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The best car ads mean big budgets, top celebrities, and unstoppable action. 2024 wasn’t an exception. Brands were trying hard to impress us by putting on a superb advertising show. And we’re happy to collect the best entries in this list. Kitcast Blog has gathered the best car ads of 2024.
1. An American Love Story – Volkswagen
Why: it’s hard not to get teary-eyed while watching one of the best car ads about cars. Soundtracked by nostalgic Neil Diamond’s 1971 song “I Am… I Said,” the Volkswagen ad takes you on a trip through the brand’s history in the US. Although the video is only 60 seconds long, you feel like you’ve traversed several generations of Americans. And there always was a Volkswagen there.
One of the best car ads in 2024, it starts with the arrival of the first “The Beetle” vehicle to the American shores in 1949 and ends with the latest Volkswagen electric car Buzz. The video is directed by Emmy-winning cinematographer Lance Acord (known for his work on Being John Malkovich and Lost in Translation).
2. Dareful Handle – Toyota
Why: Toyota gets playful with their Super Bowl ad 2024 and gifts us with a hilarious “Dareful Handle” video. There’s no big plot here, just fast riding through the deserts to the screams of excited (and equally terrified passengers). The commercial is focused on an upgraded version of Toyota’s Tacoma model and the handle is used as a reference to its over-the-top capabilities off-road.
This is how we get funny references like “shut the front door” handle, “woah, woah, woah, woah” handle, “no me gusta” handle, and “seriously, Rob?” handle as the poor people ride on the passenger seat of the car. Commenters on YouTube seem to be on the same vibe as Toyota, the comment section is filled with praise for the creative direction of the video.
3. Talkin Like Walken – BMW
Why: BMW came to the Super Bowl with all the aces. Legendary Christopher Walken shines in this funny lighthearted car ad. Everyone wants to make an impression of how he talks. The Academy Award winner just tries to enjoy his day in LA as people around him imitate his speech. Ashley Jini Park from Emily in Paris also makes an appearance on the ocean boardwalk and too can’t help but try some Christopher Walken voice.
But the legendary actor doesn’t mind this silliness. Every time he hears a new imitation he just shrugs it off “C’mon.” Finally, Walken enters the fancy restaurant where he meets none other than Usher sitting at the opposite table. And yes, Christopher Walken goes everywhere in a BMW. BMW 5 Series, to be more precise.
4. Perfect 10 – Kia
Why: “the marketing people that made this commercial deserve a raise,” says one YouTube comment and we agree. Kia produced an ultimate family car ad that makes you emotional and takes you to your own family memories. It serves as a perfect showcase for an all-electric, three-row Kia EV9 SUV. The father takes his daughter to the house of the grandparents so that the grandfather can see her figure skating. It’s a simple story but it resonates. Also, it’s beautifully shot. That’s why it’s among the best car ads in 2024.
5. The Revolution has begun – Citroën
Why: it’s not often that you see car ads that aim to change the status quo or have a strong message behind them. But here comes the daring commercial for Citroën ë-C3. Directed by Fredrik Bond, it’s an action-packed car chase short film that takes place on the grounds of the picture-perfect French palace. A group of “rebels” choose to steal Citroën electric cars from the garage of the “elite.” Chaos ensues with golf ball shooting, cake-crushing, and statue decapitating.
The ad plays on the idea of “revolution” (Citroën is a French brand after all) and introduces quite a controversial yet memorable tagline “Electric is no longer for the elite.” Wow, now that’s an impactful commercial and one of the best car ads in 2024 for sure. If you’re wondering about the price of the ë-C3, it starts from €23,300.
6. R5volution is a french thing – Renault
Why: alright, here’s a little bit car ads blunder. Both Citroën and Renault (aka French companies) chose the word “revolution” to introduce their electric car models. But they did it by completely different means. Renault’s “R5volution is a french thing” is among the most visually rich commercials we’ve seen in 2024 and this is exactly why it’s on this list.
Taking place in some kind of a post-apocalyptic world (a nod to the wildly popular Amazon’s Fallout we suppose), it transports us to the desert with a “mountain” of abandoned cars. The soundtrack is timeless “Instant Crush” by Daft Punk featuring Julian Casablancas. It is guaranteed to give you goosebumps. And the song works perfectly in a post-apocalyptic setting. Our main protagonist chooses to climb the car mountain to see the brand new Renault 5 falling from the sky as a comet. This ad is beautiful.
7. Welcome to Beyond – Mercedes-Maybach
Why: this Mercedes-Maybach car ad is exquisite. It takes a dreamy approach to promoting the brand and uses spectacular visuals to convey the message. We’re taken to various locations where reality blends with fiction. The video is directed by Brooklyn-based Saad Moosajee and it looks part like HBO’s Westworld series and part like Disney’s Andor with sci-fi definitely being one of the primary inspirations for the visual component. Anyway you look at it, this Mercedes commercial is stunning.
Here is our previous list of the best car ads in 2023
These are the best car ads 2023. We’ve carefully watched and reviewed all the cool marketing campaigns the automotive industry produced recently and have a verdict. Car ads were as bombastic as ever this year. Budgets are always through the roof, celebrities are always present, and the stories are always cool. Let’s take a look at the top car advertisements in 2023 and get inspired a bit.
1. Go Beyond – Chevrolet Canada
Why: Super Bowl is full of great car ads. This year we were gifted with the Go Beyond, a cinematic masterpiece of car commercials 2023. It showcases the brand-new Silverado ZR2 model. The story is quite simple. A woman is taking her snowmobile up to the the Canada’s Alberta wilderness. But the music, the camerawork, and the landscapes do the job perfectly. Helicopter shows up at some point showing us the seriousness of Chevrolet’s epic intentions.
2. The Jeep 4xe “Electric Boogie” – Jeep
Why: one of the best car ads in 2023 is another Super Bowl entry. Jeep decided to go fully feel-good on their latest car ad. As the electric Jeep Wrangler 4xe goes through the jungle terrain the animals are dancing to the beat. There’s a boogie-woogie party in the forest and everyone seems to have fun. It’s a refreshing take on a car ad that is lighthearted and fun. We’re all in for this kind of commercials. The central idea to the story that teh company wants to promote is “freedom”. And as Jeep puts it, “Freedom is electric”.
3. The Art of Imagination – A Mercedes-Benz x Moncler Voyage
Why: the car ad has never looked so fashionable. Mercedes-Benz chooses a creative approach to advertising their G-Class vehicles and teams up with the iconic puffer brand Moncler. The result is aesthetic to the core. It takes us to the moon, quite literally. It is there that we found Moncler-wearing models and a Moncler-inspired G-Class Mercedes that looks sexy as hell. While it’s more of a concept than a real car, the execution of such a partnership is flawless and shows that the company always keeps its hand on the pulse of what’s on in the fashion world.
4. Kevin Bacon goes full dad mode in the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 6
Why: the new Hyundai IONIQ 6 ad is awesome on so many levels. First of all, Kevin Bacon is in it. The famous actor embraces his newly found cameo power, we’ve recently seen him as himself in the Guardians of Galaxy Christmas special and now it’s a car ad. But there’s also Sosie Bacon here, the daughter of the man. Hyandai brought the whole family along and it feels very cheerful and personal this way. The plot? Just Kevin Bacon launching his full dad mode cracking jokes, ordering matcha latte, and embarrassing Sosie. Definitely one of the best car ads in 2023.
5. Bring back the energy – Volkswagen
Why: utilizing the sentimental and the humorous, Volkswagen crafts one of the most memorable best car ads of 2023. The hero here is an adorable grandmother whose life has become quite sad and boring. She looks at the photo of her old Volkswagen car and decides that it’s time to relive the memories. So the granny goes to the salon and has a test drive. But what test-drive it is, she is having the time of her life driving the new all-electric vehicle from the brand. A beautiful mix of emotional and fun it is. Thanks, Volkswagen.
6. Night Skater – Jaguar I-PACE
Why: Jaguar’s sense of style is impeccable in their latest I-PACE commercials. They are defined by the night, the neon, and the beauty. And that’s how we love the car ads, visually-rich, and fashionable. This particular video depicts a woman skating alone on a deserted highway. Just to be turned into a Jaguar car afterwards. It’s kind of a mood footage, the one that makes Jaguar stand out from the other commercials and brings unmissable aesthetics to the table.
7. The Dee Movie – BMW
Why: BMW doesn’t hold back with this video running for almost 7 minutes. It’s a full-fledged short movie. And not just some ordinary one. It features none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. He guides the story of Alice and takes us to the 80s to show how great it all was back then. Well, it is sort of going this way.
BMW unleashed all the creativity on this short movie. You have the Dee, a talking car, arguing with Arnold, David Hasselhoff showing up at some point, the visions of a brand new visual world, and the love story. It’s a beautiful mess, the one that works exactly because it’s a beautiful mess. Are we joining BMW on this crazy ride? Absolutely!
Our Previous 7 Best Car Ads 2022
We’ve decided to gather the best car ads in 2022. When it comes to automobile advertising, it’s always exciting. The big money is involved, the celebrities show up more often than, say, washing machine ads, and creativity is exploding. 2022 wasn’t an exception in the best car ads domain. As the industry is steadily going out of the coronavirus hibernation, car giants delivered a lot of awesome advertising, and we’re going to see it all now.
1. Time for new ideas – Audi x The Gray Man
Why: everything is perfect in this latest Audi ad. It starts with a shot of Ana de Armas and her short conversation with Bridgerton’s heartthrob Rege Jean-Page, the video exists in the world of the Netflix 2022 Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans-led hit The Gray Man. The writing is on point too. A middleman comes to the CIA headquarters in Berlin to find an ideal car for Ana de Armas’ mysterious mission. He wants “the best one”.
Along with the CIA “car dealer in chief” they pass from one car to another, each having some sci-fi James Bond kind of features. But the fixer is not happy. Finally, we’re seeing the brand new Audi model and that’s the one. The ad also features footage from The Gray Man and looks absolutely amazing. It’s hands-down among 2022 best car ads. Well done, Audi.
2. The new Porsche 911 Sport Classic
Why: now this one from Porsche is simply gorgeous. Set against stunning Meditteranean backgrounds, it invites you on a visual voyage between the past and the present of the legendary 911 model. Also, it’s a long-form ad spanning over 3 minutes and made exclusively to be consumed on YouTube.
The execution is flawless. Sepia colors, wonderful Italian panoramas, and, of course, slick Porsches, old and new. It’s an ad that can make grown Porsche aficionados cry and reach for the credit card to acquire a new model for the sake of the good old times. And the video is definitely one of the best car ads in 2022.
3. 75 years of Ferrari
Why: Ferrari is not only a flashy toy for billionaires and mumble rappers (although it definitely is that too). First and foremost, it’s an Italian company with 75 years of history, one of the leaders in the world’s upscale automotive industry, and a timeless brand that is committed to delivering the highest quality, This ad is about that.
Why does it grace our best car ads list? Because sometimes the shot of a car riding through some beautiful European terrain won’t do, you have to make a statement, you’ve got to remind the world who’s the boss. Ferrari does that and wins.
4. BMW iX – Zeus & Hera
Why: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek in a car ad? Only such a big brand as BMW can pull it off. This was a Super Bowl entry from the German automotive behemoth and it made rounds in the entertainment circles even before the official rolling during the game night.
Schwarzenegger posted an image of himself as Zeus on his Instagram and fans started immediately speculating that the star is going to start a new Marvel-like franchise. The ad was shown, the hype was created, and the new electric iX was duly presented. A sure win for BMW. But before we leave, can we appreciate the cuteness of that baby pegasus?
5. Car Wash – Hyundai
Why: although you might have forgotten about it already, 2022 has seen Tom Holland and Mike Wahlberg teaming up for the video game film adaptation by the name Uncharted. The movie didn’t go well with critics, but Holland’s charisma helped it amass more than 400 million in box office sales. Hyundai knew that it couldn’t go wrong with casting Spider-Man himself in a Tucson ad and did just that.
The results are seriously cool. You’ve got a cinematic piece of advertising perfection that gives a chance for Holland to shine, for the movie to be promoted, and for the laughs to be had. And yes, Tucson looks slick here, especially with Holland behind the wheel.
6. Mercedes-Benz – AWAKE
Why: this is not your regular car ad. It is genuinely terrifying. And at first, you think to yourself, how the hell did Mercedes give a green light to this horror movie-inspired visual? But it’s the end that matters. The ad is not about the beauty of a car, it’s about the safety that this car provides. The suspense is a calculated choice here, the one that accentuates the necessity of having a car with a microsleep detector, a feature that is highlighted here. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a fantastic advertising example. Chill-inducing even.
7. Above and Beyond Land – Land Rover
Why: this ad boasts impressive visuals and does great justice to the brand concept of Land Rover. We’re headed to an island where all the wild terrain is, in fact, the car’s playground. The waterfall is a car wash, tech cliff is the parking spot, and the dunes are the roundabouts. You get the idea, right?
And while on the surface it may come off as simplistic, the plot is not a focus here. The versatility and endurance of Land Rover are. After watching the video, you will certainly have those images in your mind, of the cars that defy the difficulties of terrain and give their owners full control over the ride. And this is a beautiful utilization of creativity right there.
