Top 10 Ugliest Wheels Offered on New Cars
Sometimes automakers design a wheel that you absolutely fall in love with, and would never replace with an aftermarket alternative.
But every now and then automakers stick a rather ugly factory wheel on an otherwise perfectly fine car, forcing you to shell out some extra cash for a different style factory wheel or an aftermarket one. Today we’re going to go over what we think are among the worst factory wheels being offered on new cars in 2018. Some landed on this list because they are a slave to current trends and likely won’t age well, while others are just downright ugly.
SEE ALSO: These Carbon Fiber Porsche Wheels Cost $18K
This list is very subjective, of course, so feel free to let us know if you disagree with our picks or let us know of any we missed in the comments below. Now without wasting any more time, let’s start looking at some of the most shocking wheel designs on offer today.
10. Honda Civic 17-inch Black Alloy Wheel
These wheels just have too much going on. Unfortunately, we find most of the wheels offered on the current generation Civic are just a tad too busy, save for the Civic Si’s and Type R’s.
9. Honda CR-V 17-Inch Wheel
Continuing with the Honda trend is the CR-V’s wheel found on upper-end trim levels of the crossover. Again, it has a bit too much going on and ends up looking kind of juvenile. We’ll give it points for the original design, though.
8. Dodge Challenger GT 19-inch Painted Wheel
7. Buick Cascada Standard 20-Inch Wheel
We can take or leave the Buick Cascada’s 20-inch wheel design. Our problem lies in the wheel size. Why does a Buick convertible, which will be driven almost exclusively by pensioners, have standard 20-inch wheels? They look awkwardly large and compromise the ride. An odd decision to be sure.
6. VW Jetta 17-Inch Wheel
There’s too much going on with the new Jetta’s available wheels, and are yet just another machine face wheel in an overflowing sea of them. These won’t age very well, either, if you ask us.
5. Chevrolet Camaro 18-Inch Base Wheel
We get these are the base model wheels and will pretty much be found exclusively on rental fleet Camaros, but they are still kind of barren. They aren’t particularly ugly, but they sure do make the whole package look pretty bargain basement.
4. Kia Soul EV 16-Inch Wheel
Yes, we know, the point of these wheels is to be aerodynamically efficient, not stylish. The odd vinyl record-style detailing just isn’t working, though, and there are aero wheels out there that aren’t quite so ghastly, so we’re not handing out any passes Kia. Sorry.
3. Chevrolet Malibu 18-Inch Wheel
Machine face finish aside, this design just isn’t that pleasing to look at. It’s pretty aggressive-looking, especially for such an otherwise conservative car. We’re not sure if Malibu buyers are really the set to appreciate such a sporty looking wheel, either.
2. BMW i3 19-Inch Base Wheel
None of the BMW i3’s wheels are overly attractive, for what it’s worth, but these seem sort of phoned-in. With a bare silver finish and tons of unstyled real estate, they certainly aren’t helping the i3 and its already controversial appearance gain any new fans.
1. Tesla Model 3 18-Inch Aero Wheel
This is what happens when you completely throw style to the wind in favor of efficiency. The Model 3’s aero wheels look like a sand dollar, and seeing owners pulling the aero covers off to reveal the rather boring looking alloy underneath is just sad. Tesla is also selling hubcaps through its website for owners that do pull the aero covers off, which is pretty much an admission that they aren’t the most attractive offering.
Hopefully Tesla can one day deliver a Model 3 wheel that is both aerodynamically efficient and stylish, like the Turbine wheel for the Model S.
Honorable Mention: Maybach Sawblade
We threw these in as an honorable mention, as AutoGuide staffers were split down the middle on Maybach’s Sawblade. Some absolutely adore them, while others aren’t sold. Let us know what you think of them in the comments below, or feel free to share what you think the worst wheels on sale today are.
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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I LOVE the wheels of the CR-V and the Civic! And do not forget the Maybach ones because CLARKSON IS A BULLSHIT FOR HATING THE TYPE-R!
I don't know, most of these wheels are not ugly to me.