Electric Vehicles with the Most Unique and Eye Catching Designs

New eye-tracking study reveals the most eye-catching cars of 2023

A new study by UK's largest automotive marketplace Auto Trader has used unique eye-tracking technology to discover which cars are the most attractive to the human eye.

In the study, participants were asked to look at a series of 40 images of the world's best-selling car models whilst their eye movements were tracked, in order to discover which motors, capture our attention the quickest and which hold our gaze the longest.

These two-tracking metrics were combined to give each car model its own unique eye-catching score.

The 20 Most Eye-Catching Cars in the World:

Luxury German car manufacturer Porsche landed itself in first place, with one of the brands most beloved models securing an impressive 91% eye-catching score.

The luxury car held participants gazes for 2.51 seconds on average, with individuals also taking on average just two and a half seconds to find it on their screen.

Japanese brand Lexus came joint second place, with its super suave LC500, alongside Ferraris F40 - a powerhouse vehicle that once-upon-a-time was the only street-legal car that could supersede 200mph. Both of these beautiful supercars came out of the study with an eye-catching score of 88%.

Luxury cars dominate the top rankings, with 60% of the top ten vehicles being supercars, while electric cars featured just three times in the top 20 most eye-catching car rankings.

The MG4 EV design came out as the 20th most eye-catching car with a score of 64%, whilst the Tesla Model 3 ranked 6th.

However, the biggest win for EV design is the electric Porsche Taycan, which comes out in 4th place overall.

The Taycan held the research participants gazes the longest, with a gaze time of 5.63 seconds on average, a significantly longer average time than any other vehicle in the study.

When it comes to which auto captures our attention the quickest, the everyday bestseller Toyota Yaris tops the charts, with the study showing it took just 1.89 seconds for participants to fixate on the Yaris image on the screen.

Erin Baker, Editorial Director from Auto Trader comments says While you shouldnt judge a book by its cover, its long been clear that how our car looks on the outside is just as important as whats inside it.

We know that a cars design is a huge factor for people in their car-buying journey, and using eye-tracking technology is a fantastic and really exciting way to discover which current motor designs are really grabbing our attention.

We are thrilled to see much-loved bestsellers like the BMW 3 Series and Volvo XC40 ranking alongside the luxury supercars in the study, and hats off to Porsche for designing the most eye-catching supercar and EV car!

This study is a great reminder of just how important a cars exterior is to a potential buyer, so be sure to show off the car you're selling at its best - from getting the chassis polished and gleaming to taking flattering photographs for your listing.

The results for which cars came out as most eye-catching for specific auto categories (supercar, electric and everyday) are below:

The Ten Most Eye-Catching Electric Cars:

Electric cars are some of the newest on the market, and their early designs were hotly discussed in the motoring world. EVs have since made huge leaps in their aesthetic appeal, with brands like Porsche and Tesla pushing the market to create ever-more attractive designs.

Auto Traders study reveals the Porsche Taycan as having as the most eye-catching design, with a score of 86%, followed by the Tesla Model 3 (84%) and the MG4 EV (64%). Other notable entries in the top 10 include the likes of South Korean brand Kias EV6, the MINI Electric and the Audi e-tron.

The Ten Most Eye-Catching Supercars

Luxury cars are truly in another league of their own, and these supercars really are some of the most beautiful in the world from a design perspective. According to Auto Traders study, the Porsche 911 is the supercar that takes the crown as being the most eye-catching.

It achieved the highest score out of all car categories (everyday, luxury and electric) with a score of 91%. Italian brands held gazes for the longest, with the Lamborghini Urus and Porsche 911 holding participants eyes in place for 2.40 and 2.51 seconds respectively, while the German Bugatti Veyron was the car that participants eyes flicked to the quickest.

The Ten Most Eye-Catching Bestselling Everyday Cars:

When it comes to everyday cars, even if their primary purpose is functional, the exterior design is still hugely important to drivers; some of us like to do the school run in something sporty-looking, and some of us enjoy doing the weekly shop in a dramatic-looking 4x4.

Auto Traders study shows that the BMW 3 Series is the most eye-catching everyday car, earning a score of 84%, followed by the Volvo XC40 and the Volkswagen Golf.

Other notable models in this top 10 include the subcompact Mercedes-Benz A-Class (also scoring above 70%), the Land Rover Defender with a respectable 68% score and the iconic MINI Cooper getting an eye-catching score of 61%.

HotCars

It's not uncommon forcar designs to change and adapt twice a year or more, so much that it's easy to forget how innovative some of them truly were. Today's cars would be astounding to people just ten years ago as each generation creates innovations that make them stand out. Most of the time, it's practical, making changes to engines and for customer desires. But some designs become so iconic that they can spread to other types of cars.

It's amazing to see just how many classic automobile features have stood the test of time and helped inspire even better designs down the road. From the car's shape to some of its unique touches, some features not only stand the test of time but change the game. Here are ten iconic car design features that even their creators had no idea would be so amazing.

10 1949 Nash 600 Enclosed Fenders

It's amazing how many design features that are now taken for granted didn't always exist. It was the 1949 Nash 600 that produced enclosed fenders, a concept so simple it's amazing it took so long for it to develop. It was the first car to weld the body and the frame into one unit, making it tougher and more rigid than other cars of the time.

The enclosed fenders were a unique design that made the Nash an instant breakout. It paved the way for scores of redesigns for safety and also helping make cars look more attractive on the road.

9 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Doors

True, not every car with gullwing doors is automatically great (see the DeLorean). But there's no denying how the Mercedes 300SL began a fantastic new trend for car door designs. While suicide doors are also good, the sight of these doors swinging wide open over the car makes it look much cooler.

They inspired the later scissor doors trend, but the classic gullwing has never truly gone away. This design literally opened new doors for great car features.

Related: 10 Influential Car Designs That Changed The Game

8 Lancia Stratos Zero The Wedge

While the wedge design had been bouncing around for a while, the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero was the car that truly proved it could work. That sharp front end was eye-catching while also adding to the car's aerodynamic feel.

Soon, the wedge style was clicking, with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin all joining in the trend. It still pops up as the pointed end is both powerful and practical and, in many ways, helped inspire the future supercar trend.

7 1962 Thunderbird Stylized Tail Lights

Taillights were often ignored at times in early car models due to the low technology and different traffic laws of the time. The 1962 Thunderbird changed that with its striking tail lights, just one on either side. Yet the size, the shape, and the design around them were eye-catching even when the car wasn't in motion.

These would pave the way for such things as sequential tail lights, the "ribbed" light of a BMW, or more outlandish types for supercars. The Thunderbird proved that cars could look just as good going as coming.

Related: Top 10 Longest-Lasting Sports Car Designs In History

6 Kaiser Darrin Sliding Doors

It's odd that a car design feature becomes more famous on a different vehicle type than it was originally built for. Today, most don't even know about the Kaiser Darrin, but everyone knows its most famous feature.

The sliding doors were notable for 1954, and less than 500 were built before the company went under. But those doors were later used for vans and SUVs, becoming a common sight. So while Kaiser Darrin is long gone, their legacy remains today.

5 Cadillac Fins

In the 1940s, cars had okay styles but nothing catching the eye. Then Cadillac cooked up the tail fin, and suddenly, car designs took a new direction. Franklin Quick Hershey had no idea what he was starting when he decided to put tail fins on the 1948 Cadillac, but it was sheer genius.

Whether simply sleek or looking like half the rear end was sloped, the tailfins marked a change in car designs. While actual fins have been lowered, Hershey helped put a stamp on cars looking beautiful that remain today.

Related:10 Gorgeous Classic Cadillacs That Won't Break The Bank

4 Rolls Royce Grill

Try to imagine a Rolls Royce without that distinctive grille. It's almost impossible. While created just to help the engine performance, that grille became a staple of Rolls Royce and inspired other luxury car companies to realize that a fancy grille could set their cars apart.

Yet almost no one has managed to do it with the flair and elegance that Rolls Royce does. Thus, while setting the trend with fancy grilles, the company still makes this style all its own.

3 BMW Double Kidneys

The BMW has seen countless incarnations and variations over the decades. But that distinctive "Double Kidney" grille, no matter the shape, is still its trademark. It's not just style, either but also practical as when created in the 1930s, it improved the engine performance.

It didn't take long for BMW to realize how it also made their cars look much better and could be configured into various shapes. It's been emulated several times, yet the double kidneys somehow stick to BMW to make it iconic.

Related:10 Of The Most Revolutionary Automotive Designers Of All Time

2 1936 Cord 810 Pop Up Headlights

Pop-up headlights have fallen out of favor which is a shame as they really are fun. They just look cool popping out of the hood, and it adds a spark to the design. It might be surprising it wasn't some sports car of the '70s or '80s that began the trend but the 1936 Cord 810.

A car ahead of its time in various ways, the Cord had the pop-up ready, it just needed refinement. They still come up and deserve a comeback as those headlights sliding up just make any car look cooler.

1 Ferrari Testarossa Side Intakes

While the concept of side intakes had been around for a while, the Ferrari Testarossa is what really kicked them into high gear. It took a practical application and turned it into a gorgeous design feature. On another car, those side intakes could have been obtrusive, distracting, or even ugly. Put on the Testarossa, they became a work of art.

Ironically, the designers wanted to downplay those before realizing how exciting they could be. One only has to look at scores of other supercars to see how the Testarossa's side intakes created a new spark to a fast car's style.

Sources: motor1.com, jalopnik.com, hemmings.com, popularmechanics.com

Next:These '90s European Sports Car Designs Only Got Better With Age