Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is why it is so difficult to make a list like this, but I tried anyway, and here it is. Most of the vehicles on this list have been reported by journalists and reviewers to be handsome, beautiful, or design-focused rather than strictly functional.
One more thing of note is that I also tried to go with some variety here. If I just did a strict list of the cars that are touted to be the best-looking or most beautifully-designed vehicles on the market, most would turn out to be performance cars that are generally a bit too expensive for a lot of people.
The same goes for the honorable mention list where I did include the Aston Martin DB11, just because so many people agree about its incredible design.
With that said, there are plenty of vehicles that didn’t make this list that would fit just fine in place of any others here. Without further ado, here are my picks for some of the best-looking vehicles on the market today.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrofoglio
It is said by many that in order to be a true gear head, you have to have owned an Alfa Romeo at some point in your life. Admittedly, Alfa Romeo has never really made a car that really works as a reliable, ergonomically-friendly vehicle, but they have always made beautiful cars that you have to experience.
The Giulia Quadrofoglio carries that mindset through to the present day.
Many top critics believe it to be one of the most beautiful cars of the decade. It is a pricey vehicle, but it isn’t so pricey that it’s out of reach for most normal BMW, Mercedes, or Audi buyers.
Kia Stinger
A surprise on this list, the Kia Stinger made waves when it was first released over a year ago.
It isn’t flying off the shelves – as we expected it wouldn’t – but it is still one of the best looking rides you can get, and most people can get into one for around the average asking price for a new car today. Top of the line models cost a little more, but you get a lot of car for the money.
Along with the looks, your hard earned money will buy you a good bit of practicality, a dose of performance, and a nice helping of reliability. That’s a lot of added perks for a car that looks this good.
Infiniti Q60
Infiniti has flown under the radar for the past several years, seemingly slipping farther and farther into the realm of irrelevance at the hands of Lexus, Volvo, and Acura.
They have a winner though in the Q60. Being a two door touring coupe, the market isn’t huge for a car like this, but its looks are more than adequate enough to make any potential buyer on the fence to fall in love.
It doesn’t have a gaudy grille, it looks athletic, and it has a great hip line. All of these things come together to form a proportional, shapely, and beautiful figure. Again, pricing is above average for a new car, but not unattainable for those looking at other typical luxury offerings.
Mazda Mazda6
Some may argue that the Mazda 6 doesn’t really belong on this list. I actually think the Mazda 3 looks a little better. But as a sedan, the Mazda 6 is generally considered more handsome and more refined. On top of that, some people just don’t like hatchbacks, and the Mazda 3 hatchback looks better than the Mazda3 sedan.
Mazda’s “Kodo” design language is what puts the Mazda 6 here. All of their vehicles follow this design philosophy which is supposed to represent motion even when the vehicle is not moving.
Rather than being beautiful, the Mazda 6 is more handsome than anything else, and even though it may not be as much of a looker as the Alfa Romeo Giulia or BMW 8 series, it still makes a good case for being a great-looking “normal” car at a much less than average price.
Volvo S60
Many consider the full Volvo lineup to collectively be the most beautifully designed vehicles on the entire market. I think it’s hard to consider most SUVs truly good-looking, but compared to the competition, even their SUVs are quite good.
The S60 is the pinnacle of Volvo’s beautifully designed cars with the S90 not being too far behind.
The S60 has slightly more even proportions than the S90 which is a little too stretched for my liking. The striking headlights, character lines, and traditional sedan styling place it ahead of the competition, and the lack of an egregiously over-sized grille only adds to its perfect proportions.
Chevrolet Corvette
The C8’s recent release came with much anticipation and excitement, especially since it is the first mid-engine Corvette. Even though people love the way the C8 looks, it’s the outgoing C7 model that gets my vote for this list.
It’s too aggressive for a lot of people, and the highest performance models have a few too many vents, louvres, and scoops to put the C7 on most people’s list, but the aggressive styling is beautiful in its own way.
The long hood, swept headlights, rearward canopy, and rectangular taillights make the Vette look decidedly fast. “Beautiful” may not be the most appropriate way to describe the C7, but devilishly handsome, aggressive, and sleek definitely fit the bill.
BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe
You may be surprised to find out that the 8 Series Gran Coupe is not a coupe at all. It has four doors. But, that didn’t stop BMW from trying to combining a large luxury sedan and a two-door coupe.
The 8 Series was heralded as quite the looker by journalists and reviewers at its first release last year, but the first 8 Series in the lineup actually was a coupe with two doors. It looked great, with a long wheelbase and wide stance. Its design gave the impression that the car meant business without looking too angry.
All of that carried over to the Gran Coupe, which is one of the first four-door coupe-like sedans that doesn’t really look like it’s trying too hard to be two things at once.
Volkswagen Arteon
The brand new Arteon, designed to replace the CC, is a handsome, sleek, and stylish automobile. The CC didn’t look bad itself, but its replacement goes above and beyond what its predecessor provided in the design department.
It really isn’t that far of a departure from what the CC was: a four door sedan that followed the increasingly popular coupe-ish look while trying to retain as much of the sedan practicality as possible.
Regardless of why the CC was replaced with such a similar vehicle and not just updated, the Arteon has done its ancestors proud, and it certainly got the best of what Volkswagen’s designers had to give.
Land Rover Range Rover Velar
SUVs are really hard to justify putting on a list like this because they aren’t really conducive to being beautifully designed like cars. The Velar is an exception to the rule, and really, the entire lineup of Land Rover SUVs isn’t that far behind.
Because they are so tall by design, it’s just really hard to make an SUV truly sleek and visually pleasing. Most try a little too hard and end up looking awkward. The Velar manages to pull off “sleek” beautifully, and its curved edges really give it a planted, fast look even when it isn’t moving.
Don’t be fooled by it handsome lines though. Like most of its siblings, it is quite the machine away from the paved city streets of suburbia, which just goes to prove that and SUV can look good no matter where in the world you want to go.
Honda Accord
Honda has recently re-styled many of their vehicles including the Civic, the Pilot, and of course, the Accord. I vote the Accord in as the best of the three redesigns and one of the best-looking sedans on the market.
Its design isn’t the only attractive thing about it though. Its price is just as good. At its most expensive, a top-of-the-line model will reach the mid to upper $30,000 mark, still slightly below the average current asking price of a new vehicle.
The Accord’s body lines are what place it on this list, and they truly give it dimension, feel, and a sense of professionalism on the road. Think of it like a young businessman who just got a great job and who shows up to work on his first day fully clad in a brand new suit and tie… well, it’s not exactly like that, but you get the idea.
Honorable Mentions: Aston Martin DB11, Volvo XC40, Jaguar XJ, Jaguar F-Type, Mazda Mazda3, Genesis G80, Lexus LC 500, Maserati Gran Turismo, Jaguar F-Type
