Five of the best car ads that will be remembered forever

It’s hard to miss a good car ad. Flashy, sexy and expensive, when done right they can leave a lasting impression.

And it’s not just about billboards or television ads anymore. Today, a 60-second clip on social media can cost millions and capture a huge audience.

Automotive companies continue to be some of the biggest spenders on advertising. In 2024, the UK automotive industry increased digital advertising spend by 22 per cent, more than any other sector.

However, spending the advertising budget does not always guarantee success. Sometimes the simplest campaigns work best.

Here are our five best car ads, from a gravity-defying ’80s classic to a ’00s clip that could only be shown after 7:30 p.m.

Are they the same as yours? Is a little enough? Or should it be “go big or go home”?

1987 Volkswagen ‘Changes’ GTI TV advert

“I wish everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen.”

We’re not sure what was best about this now-legendary ad; that slogan, old school advertising joining the feminism of the 80s or the Golf GTI itself.

Directed by the great British photographer David Bailey, the story of a woman who leaves a bad relationship, throwing away her expensive (and apparently talented) possessions, but keeping the keys to the GTI, made model Paula Hamilton a household name. .

A masterclass in how effective a relatively simple advert can be when the plot is left to sing for itself, VW’s 1987 ‘Changes’ TV commercial will continue to be the bar to beat for decades to come.

1986 Land Rover Dam advert

A couple of years after the launch of the Defender 110 and after ’90, Land Rover decided to show what its 4×4 could do.

And so, the 1986 ‘dam’ advert was released, showing a rust-coloured Defender traversing extremely difficult terrain (even across rivers) before the driver fired a hook over the top of a colossal prey.

The Defender then proceeds to drive up the steep incline, before driving along the top of the gigantic structure as the slogan “by far the best 4×4” appears next to the green Land Rover badge.

In the old days of the real Defenders, this daring stunt reiterated the idea that “nothing, but nothing, stands in the way of a Land Rover.”

Honda ‘Cog’ advertisement

Making something incredibly difficult look easy is a real skill.

Honda’s 2003 ‘The Cog’ ad for the seventh-generation Accord featured a Rube Goldberg machine (a chain reaction contraption similar to that in the children’s game Mousetrap) using a chain of colliding parts taken from a disassembled Accord.

At the time, the 120-second sequence was rumored to have taken over 600 takes, but this was later debunked to just over 100 takes.

A lot of people didn’t believe it was real, but it was.

Honda spent £1 million on the video, which came to be regarded as one of the most innovative and influential commercials of the 2000s.

Renault Megane 2003 ad (which had a curfew)

It’s hard to imagine that a car as solid and downright boring as a Renault Mégane could be associated with outrageous behavior, but surprises happen.

In 2003, Renault launched its Mégane advertisement.

The rear of the Mégane was compared to ‘derrieres’ with typical French amorous humor set to the soundtrack of Groove Armada’s ‘I See You Baby (Shakin’ That Ass)’.

This was apparently too much for prim and proper British audiences, as the advert received a permanent ban from being broadcast before 7:30 p.m.

139 viewers complained about “butts moving” and the word “ass” being used in the ad, according to The Guardian at the time.

The independent television commission ruled that the Renault Mégane advert should be kept away from children’s programmes.

The change of the ad only attracted more attention, and the ‘ass shaker’ was wildly popular with the public, as was the soundtrack that Fatboy Slim remixed.

Mercedes Body Control Chicken Ad

It’s a chicken pretending to be a human. Do we really need to say more?

For context, we’ll do it, but essentially the animal humor and good fun will make this one of the best car ads of all time.

The chickens’ bodies move but their heads remain still thanks to the Merc V8 cars’ “magic body control” function, the feature that uses cameras to scan the road and adjust the suspension for a smooth ride.

Mercedes won the Auto Express car advert of the year award after winning 51 per cent of the public vote.

Created by the German agency Jung von Matt/Neckar, it doesn’t even include a car and yet it is iconic: we declare them advertising geniuses.