Cop cars have been around a lot longer than most people think. Since the end of the 19th century, to be precise. The very motorized first police vehicle patrolled the streets of Akron, Ohio in 1899 and was more like a trolley car with an engine, able to carry the whole police force – which is where the term “squad car” actually comes from. This vehicle didn’t last long, however, as it was dumped in the local canal by Akron residents during the Riot of 1900.
Over the decades, police forces across America have used a variety of vehicles to provide the transport for their officers, but perhaps the most iconic cop car of all time is the Ford Crown Victoria, which was used by dozens of law enforcement agencies between 1992 and 2011, when the car was discontinued and replaced by the Ford Taurus. The Crown Vic made for a great cop car, thanks to its powerful V8 engine and rear-wheel drive, and the fact these cars were easy to maintain and keep on the road.
Most modern cop cars are all about speed – and law enforcement agencies are using some of the fastest vehicles to help their officers catch crooks. The Dubai police force has a Bugatti Veyron at its disposal, with a top speed of 253mph. Not every country’s cops get to drive million-dollar supercars, though, as the unorthodox and ugly police cars on this list demonstrate!
19 Suzuki Jimny – Japan
The Bugatti Veyron belonging to the Dubai police force is a far cry from the Suzuki Jimny, used by cops in the car’s native Japan and in other countries around the globe. These compact little jeeps are not exactly built for speed, so it’s debatable as to how useful they would be in pursuing criminals – unless the crooks decided to take an unexpected turn onto an off-road track! It’s far more likely the compact Suzuki Jimny, which can trace its history back to the army jeeps of WWII, is used for policing the streets of cities and towns in Japan.
18 Fiat Multipla – Italy
Speaking of ugly cars, the Fiat Multipla is one vehicle that isn’t going to be winning any beauty contests any time soon! Italian auto manufacturer Fiat has been around for over a hundred years, and have provided police forces throughout Italy with their vehicles for most of that time.
However, that doesn’t mean that law enforcement agencies are under any obligation to choose the ugliest vehicles possible.
The Multipla doesn’t just look bad, it also doesn’t really offer many of the basic features that you would expect from a cop car - such as the acceleration and speed to catch escaping crooks.
17 Hyundai Sonata – China
In recent years, Hyundai has worked very hard to improve the appearance of their mid-size sedan, but earlier models of the Hyundai Sonata, those built between the start of production in 1985 and about 2005, are not easy on the eye. China may be infamous for copying foreign car designs, but for some reason, their domestic police force decided that their cops should ride around in an unattractive South Korean import. Perhaps the authorities managed to get a good deal from Hyundai, but how long will it be until cops in China are driving around in a local Hyundai knock-off?
16 Chrysler PT Cruiser - Largo, US
Where to even start with this monstrosity? The cops in Largo, Florida have the misfortune of having to drive around in a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Not only are these vehicles an ugly combination of the old Chrysler grille and a more modern compact car at the rear, but the city of Largo decided to give their fleet of vehicles a pretty unpleasant paint job. The lighter shade of blue doesn’t look very menacing. In fact, this particular cop car looks more like a toy or something from a cartoon than something which would strike fear into the hearts of criminals or speeding motorists.
15 Smart ForTwo – NYPD
The NYPD may call themselves “New York’s Finest” but there is nothing fine about making hard-working cops drive around the city in a Smart ForTwo car. Of course, there are some practical reasons why Smart cars are a good choice for police officers in one of the busiest cities in the world – even though cops can pretty much park where they like, they still need to find space for their vehicles, and Smart cars are really easy to park. They don’t really look like police cars, however, and are certainly not very imposing if officers are trying to intimidate hardened criminals.
14 Lada 2107 – Bulgaria
Lada has a notoriously bad reputation, particularly for the way they look. The Russian car manufacturer may have been the butt of many jokes, but in many communist countries, there wasn’t much choice when it came to choosing a car – and that went for police forces too.
The Lada 2107 was used as a cop car in the USSR itself, and in post-Berlin Wall Russia, as well as in Eastern European countries like Bulgaria.
It isn’t just a matter of Lada vehicles looking ugly, they were also pretty unreliable; and can you imagine anything worse than your car breaking down in the middle of a police pursuit?
13 Toyota Corolla – Singapore
Once upon a time, the Toyota Corolla was considered ahead of its time. When the sedan was first launched in 1966, an all through the 1970s and 1980s the Corolla was not just popular with the public but also with motoring magazines.
However, Toyota has done little to modernize their flagship vehicles in the last 20 years, which means that modern models are starting to look a little dated.
That includes the fleet of Toyota Corolla cars which are used by police officers in the South East Asian city-state of Singapore, which just seem to blend into the background of its busy streets.
12 Dodge Nitro - San Pedro, US
The Dodge Nitro is an unusual choice for a cop car, but it could be considered a bold move by the police force in San Pedro, California. At first glance, the compact SUV looks more like the kind of vehicle that criminals might drive; you could easily imagine dealers behind the wheel of a Dodge Nitro with tinted windows. Perhaps the San Pedro police came to the conclusion that the best way to beat the criminals was to copy them. After all, it has to be easier to catch crooks if the good guys are driving the same cars as the bad guys!
11 Tennessee State Troopers – US
While there is nothing wrong with the actual vehicles driven by the Tennessee State Troopers, questions have to be raised about whoever chose the cars’ rather unpleasant color scheme. The combination of various ugly shades of brown, with a weird orange stripe along the side, looks like it was developed in the 1970s and hasn’t been changed since. I’m sure officers and Tennessee residents alike think that it’s high time their vehicles were given a 21st-century makeover – and most motoring fans would agree. Or perhaps the cops like the fact that their boring beige cars can easily blend into the background?
10 Plymouth Caravelle - Toronto, Canada
Speaking of the 1970s, for many years the Metro Police in Toronto, Canada drove around in Plymouth Caravelles, huge vehicles that weren’t really designed either for high-speed pursuits or for easy maneuvering around city streets.
And just to add to the confusion – especially for any visiting U.S. tourists – the Montreal cop cars were also painted in the same shade of yellow as New York taxi cabs.
Unless this was some kind of ruse in order to catch misbehaving vacationers, yellow seems an odd choice for police car paint jobs, which are usually a little more understated – and a lot more tasteful!
9 Aspen Police, US
From a cop car that really stands out from the crowd, we go to one that just blends into the background. In fact, the vehicles used by the local police force in Aspen, Colorado blend into the background so well that they don’t even look like they belong to law enforcement officers. The silver paint job and decorative leaf motif make these SUVs look like something soccer moms would drive, as opposed to crime-fighting cops. Only the words “Aspen Police” give away the identity of those inside this car – not a great look for cops who need to intimidate the bad guys.
8 Renault Zoe – Portugal
Some city cars make for great cop cars – so long as the officers using them aren’t expected to be involved in high-speed pursuits on the highway. The Renault Zoe, which is used by law enforcement agencies in Portugal among other countries, almost fits the bill, although it’s slightly awkward body shape doesn’t help in the style stakes. There’s also the small matter of the name; "Renault Zoe" won’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of the local gangsters, and while the fact that the car is powered by electricity is great news for the environment, you don’t want to run out of charge in the middle of a chase.
7 Lada Samara – Russia
Here we have another of those boxy and unattractive Lada cars, which were so popular in the USSR and Eastern Europe in the years before the fall of Berlin Wall, and which have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years after being taken over by French company Renault. This Lada Samara, being used as a cop car in Russia, looks as though it is about to fall apart at any moment, and certainly wouldn’t stand up to the rigors of a high-speed chase through Moscow or St Petersburg. Chances are the dodgy suspension wouldn’t even stand up to carrying more than one criminal in the back seat.
6 Toyota Prius - Berlin, Germany
Police in Berlin have started to use the popular Toyota Prius as a cop car for the city, a pretty solid choice in many ways for law enforcement agencies which want to demonstrate their environmental credentials.
Hybrids have a larger range than all-electric vehicles, as well as boasting better acceleration and faster speeds.
The problem with the Berlin police cars isn’t the vehicle but the dodgy paint job these cars have been given. The Toyota Prius isn’t the most impressive car, but adding those ugly white dashes on the side of the vehicle was a very odd style choice.
5 Detroit Police, US
When it comes to dodgy paint jobs, there is no doubt that the Detroit Police force takes the top prize – or should that be the bottom prize? – for their lack of artistic appreciation. It’s bad enough that they have added those ugly bullbars to the front of the vehicles, though you can at least think of a few circumstances when they might come in handy for cops dealing with Detroit crooks. The worst thing about these police cars is the weird Detroit cityscape image they have painted on the side of the vehicles, and on the hood. Very 1980s, and very unappealing.
4 Sao Paolo Policia, Brazil
It seems that ugly paint jobs on police cars are a global problem. First those ugly white lines on the Berlin cop cars, and then those images of Detroit on the cop cars in the Motor City. Perhaps the most unattractive cop cars in the world are those used in Sao Paolo, where law enforcement agencies have come up with some sort of abstract geometric design for their police vehicles, and then used the kind of color scheme which wouldn’t look out of place on a company logo from the 1980s. Pointless, ugly and definitely not what movies have led us to expect from tough Brazilian police officers!
3 Citroen C4 - Madrid, Spain
Madrid is one of the most stylish cities in the world, home to designer fashion boutiques and galleries filled with famous works of art. It’s just a shame that the city has chosen to give its police officers such ugly cars to drive around in!
The Citroen C4 is a very unlikely cop car; it’s usually a family car, perfect for getting the kids to and from school, but not exactly suited to catching bad guys in the Spanish capital.
In fact, the only thing the Madrid police have got right is the rather stylish paint job, using the colors of the Spanish flag in sharp contrast to the navy blue background.
2 Lada Riva - Havana, Cuba
In a list of the ugliest cop cars in the world, it only seems right that we end with yet another Lada. Communist Cuba was always happy to benefit from cheap imports from the USSR, and that included vehicles like the Lada Riva which ended up compromising most of Caribbean country’s cop car fleet. Havana may be famous for its beautiful old 1950s US vehicles, Cadillacs, Buicks and Plymouths in all the colors of the rainbow, but the poor Cuban police officers have to make do with driving around the island in boxy piles of junk from the old communist bloc.
1 Pontiac Aztek - Montreal, Canada
Montreal has a well-deserved reputation as one of Canada’s most stylish and sophisticated cities. It’s just a shame that the Montreal city police didn’t get the memo about keeping it classy when they were choosing a new vehicle for their law enforcement officers.
The Pontiac Aztek crossover SUV may be a practical choice for policing a Canadian city where bad weather is often a factor, but it is certainly not a stylish one.
In fact, the Aztek, which was built by General Motors between 2000 and 2005, is regularly voted one of the ugliest cars of recent years by motoring magazines.
Sources: autotrader.com, carthrottle.com, cbsnews.com, mnn.com, insidercarnews.com