25 April 2025

We all love a good car movie don’t we? At least, if you’re reading posts on this site, it can reasonably be expected that you are an automotive afficionado, and luckily, there are some film makers out there who share that interest.

And while the wrong noise superimposed over a car, or a model that wasn’t made until years after the film is set can set your teeth on edge, a well-choreographed car chase can endear a movie to you all the more.

This is by no means a definitive list, and the fact of the matter is that car films are extremely subjective. Take the Fast & Furious franchise for example. Some love the action and racing, while others find its details irritating. But if one type of car film isn’t for you, there’s definitely something out there that is. Here are ten of our favourites… but what’s yours?

Best Car Films - Ronin

A thriller with plenty of twists, Ronin is a good action film in its own right. But it also has one of the best car chase scenes ever created. Directed by John Frankenheimer, who more than 30 years earlier had dedicated his craft to another superb car film – Grand Prix – Ronin is grittier, and the car chases reflect as such. The all-star cast is superb, the French setting picturesque, and the questions captivating, but the cars almost upstage all the above.

 

Best Car Films - Bullitt

A superb outlet for Steve McQueen’s effortless cool, Bullitt added plenty of shine to both the deep green Ford Mustang that rivals McQueen’s headline billing, as well as the ‘baddie’ Dodge Charger. Shot throughout the hills of San Francisco, the chase sequences were ahead of their time, and helped create a legacy that Ford has capitalised on with its Mustang, even more than 50 years on.

Best Car Films - The Italian Job

It’s difficult to tell whether The Italian Job is more of a heist movie, or one about cars. The famous tricolour Minis steal the show, but face still competition from the Lamborghini Miura used in the opening sequence, plus the bus used at the end, and the likes of the Jaguar E-Type, Aston Martin DB4… the list goes on. It’s a veritable who’s who for it’s time, and that applies to both the cast and car list. Few haven’t seen it, but it holds up well for repeat viewings, with Michael Caine at his cheeky chappy peak.

 

Best Car Films - The Blues Brothers

A film that quickly shifted from cult classic to just outright classic, The Blues Brothers is one of those films that embraces its over-the-top nature, and is all the better for it. John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd’s characters are almost upstaged by the Bluesmobile – a 1974 Dodge Monaco former police car. As a symbol of its outlandish nature, it held various records for the highest number of cars destroyed in a film for years; this for a comedy/music film remember. Now, those records all belong to action blockbusters.

 

Best Car Films - Le Mans 66: Ford vs Ferrari

A more modern film, and one that tells the story of Ford’s rebuttal by Ferrari when looking to buy the Italian marque, and the company’s GT40-shaped vendetta, carried out in the world of endurance racing. Obviously, it’s been stylised as only Hollywood can, but the basic premise of the story is true, and makes for a fascinating tale. Plus, the cars used more than look the part.

 

Best Car Films - Cars

Car films come in all shapes and sizes, and Disney Pixar’s Cars caters for the youngest generation. But, as with all good Pixar films, it has plenty for the grown-ups to enjoy too. It also reflected the changing of the guard, from older established racers to younger guns, that was taking place in Nascar around that time.

 

Best Car Films - Vanishing Point

The premise of a drugged-up delivery driver crossing America in record-breaking time has become a classic of its time. Vanishing Point largely takes place in the car or surrounding the drive and, with the scenery of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T make the film.

 

Best Car Films - Rush

Like Ford vs Ferrari above, Rush is based on a true story, with plenty of theatrical licence exercised in its telling. But again, it’s a good tale to discover, finding out about the rivalry – and respect – between F1 World Champions James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The tale of maverick Hunt competing against calculating Lauda is as old as theatre itself, and surrounded by period vehicles makes for a great car movie.

 

Best Car Films - Drive

A key film in Ryan Gosling’s portfolio, Drive sees the main protagonist moonlight as a getaway driver from a career as a stunt driver. As such, you can pretty much guess the quality of the driving sequences. It’s one of the darker and grittier movies on this list, but certainly worthy of inclusion on the list of best car films.

 

Best Car Films - Baby Driver

Another heist film, Baby Driver blends music and stunt driving like never before. A superb getaway driver, Baby (played by Ansel Elgort) picks the best soundtrack for each job, using the music to help with his driving abilities. Like many crime capers, this is a case of ‘one last job’ going wrong, ramping up the tension, and the driving is simply superb.

 

Other great car films…

There are so many car films that could be mentioned here, so don’t take any missing favourites as criticism; that they don’t belong here. Instead, let us know your favourites below. It might be something like Death Proof, Duel, or Christine – darker and more grown up than the likes of Cars above – or perhaps it’s something modern like Ferrari, a spy film like Bond’s No Time To Die or Goldfinger, or the Bourne Identity. Maybe you like the Mad Max franchise… as you must now be realising, this blog could be at least five times it’s current length! But if we’ve inspired you to watch a great car movie soon, we’ve done the job.