One of the cheapest ways you can spruce up your car’s looks is to get a really good set of wheels, but good is relative, at least to some car owners. Before you decide on what you want to do to your car, as far as a makeover is concerned, please do some research—Google is your friend. There are lots of ‘pimped’ car failures out there, some that cannot even be described because they haven't only defied the rules of car beautification but have also gone to unacceptable extremes—with or without good intentions. But such is life; you may give two people an average-looking car and ask each to give it a fresh look, but when they both come back to you with their pimped versions, it's probable that either one or both fail or that one or both do an amazing job at it. One of the ways people ruin their good cars is by getting ugly rims instead of decent car rims.

The weird wheels you’re about to see here are collected from various sources, but most of them are personal photos posted by different car owners, who really should've saved us all the trouble and kept the images to themselves. But then again, it's a learning experience and provides valuable lessons to those of us who may be thinking of getting a set of cool rims. This, what-not-to-wear for cars, lists 25 examples of the ugliest car rims ever seen.

25 Bottle-Top Rims

Whoever did this shameful thing to a respectable supercar like this should be banned from owning it. Those rims resemble oversized soda bottle caps, slightly beaten to shape so they could fit into the car’s wheels. The color isn't bad, by the way; it’s just that the shape and the size of the rims that give them a bad name. If the rims had a different design, like what most BMW cars have, then this car would probably not have been on this list. The rims go even further to cheapen the car’s quality and what it stands for. Why spend a lot of money on a supercar, then mess it up with cheap homemade rims? Here’s some free advice that can emancipate your car from your mental slavery: Google some rim ideas for the same car, and adjust accordingly. If you don’t trust your taste, just return the car’s original rims.

24 Phantom Wannabe

There’s something about the look of this car that's totally off. With or without the ugly rims, this car just looks fake, like a homemade box cutout kind of car with a matching ugly gold paint job and tinted windows. Now, add the bluish-green rims, and you have the fakest car in the world. The more you gaze at it, the more it starts to look like a Rolls-Royce Phantom—sometimes like a Chrysler—but then when you come to, it's just another wannabe. But this isn’t the first person to ape the RR. Ruslan Moukanov, a young Russian, converted his old Benz into a perfect Phantom replica when he couldn’t raise the thousands of euros needed to buy his own Phantom. So, it's possible—or maybe this is it.

23 Holla-Dolla rims

Anybody know which car this is? Before we even get to the rims, let's just look at the body. Is that car wrap or a paint job? Why would this person even combine such colors on a car like this? A simple black or white paint job would do, really. Then there are the ugly dollar-sign rims, whose colors blend with the rest of the theme colors on the car. Maybe the owner loves money enough to try and make his car look like legal tender—silver for the quarters and green for the notes; we don’t know. But this is totally off and not worth the same money spent to get the car looking like this. If you can’t make it work, find someone else to do it for you.

22 Lolli-Pink-Pop Rims

This is a real-life example of head-to-toe style disaster despite the owner's attempt to score big points with this. The car itself, its color, the size of the wheels, the clownish Forgiato rims—everything worked together to bring out the ugly side of the car. Why would anyone even want to modify such a vehicle? It already has its design flaws, but then, its owner just had to go on and spray it all pink and shiny, stick on some oversized wheels, and force some of the ugliest rims in the world on the poor car. If this isn’t the proverbial ugly duckling, we’re not sure what is anymore. In fact, the moment you see this photo, the rims just stick out like lollipops in a candy store, but instead of sweet thoughts, they leave a sour taste in your mouth.

21 No-Show Rims

One word for this car: Yuck! From the background, it seems like it was put up for display at a car show, but this shouldn’t even have left the pimping garage. Who does hot pink on such a car and then slaps on a set of four of the ugliest rims on it? In fact, we think this person breathed a sigh of satisfaction after racing against time to have this car delivered before the deadline for submissions lapsed, and those rims look like more of an afterthought because they just don’t work. There are better rims on the market, some even more affordable and good looking than these. I mean, look at the blue car next to it! And now, imagine the shiny rims on that instead? They simply don’t work on any car!

20 Twix Rims

Everyone has a favorite something or fetish, and that’s understandable. However, what distinguishes the wise from the not so wise is how we express our love for whatever it is that we fancy. You don’t have to be the brightest bulb in the tanning bed to know that branding has a commercial purpose more than it does a personal one. In this unfortunate case, this car’s owner tortured the automobile by spraying on it the colors of his favorite chocolate. We’re convinced this isn't affiliate marketing; neither is it a car owned by the chocolate brand, so that’s been ruled out. What we do know is that in the right hands and with good creativity, this car could've been spared from getting this spot in the hall of shame. The rims shouldn’t even exist in the first place. Epic fail!

19 Boomerang Rims

It's quite difficult to describe the rims on this car. Everything about them is just wrong. Sometimes, you can blame the owner of the car, but ideally, the manufacturer and designer of such rims is at fault. For this one, we’re so ready to point the finger of blame where it should squarely lie. Such rims should never be sold to the public, not even on offer or special junk sales. Look at what it does to such a good car! Let’s not even think or imagine what other colors it comes in because it would give some not so well-meaning people ideas, adding to the pile of car troubles we have to deal with.

18 Eco Rims

This car looks bad. It’s like someone stepping out in a green outfit with a silver tie, black socks, and matching green shoes that are the exact color of the main outfit and the person expecting to make a bold fashion statement that will wow everyone. This is exactly how this car looks. Yes, it stands out with its metallic emerald-green body and matching shiny rims, but overall, it looks horrible. If only folks who want to get a new look on their cars would ask first, the world would be a better place to live in. What’s happening here is something the owner won't live with for more than a year without regrets, which is why research is a good thing before following your heart’s desires.

17 Sickly Rims

This looks like the cousin of the green car with the matching shiny-green rims, or maybe they're husband and wife or twins. Who knows? This car has a bad color, to begin with—some weird shade of grey or light blue mixed with a navy blue, and whatever else there is. The owner then went ahead and added not one but four ugly shiny metal rims, making it look worse than its original state. Again, research before you throw all your crazy non-creative ideas on an innocent car. We bet the original look would’ve been better off than this new one that completely tore the vehicle's poor soul apart. Never do this to your car; just let it be if creativity isn't your thing.

16 Splash-of-Citrus Rims

OMG! Look what the cat dragged in. This pickup truck is the victim of one of the worst car mods ever seen on the planet. There’s a lot going on here, starting with the nauseating luminous green, yellow, and orange splashed on the black body of the car. Then, the same ugly colors were replicated on the rims, probably to create a fiery effect or something. But the moment you look at it, what you see first are the rims and the paint job, which looks like the paint was splashed onto the car’s body after the rims were fitted. It’s more like an afterthought on what to do with the extra paint. This is a pickup truck, not an ice-cream-vending vehicle.

15 Shiny-Stamp Rims

Here’s another one of those shiny automobiles that just must have matching shiny rims to complete the look. This car gives DIY YouTubers a bad name. It’s the sort of thing that makes you squirm when you look at it. Some of these cars may have such awesome interiors hiding behind their ugly outer shell, but you’ll never know unless you get a closeup shot, right? As for this car, the exterior puts you off to the extent that the interior is no longer a mystery because if the owner got the outer part wrong, what makes us think the inside is any better? The dominant color is a shiny silver, while the outlines are a metallic burnt-orange shade, both of which are like oil and water—they don’t mix well, forced or not.

14 Kindergarten-Horror Rims

The moment you see the rims on this car, you may wince aghast at the cruelty some people have on their beloved cars. It looks like a car used for school transport, but then again, the image on the back of the car is confusing. We're not sure if its a nun reading the Holy Book, or a painting of a little girl draped in robes reciting "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" at the Easter Egg Roll. Whatever it is, you can be sure it doesn't work. It feels like the car is screaming to get out of its own body despite being in good condition and wearing the best tires. Why the rims were painted a sickly pink color is beyond us. You have two choices here: get a new paint job done or keep your car to yourself.

13 Gold-Coin Rims

Most people seem to have forgotten that in the past, during the peak of the infamous bling craze, Asanti put shiny chocolate wrappers on wheels. This guy must've believed the fairy tale that promises a pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow, so when he got there and actually found it, he just didn't know where to start. The first instinct was to splash it all on his car, which is what we're seeing here. It looks like a Camaro that's been turned into a donk car and given a shiny gold-plated color, which makes it look like one big fake gold coin, if you ask me. "Ugly" is the only word that can correctly describe this thing.

12 Thunderbolt Rims

Why else would anyone stop by this except to confirm that the inside is as terrible as the outside? The metallic electric-blue color is dope, by the way, but we can't say the same for the yellow thunderbolt rims on the otherwise okay tires. The lady peeping into the car was probably drawn to it by the weirdness of the car and looked just to see what it's like and maybe confirm whether or not it has a sane owner. Yes, there may be car shows that require a little more oomph on your creativity, but if you can't pull it off, its best to leave it to those who can. This guy gets an A for effort on the paint job but an F on the rims.

11 Ugly Donk-ling Rims

This is a shame! Both the car and the rims are things mankind must never ever forget. They belong on the list of shameful cars that are meant to serve as a lesson in modifications gone awry. You know, even in the proper context, this car and its wheels will always be looked at as a mistake. The wheels are pretty atrocious, and they don’t make sense anywhere. They’re the type of rims that are the go-to upgrade for people who'll only do one thing to their cars. Let’s not even get started on the body because the whole paint job is a big sham. This guy should ask for a refund and sue whoever did this to his car.

10 Gemini Rims

Whatever the make of your car, there's no way such rims will ever make a statement, regardless of where you go with this. Even the person with the least creativity will see that this just doesn't work on such good tires because it just doesn't. This car's beauty has already been ruined, such that it's even harder now to tell what make of car it is than it would've been if the owner had left some steelies on. In fact, steelies make for better rims on any car if properly taken care of—well, not on any car; maybe just beaters. If this is your car and you're reading this, take a cue from us and do something about it. You may not be able to sell those rims and buy new ones, though, because no one may want to inherit those from you.

9 MySpace Rims

Is this a missing-person prank? Or is it a way for the owner to identify herself as the owner of the car? If it's the former, there are better avenues to spread the news because once the car starts moving, the face won't be recognizable as it'll be spinning continuously. If it's you trying to tell the world that this is your car, woe unto you because you're opening yourself up to scrutiny and shame, and it's not too good for your own security. There are people who stick photos of their wives or kids on their cars, but seeing this on car rims is a first. Who allowed this anyway? Just spare the car and share your photos on social media—not on rims.

8 Be-spoke Rims

These rims have caused quite a stir on the interwebs as people try to understand how they came to be and figure out what to call them. Some are torn between one spoke or two spoke, but they're clearly none of the above. Whoever made these may have had good intentions, but sometimes, not everything that looks good sketched on a paper will turn out exactly the same in reality. It looks like those chunky, gaudy rings ladies wear on their fingers that almost cover the entire hand, but the same doesn't work on a car's rims. Again, steelies are your friend. Replace these with a better option for your car, or just put the steelies back on. For such a car, you can't miss some good ideas.

7 Hummer-and-Carriage Rims

What a way to introduce your Hummer H3 to the world! If it was its normal self, no one would've noticed you in it, right? This Hummer carriage was spotted in London, of all places. Lawd! While artists may praise this as aggression combined with beauty or creativity with attitude, it is what it is—ugly! A similar car was modified by a New Yorker who transformed his $15,000 Hummer H2 into a seated horse cart, minus the engine. So, the car was actually carried by horses. The wooden wagon wheel was used in 2000 BC or much earlier but for chariots and horse carriages. Back then, it was a functional item, but today, car owners such as this one have made it into an amusement decoration. There’s nothing creative about this custom carpentry job, but kudos to the carpenters who crafted the wheels. They're not even old school; they're just wrong!

6 Mirror Rims

They don’t get much uglier than these. We’re not even going to bring up the make and color of the car, as they're non-issues compared to the rims. They remind us of mirrors, the big round type you hang along the corridors of your home or office either for aesthetics or to keep looking at yourself before you leave the house. These are so beyond ugly that if you saw them stopped at a light, you’d be too confused to react. What’s worse, on a hot summer day, if you ever see these on a rolling car in the direct sunlight, it's just impossible for you to look away because as they spin, they reflect light everywhere. While such rims and the overall look may seem pretty wild, they're just amazingly hideous.