As car people, we all get riled up by power figures and tech specs and luxury gizmos, but nothing gets the juices going quite like the looks of a car, truck, or SUV. If the latest and greatest from Car Brand has top-of-the-class horsepower, F1-grade suspension, and innovative KoolCheexTM super-cooling seat technology, but is a big miss in the styling department, that’s going to cool off any desire to own one pretty quickly. As cool as your cheex, even.
So, yeah – we all enjoy a nice-looking car. But what are the best-looking models on sale today? It’s all in the eye of the beholder – a phrase I just coined – so there are no right or wrong answers here. As for me, I find myself admiring every Lexus GX I encounter, and find it particularly attractive from the rear three-quarter view.
See? Nice, right?
Naturally, I invited the gang to chime in with their pics for best-looking new car. As in, cars on sale as new today, which might be quite old, case in point:
Mazda MX-5 Miata. I know it’s over a decade old by now, but you can still buy it new at dealers, so it still counts! – Brian
Yep, good call. And it’ll still look good in another ten years. The answer, and all that. I also have no arguments with this perfect call:
Fourteen years after first seeing its shape in concept car form, the spotting of a wild Lexus LC 500 still induces an involuntary “mmmm.” That’s great design right there. – Thomas
It’s a fine-looking machine in pixels, but have you ever seen one in person? Breathtaking, really. Just a super-sharp car. And this next pick is just as impressive to me, considering how humble a car it is (and how homely it’s been in the past):
Current Prius, and it always amazes me to nominate a Prius. Striking concept-car looks. On a Prius. – Antti
Yes! Gotta love the Prius. Your turn:
What Are The Best Looking New Cars Right Now?
Top graphic image: Mazda
I was going to nominate the still beautiful Audi A7, but they discontinued it after 2025. It’s hard to make out what the new one will look like in the spy shots of prototypes I’ve seen thus far.
I’ve liked some of the sedan/hatchbacks that Hyundai/Kia/Genesis have done lately. Otherwise, there’s really not much on showroom floors that really grab me.
The Chevy Trax really did surprise me how decent it looks.
But with insurance rates going up like they are and my general disdain for all the gadgetry in new offerings, I doubt I’ll buy anything new for a long time, if ever.
Any car with that red Mazda paint will immediately look 20% better – what a fantastic color!
They still make cars? I was under the impression it was only cuvs, suvs, vans and trucks all day every day.
Best exotics: Lotus Emira, Ferrari 296 GTB, Aston Martin Vanquish
Best sports cars: Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT-86, Mazda Miata, Porsche 718
Best normcore cars: Chevy Trax, Chevy Equinox EV, Mazda3 sedan, Mazda CX-50, Toyota Prius
Best forbidden fruit: Xiaomi YU7 & SU7, Suzuki Jimny
Best coming soon: Rivian R3
I love how the Trax is mid-morph back into a wagon.
I think the new Charger looks nice in person.
-Nissan Z
-Lucid Air
-Lexus LC
-Ford Bronco
-Peugeot 208
-Xiaomi SU7 & YU7
-Lotus Emira & Evija
-Renault 5 & Twingo
-Fiat 500 & Topolino
-Kia Soul & K4 hatch
-Lamborghini Temerario
-Bentley Continental GT
-everything Rivian makes
-Toyota Prius & Century sedan
-Ferrari Amalfi & 296 GTB
-Porsche 911, 718 & Taycan
-everything Land Rover makes
-everything Aston Martin makes
-Hyundai Kona, Santa Fe & Ioniq 5
-almost everything Mazda makes (Don’t care for the current Miata. Too pointy.)
There are only three U.S. manufacturers on that list, and two are EV makers that have barely been selling cars long enough for a kid to enter grade school. Boo, America. Why we gotta make cars so ugly? Every last Chevy on sale today looks like robot butt.
EDIT: Holy crap. I just looked over others’ responses and realized I completely forgot about BMW. And I own one.
The M2 looks okay, if only in contrast to the rest of the horrors they’re churning out.
New the Chevy Express, and various kit cars.
No mention of the 718 Cayman or the 911 Turbo S. I think all of the lower end 911s look good in this generation.
ND, LC500, Crown Signia, Lucid air, Rivians, round headlight LC all are up there… but the closest to faultless in my book is the V60 & V60 Cross Country.
Everything else I can nitpick but that wagon, man. I’m typically anti black cladding but the width it adds on the CC does it some favours. Hat tip to the v90cc, but the more aggressive rear rake keeps it as my 2nd fav Volvo body
Genesis G80. Kia K4 Hatchback. Nissan Z.