10 Best-Looking Luxury Cars

2019 Genesis G70 grey driving ・ Photo by Genesis

A compilation of the ten best-looking luxury cars may not receive universal agreement, but this isn’t an exercise in subjectivity, either. We’ve included cars that have won design awards and some that are the creation of famous designers, so we've got the opinions from experts in the field to back up our choices. But we've also included a few that we like, just because.

The great thing about this list of best-looking luxury cars is that we don’t have to concern ourselves with any other factors, such as cost, size, or fuel economy. We can celebrate the cars for the beauties they are. And every luxury car really ought to have good looks, as it’s part of the prestigious aura. Let's take a look and see which ones ring your bell.

2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Some cars look good not just as a result of their lines and shapes, but also because of the implied thrills and driving experience. The regular Giulia arguably is beautiful, but the high-power Quadrifoglio is breathtaking. It rides lower than standard on fabulous “telephone dial” alloy wheels (evoking older Alfa Romeo cars), while the aerodynamic additions, quad exhaust pipes, and larger brake calipers hint at the awesome performance delivered by 505 hp.

Of all the many accolades the wider Giulia range has won, its award from the Italian Industrial Design Association (and Italy is a global center of excellent design) distinguishes this luxury compact sedan for its “balance of heritage, speed, simplicity, beauty [and] impeccable sense of proportions.”

Photo by Alfa Romeo

2019 Aston Martin Vantage

Not many cars possess the ability to turn heads, drop jaws and send the traffic parting before them, but an Aston Martin can. Even people who don’t like cars dream of owning one. Designer Miles Nurnberger says: “We’re always trying to make something as pure and beautiful as possible.”

The new-for-2019 Vantage entry-level supercar has the Aston Martin look (the shape of the grille, the long, almost-pointed nose, the low-drawn roof line, short cabin, and rear haunches), but brought thoroughly up to date. It appears ready to burn rubber just by clicking Unlock on the key fob, which is the whole point of luxury supercar design. With a 503-hp V8, it also has as much substance as style.

Photo by Aston Martin

2019 Audi A7

The 2019 A7 is a great example of production-car styling using aspects taken from a concept car. About four years ago, Audi unveiled its Prologue study, created by the company’s current head of design, Marc Lichte. It’s sharper and sleeker than previous Audi vehicles. Details like the relatively small headlights are made possible by new laser technology.

This more finely honed overall approach has been translated into the latest A7 hatchback/sedan. It’s still immediately recognizable as an Audi, but has an assertive look that complements one of the more alluring cars to come out of Ingolstadt (in our opinion). The A7 manages to be practical yet still has a sense of drama, as well as style, panache, and prestige.

Photo by Audi

2019 BMW M8 Gran Coupe

The 2018 Car Design Award panel handed third place to the BMW M8 Gran Coupe. This annual event started in 1984, but stopped after 1997, then returned for 2016. It takes place in Turin, Italy, a place that’s important for cars and their designs (the Fiat company has its Centro Stile studio there).

The 8 Series is an all-new model based on the superb 7 Series platform, and it’s (arguably) the most stunning-looking production vehicle to wear a BMW badge in years. The M8 version is going to be the enthusiast’s choice, with more than 600 hp expected under that sculpted hood. And if anyone is thinking how anything this attractive could only come third, read on.

Photo by BMW

2019 Cadillac CT6

This “slightly larger than a BMW 5 Series” flagship earns its inclusion here among our 10 best-looking cars because it has a distinct and coherent design. It comes across as a luxury sedan someone would actually want to buy and own, rather than the pragmatic purchase of a limo company seeking something to shuttle between the airport and other parts of town.

Take a CT6 on a test drive and it also will prove to be comfortable yet involving, with plenty of equipment coming in at reasonable pricing. A plug-in hybrid version with 31 miles of electric-only range also is  available. There are more ways to look good than merely the aesthetic.

Photo by Ron Sessions

2019 Jaguar E-Pace

“Pop music in the car world” is how the 2018 Car Design Award jury described the E-Pace, making it a winner in the production model category, beating the Aston Martin Vantage and the BMW M8 Gran Coupe. That must have been a particularly sweet victory for Ian Callum, who designed a few Aston Martins before landing at Jaguar.

Even though the E-Pace leans toward the crossover side of things, that makes the award all the more remarkable, since crossovers are invariably boxy by nature, unable to emulate the sleekness of a coupe or sedan. And Callum’s team even managed to avoid making it look like a smaller F-Pace, giving it a character of its own, yet still within the wider Jaguar family.

Photo by Jaguar

2019 Genesis G70

It’s happened sooner than anyone might have reasonably expected. After two nice-enough-but-not-quite-there attempts (G80 and G90), the all-new G70 puts the Genesis marque among top players. This compact luxury rivals such prime movers as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Then again, it’s not that surprising, given the amount of talent Genesis has hired over the past few years. One such asset is Luc Donckerwolke, who usually is the smartest guy in any room he happens to be. As well as speaking about 10 languages, his mastery of design language already has landed him employment at Bentley and Lamborghini. The G70 is where Genesis really takes off. It sure has the looks.

Photo by Genesis

2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Almost any Mercedes-Benz could have worked for this list of 10 best-looking cars. Throughout its history, the company has displayed an incredible ability to marry excellent engineering to gorgeous design. But that’s exactly why we’ve chosen the brand-new 2019 A-Class entry level model: Because it introduces luxury styling to a larger section of the car-buying public, as well as high-class Mercedes-Benz hardware.

On sale in early 2019, the A-Class also brings a fresh angle to cabin design, using double screens to replace conventional gauges, keeping things tidier and enhancing the space of this small sedan. The nose, meanwhile, bears a strong resemblance to the new, highly stylized, and much more expensive CLS.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

2019 Tesla Model S

The Model S still seems like a young car, even though this luxury midsize all-electric sedan/hatchback has been around since 2012. And that’s not just because the electric charging infrastructure is still in its infancy.

There’s a freshness to the styling, created by Franz von Holzhausen, an American-born designer who worked at Mazda for a time (one of the few Japanese companies that consistently produces good-looking vehicles). He studied at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, a place that has produced many star performers in this world. The Model S doesn’t try too hard to be wacky and modern, going instead for a classy efficiency. The lines are as clean as the air it leaves behind.

Photo by Tesla

2019 Volvo S60

A Volvo has to be in a list of 10 best-looking luxury cars, and that’s not just our opinion. The 2018 Car Design Award panel gave its best Brand Design Language accolade to the revitalized Swedish company. We’re mentioning the S60 luxury compact sedan here because it’s the newest model, therefore the latest iteration of this approach and the most recent evolution.

It’s not a shrunken S90, despite wearing similar features such as the T-shaped LED daytime running lights and right-angled taillights. Its smaller dimensions make it look more pert when compared with the (also handsome) S90. In common with every other new Volvo, the 2019 S60 is beautiful on the inside, as well.

Photo by Volvo