The Best Car Manufacturers Of All Time, Ranked

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Updated August 10, 2023 173.2K votes 14.3K voters 203.2K views
Over 14.3K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Car Manufacturers Of All Time, Ranked
Voting Rules
Your favorite car manufacturers of all time, whether or not they're still in business.

Since the inception of the automobile over 100 years ago, the car manufacturing industry has been one of the most competitive businesses in modern history. With so many models and body types to choose from, car manufacturers need to combine a sleek model with fuel efficiency, safety and affordability in order to attract potential customers to buy their cars. Over the past few years, car manufacturers have done their best to combine these elements in order to match customer's wants and sensibilities. With hybrid cars becoming more mainstream, manufacturers are creating new models to catch up to the demand.

Some of the best car manufacturers are the most expensive. Making a high-demand vehicle is something that many manufacturers strive to do and sports cars like Porsche and Ferrari are always mentioned as the best cars due to the look of their cars and how fast they can go. Popular brands that have a variety body types are Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, BMW, Nissan and Honda to name a few.

Vote up the car manufacturer and best car makers that you think are the best. There is no right or wrong answer to why you think a particular car maker is better than the other; it's up to you to decide. From the top car company to the top car makers, they're all here on this car makers list, for car shoppers to peruse and vote on.
Most divisive: Tesla Motors
Ranked by
  • Porsche
    2

    Porsche

    6,538 votes
    Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche AG, is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans. Porsche AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, and is owned by Volkswagen AG, which is itself majority-owned by Porsche Automobil Holding SE. Porsche's current lineup includes the 911, Boxster, Cayman, Panamera, Cayenne, Macan, and the 918.
  • Lamborghini
    3

    Lamborghini

    3,133 votes
    Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini, an Italian manufacturing magnate, founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1963 to compete with established marques, including Ferrari. In 1998, Mycom Setdco and V'Power sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group where it was placed under the control of the group's Audi division.
  • Mercedes-Benz
    4

    Mercedes-Benz

    6,581 votes
    Mercedes-Benz (German pronunciation: [mɛʁˈtseːdəs ˈbɛnts]) is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG. The name first appeared in 1926 but traces its origins to Daimler's 1901 Mercedes and to Karl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen.
  • Ferrari
    5

    Ferrari

    4,976 votes
    Ferrari is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947. Fiat acquired 50% of Ferrari in 1969 and expanded its stake to 90% in 1988. In May 2012 the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the world's most expensive car, selling in a private transaction for $38,115,000 to American communications magnate Craig McCaw. In 2014 Fiat announced its intentions to sell its share in Ferrari, as of the announcement Fiat owned 90% of Ferrari. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has had great success. Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth.
  • BMW
    6

    BMW

    6,573 votes
    Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, commonly known as BMW or BMW AG, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. BMW is headquartered in Munich, Bavaria. It also owns and produces Mini cars, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad. In 2014, the BMW Group produced 2,117,965 automobiles and approximately 120,000 motorcycles across all of its brands. BMW is part of the "German Big 3" luxury automakers, along with Audi and Mercedes-Benz, which are the three best-selling luxury automakers in the world.