mark in automotive history, whether through groundbreaking designs, unexpected popularity, or just sheer weirdness.