Sports cars and SUVs: What Americans drive in their dreams

A Corvette or maybe that Mercedes G-Wagon — what exactly is America’s dream car?

The sleek and sexy BMW M4 was the most popular dream car among Americans at 17%. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Tesla Model S were tied for second at 16%. The findings are part of a survey conducted by OnePoll, a market research company, on behalf of Carvana, a used-car dealership that allows you to buy cars online.

American muscle also had a strong showing with car dreamers. Both the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang gathered 14% each, rounding out the top five. With both Chevrolet and Ford offering electric models of the classic cars, more than half of Americans — 52% — said they dream about owning an hybrid or electric vehicle.

When Americans do think of a dream car, they often turn to Hollywood as an influence.

Respondents cited 007’s beloved Aston Martin DB5 as their favorite car from a movie.

James Bond’s classic car joined the very-80s, stainless steel “Back To The Future” classic, DeLorean DMC-12, as a top five car from Hollywood.

And while many cars at the top were flashy sports cars, more Americans favored SUVs, around 29%.

“Everyone has a dream car — whether it’s something like James Bond’s classic Aston Martin, a stylish, eco-friendly EV or a black SUV equipped with all the modern safety and tech features,” Brian Boyd, senior vice president of inventory strategy at Carvana, said in a statement.

The dream car color of choice adds some mystique. Most, like Batman, chose black, 22%.

And if you wanted to name that slick new ride, about half of Americans would join you. Forty six percent of Americans gave their car a nickname. The top three names were “Bluebell”, “Black Beauty” and “Baby.”

Luke Lukert

Since joining 鶹 Luke Lukert has held just about every job in the newsroom from producer to web writer and now he works as a full-time reporter. He is an avid fan of UGA football. Go Dawgs!

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your 鶹 account for notifications and alerts customized for you.