The 10 Ugliest Cars of Modern Times

It's an age-old debate and one which has caused many a heated argument. "Which are the ugliest cars of all time?" But that is potentially a very long list filled with obscure cars... what happens when you draw the line at, let's say 2000 and onwards?

First, however, a quick reality check. One man's Ferrari 250 GT Lusso may very well be another's SsangYong Actyon, so what follows here is a very subjective view on car designs since the early 2000s. Also, I'm going to cut China's early efforts some slack and limit myself to only 1 of those... Let me know what your top (or should that be, "worst") ten are in the comments section below. In no particular order, my ten ugliest (modern) cars are;

SsangYong Stavic

Launched in 2004, the Stavic (or Rodius as it was known in some markets), looked like the offspring of a bland, blob-like MPV and a yacht. The fact that it was designed by Ken Greenley, a former head of the automotive design course at the Royal College of Art in London makes one feel sorry about the career prospects for his students. 

Fiat Multipla



Launched before the turn of the century, but eligible because of an impressively long lifespan, the Multipla was simply ridiculous in appearance. Underneath the hideous exterior, however, it was a clever car with lots of space and two rows of three seats. 

Pontiac Aztek

Like many ugly cars, this Pontiac has subsequently gained a cult following by appearing in a hit TV show, in this instance, Breaking Bad. Still, Hollywood success can't stop the Aztek from appearing on many an "Ugliest of all time" list.

BMW (E65) 7 Series

It's not often that a brand such as BMW drops the ball as spectacularly as it did with the E65 7 Series, often called the "Dame Edna" 7 Series, for obvious reasons... A later facelift rectified some of the original design's biggest flaws, but it was too little, too late..

Chery QQme

Launched in 2009, but thankfully only in China, the QQme was essentially a quirky coupe version of the already dodgy-looking QQ3. To be clear, the picture above shows its rear-end...

Toyota WILL Vi

Never heard of this one, have you? In the early 2000s Toyota created the Will brand to appeal to a younger audience. But the youth didn't like the Will Vi, with its Ford Anglia-esque rear window, either, and it was short lived. Thankfully.

Lancia Thesis

Sometimes concept cars don't translate well into production specification. Take the Lancia Thesis for example. The Dialogos concept car was warmly received, but the Thesis met icy resistance from the market - bad news for Lancia, already in deep trouble back in 2002.

Toyota Mirai

There's a lot to admire about the Toyota Mirai, mostly its groundbreaking hydrogen fuel-cell technology. But that bum?

Honda Element

Seems like brands really struggled to nail the crossover genre in the early 2000s - here's another example, the Honda Element. Launched in 2003, and based on the perfectly fine CR-V, the Element's boxy design and large black panels were meant to create the impression of toughness. Instead it looked like wonky tupperware on wheels.

Renault Vel Satis

Remember that gorgeous Vel Satis concept car of 1998? Well, this was supposed to be the production version that we all wanted, except that it was not nearly as futuristic and sporty as we were promised. The awkwardly proportioned Vel Satis was given a cold shoulder by the luxury car market, as it deserved.