12 Most Embarrassing Cars
August 22, 2013
Have you ever passed a car that just made you cringe and wonder what the car designer was thinking when they came up with that concept? Well, you're apparently not alone. CarInsurance.com recently polled 1,500 licensed drivers on what they considered the "Cringe Score" for 12 different vehicles on the road today, and to state the three cars they would be the most embarrassed to be seen in.
At the top of the list? The Smart ForTwo, with a "Cringe Score" of 7.6. That was followed by the Nissan Cube with a score of 3.6 and Hummer H2 with a score of 3.5.
| Rank | Vehicle | Cringe Score | No. 1 Votes | Most-Cited Reason | Top Write-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smart ForTwo | 7.6 | 497 | Too small | Unsafe |
| 2 | Nissan Cube | 3.6 | 113 | Tries too hard | Just plain ugly |
| 3 | Hummer H2 | 3.5 | 208 | Too big | Immoral |
| 4 | Chevrolet SSR | 2.1 | 93 | Tries too hard | Tacky |
| 5 | Volkswagen New Beetle | 1.9 | 83 | Too 'girly' | Ridiculously 'cute' |
| 6 | Subaru Baja | 1.6 | 60 | Tries too hard | Funny looking |
| 7 | Lincoln Town Car | 1.6 | 73 | Too 'Grandpa' | A prom rental |
| 8 | Pontiac Aztek | 1.4 | 57 | Tries too hard | A design disaster |
| 9 | Chrysler PT Cruiser | 1 | 28 | Too 'Grandpa' | A cliché |
| 10 | Honda Element | 0.9 | 24 | Tries too hard | A box on wheels |
| 11 | Chevrolet HHR | 0.7 | 27 | Too 'old' | Looks like a hearse |
| 12 | Nissan Murano Cabriolet | 0.3 | 11 | Too 'girly' | Ugly as hell |
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar and Edmunds are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Get My Free Weekly Advice on Car Buying
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About: Gregg Fidan
Gregg Fidan + is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
Latest Weekly Car Buying Tips
RSS Feed
July 18, 2019
July 11, 2019
July 4, 2019
June 27, 2019
June 20, 2019
June 13, 2019
June 6, 2019
May 30, 2019
May 23, 2019
May 16, 2019
May 9, 2019
May 2, 2019
April 25, 2019
April 18, 2019
April 11, 2019