Electric Vehicles have always looked very different from their internal combustion counterparts. Initially, this was chalked down to differences in the way they operate and the parts required. However, that does not fully explain some of the extreme EV designs we have seen especially now that mainstream carmakers like Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes Benz have entered the fray with their own 'more conventional-looking EVs.

Hopefully, EV manufacturers will take a cue from this automobile giants and tone down their excesses when designing their products because there is really no excuse for some of the electric vehicles featured on this list.

10 2010 Nissan Leaf

Nissan-Leaf
via cleanfleetreport

The Nissan Leaf was first introduced in 2010 and represented Nissan’s first charge into the world of electric vehicles. The car would go on to scoop several awards including the 2010 Green Car Vision Award and the 2011 European Car of the Year. However, it is safe to say none of those awards were based on the car’s external design.

Nissan-Leaf
via pinterest

It almost looked like the designers deliberately wanted to make the car look overweight and bland. Bug-eyed headlights take up a huge chunk of real estate in front and give the car the appearance of a startled tadpole. The looks did not stop the Leaf from becoming wildly successful though and it is now into its second generation as one of the best-selling electric vehicles ever.

9 BMW i3

bmw-i3
via motor1

The German carmaker sprung this weird looking car on us in 2013. Since then, the car has really struggled to gain much of a foothold in the EV market, especially in the United States where sales have been particularly tepid.

bmw-i3
via extremetech

The car can’t really compete with its rivals in terms of range or price point but another big reason for the car’s struggles can be attributed to its looks. Odd-looking protrusions and bulges define the car’s exterior. It’s hard to see anyone but a diehard BMW fan picking the i3 over its rivals. Motor Trend pulled no punches when they named the BMW i3 one of the ugliest cars of the 2010s

8 Lumeneo Neoma

2012-lumeneo-neoma
via topspeed

The Neoma started out as an ambitious 4-seater project at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. The electric car was billed as a perfect vehicle for intercity transport especially on the streets of Paris. The company set a sales target of 500 units for 2013. However by November 2013, they had filed for bankruptcy after being able to sell only 10 units.

2012-lumeneo-neoma
via diginpix.ina.fr

Yes, the cars were underpowered and had a limited range but one look at the car’s styling and it will become clear why the company failed so spectacularly. No one would want to be caught dead driving a car that resembles a squashed bug on the streets of Paris.

7 Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar

Citicar-EV
via classicautomall

The fascination with electric vehicles might be a recent trend but it did not mean carmakers did not experiment with the EV concept in earlier times. The 1976 CitiCar was an electric car that tried to steer the automotive world towards a path of sustainability and environmental conservation.

Citicar
via oddimotive

It might have succeeded too had the car not been so downright ugly. The car looked a little more than glorified golf-cart with tiny wheels and a wedge shape; not unlike a slice of cheese.

6 Reva G-Wiz

Reva-GWiz
via wikipedia

There can be no excuse for the ridiculous Reva G-Wiz. The car’s headlights look out of place in the stubby front end. Then there are those tall window panes that just end up making the car look really clumsy. You'd be forgiven for thinking the car might just tip over on its face at anytime.

Reva-GWiz
via printertalent.wordpress

The car’s drab looks might not have mattered much if the performance was up to scratch but that is not the case here. The first models had a maximum power output of only 17.6hp. Also, the car’s electric range was a dreary 50 miles and the engine would struggle to reach a claimed top speed of 50mph.

5 GM EV1

GM-EV1
via automotivenews

The GM EV1 was the first purpose-built electric vehicle from the giant American carmaker. It was produced from 1996 to 1999 before a myriad of problems condemned the car to a premature end. Now, GM is returning to electric vehicles with the upcoming Hummer EV and one thing is sure; it is bound to be better-looking than the EV1.

GM-EV1
via businessinsider

The EV1 did itself no favors with its odd-ball shape. Those covered rear wheel arches might have been a thing on classic cars from the 50s and 60s but on the EV1, they just look plain ridiculous.

Related: EVs With Range So Short We Get Anxious Just By Looking At Them

4 Corbin Sparrow

Sparrow-Corbin
via e2v.co.uk

When Mike Corbin showed up at the 1996 San Francisco Auto Show, he was sure his creation, the Corbin Sparrow, would be the object of ridicule. However, quite the opposite happened and he left the show with a million dollars’ worth of orders.

Corbin-Sparrow
via drivetribe

It seemed like everybody wanted one, at least to remind themselves in future that this ugly duckling once existed. The car has three wheels but that’s not the reason for its ugliness. The car’s design looks like it might have been conceived on the crayon-strewn floor of a second-grader's classroom.

3 Zap Xebra

Xebra
via thedailydrive

The Xebra was a very ugly car that attempted to piggy back on the wave of EV enthusiasm that was prevalent from 2006-2008. There was nothing good about the car. Those who could stomach the appearance and bought one soon found themselves confronted with shoddy build quality and sub-par performance.

Zap-Xebra
via flickr

The death-knell soon sounded for the Xebra and it was gone by 2009. To make matters worse, in 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the distributors of the vehicle in the United States to buy back all the 2008 models and destroy them due to a potentially fatal brake test failure.

Related: The Best Luxury Hybrids And EVs For 2021

2 Zenn Electric Car

Zenn-EV - Front
via classiccars

This car was manufactured from 2006 to 2010 by the Zenn Motor Company of Canada. The name is actually an acronym for Zero Emission, No Noise. The car was designated as a Neighborhood electric Vehicle (NEV) and so the early models only had a range of about 40 miles.

Blue Zenn-EV - Side Angle
via lifeintheklane

The car looked like it was assembled with bits and pieces scrapped from other cars. A misshapen oddity that was finished off by headlights that looked to have been lifted off the first-generation Audi TT. The car was killed off in 2010 after poor sales forced the company to rethink its strategy. With a design like that, the most puzzling aspect of the story is how the car managed to remain in production for that long.

1 Tesla Cybertruck

tesla-cybertruck
via motor1

Yes, production is not expected to commence until 2021 but it is hard to finish off a list about the ugliest EVs without mentioning the bonkers Cybertruck. The truck was unveiled by the eccentric Elon Musk in November 2019 and immediately set the car world ablaze with the its controversial design.

tesla-cybertruck
via tesla

The pickup is little more than a bunch of weird shapes fused together and stuck on stubby wheels. The Tesla CEO has been quite vocal about his plan to build a sustainable city on Mars. If he does achieve his dream, then the Tesla Cybertruck is sure to be right at home on the Red Planet. However, it seems a bit too much for Earthlings like us.

Next: This Is Why Electric Cars Depreciate Faster Than Gasoline Cars