Showcase of great looking car logos you must see

Picture this: You’re cruising downtown, windows down, tunes cranked up.

And there it is. The unmistakable silver arrow of a Mercedes expertly navigating the corner. Just a glimpse of that iconic emblem speaks volumes—the heritage, the precision, the luxury.

That’s the power of car logos.

These aren’t just random graphics slapped onto the grille. They’re the heartbeat of automotive identity, a tapestry woven with threads of history, brand recognition, and symbolic representation. Every line, shade, and curve crafted with intention.

So, buckle up. You’re in for a ride into the world of automobile emblems and brand identity in the automotive industry. Whether it’s the prancing horse of Ferrari igniting your engine or the minimalist design of Tesla sparking some electric fascination, we’re delving deep.

By the time we hit the brakes, you’ll not only decode the cultural significance of car logos but harness the very essence that makes each badge a declaration of innovation, emotion, and allegiance.

Car logos to check out

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz uses a distinct 3-pointed star emblem. It is a symbol of the company’s ambition of universal motorization in all domains—land, sea, and air. The circle around that three-pointed star only came into use after the trademark was registered in 1909. A four-pointed star car emblem was also registered at the same time, but it has never seen use.

The star design originally came from the company’s technical director of the gas engine factory, Gottlieb Daimler. When he began in the position, he drew a star above his house on a postcard of the city, telling his wife that someday his factory would become famous because of its success.

Mercedes has not made many changes to their logo since around 1916. Recently, however, they have removed their name from the logo, which has become a popular design choice for companies in many industries. The logo still has an elegant simplicity, highlighted even more by its lack of text.

Vauxhall

Vauxhall is a British car company affiliated with a German car company called Opel. Both are owned by American car company General Motors. It was founded in 1857. They only came to car manufacturing later, however, in 1903 and started out as a manufacturer of marine engines.

The Vauxhall car logo has gone through several iterations, though they have a constant theme. The Vauxhall emblem has always featured a griffin holding a flag. The current version dates back to 1998 and brought a modern twist to the classical car emblem, stylizing the griffin into a sleek modern circular logo. The griffin and flag in the foreground are silver and the background is red.

Ferrari

Ferrari has one of the most iconic automobile logos in the world. Their black prancing stallion communicates everything the company stands for: power, speed, and elegance.

The founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, told the story of the Ferrari car logo only once. The black horse was originally painted on the fuselage of Francesco Baracca’s fighter plane in the First World War.

Francesco Baracca was a national Italian hero and an early flying ace. When Enzo Ferrari met the hero’s mother, she asked him to put the horse on his cars for good luck. He did, keeping the black color of the horse and adding in a yellow background to stand for Modena, the region where Ferrari cars were made.

On top of the Ferrari car emblem is the green, white, and red of the Italian flag, another expression of pride in the company’s roots that also makes clear that Ferrari cars are an example of Italian luxury.

Jaguar

Jaguar’s logo features a leaping jaguar above the company’s name or—increasingly– on its own. This logo displays the power, speed, and brilliance of the company’s cars and is instantly associated with speed and luxury.

The leaping jaguar car logo has been since 2002, though it received an update in 2012 to give it a more three-dimensional feel. Jaguar has also used a stylized image of a snarling jaguar’s face on occasion.

The sleek leaping cat done in the style of Jaguar’s logo makes ample use of shadow and gradient, emphasizing the graceful lines of its form and the implication of its strength.

Previously, Jaguar used a simple black and white outline of a cat, but that was not nearly as effective or iconic. While easy to identify, it didn’t communicate the same elegant strength that the current logo does.

Audi

Audi’s logo is simple and elegant. It consists of four interlocking rings all in a line. These four rings don’t just look good, but they also have meaning for the company’s history. Each of the rings represents one of the four car companies that came together to create Audi’s predecessor: Horch, DKW, Wanderer, and Audi.

Interestingly, the Audi car logo is sometimes confused with the interlocked Olympic rings. It was created sometime around 1915 by Lucian Bernhard and modified by Sedley Place in 1994.

The modifications were very slight and the four rings of the Audi car emblem have remained constant for a hundred years, a clear sign of a well-designed car logo. It has a timeless look that worked in the past and will work well into the future.

Lamborghini

Lamborghini’s logo has a storied history.

The founder of the company, Ferruccio Lamborghini, was working on agricultural manufacturing in 1949, focusing on engines, tractors, and heaters. He originally wanted to start working with Ferrari to engineer supercars, but they turned down his offer. He then hired a team of young engineers and began to make supercars that competed directly with Ferrari, who was then a giant.

The charging bull of Lamborghini reflects the determination and power the company came to embody. Its strong tones of yellow and black only emphasize it. The bull is also posed so that its strength is on clear display.

The use of the two powerful animals by rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini also makes clear their status in relation to each other. There is some question as to whether this was on purpose, but it certainly makes them instantly identifiable as working in the same niche.

Renault

Renault was founded in 1899, though its current logo only came into use around 1925. The company used several different car emblems prior to it, including the founder’s initials and even a tank.

Only in 1925 did they start using the diamond shape with their name across the middle. In 1971, this car emblem was overhauled by the Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely and updated to its current form.

The car logo incorporates yellow heavily to represent joy, optimism, and success. These are key to the Renault brand—and a far cry from a tank.

Ford

The Ford logo was first made in 1903. While it has received a few tweaks since its modern typographic letterforms have remained constant.

In 1919, the car company began using a car emblem featuring the word ‘Ford’ written in a manner similar to Henry Ford’s signature surrounded by a blue crest. It pays tribute to the company’s heritage while remaining timeless. It has stayed consistent for several generations.

The current version was used first in the 1960s, though it has had a minor updating tweak applied here and there. The log remains easy to recognize, even at a glance and has an American feel of reliability.

Bentley

Bentley is a British car company that has become known for opulence, luxury, and celebrity lifestyles. It is based in England and was founded in 1919 by W.O. Bentley, though Rolls-Royce acquired the company in the 1930s.

The Bentley logo is fairly simple, at least in concept. It features a prominent capital B on top of the wings and tail feathers of a bird. It’s remained relatively unchanged, only being updated a little to the shape and layout.

The bird wings and tail are meant to suggest the speed and grace of a bird in flight. The color palette of the Bentley car emblem tends to be limited, sticking to black, white, and silver, a sophisticated monotone fit for an elegant car brand.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen us a powerhouse. It is the second largest car company in the world. Three of the top ten best selling cars in history come from them: the VW Golf, the Passat, and the well-known VW Beetle.

The Volkswagen name means ‘people’s car’ in German. Their current slogan is “Das Auto”, which means “The Car”. Volkswagen is all about honest, workable simplicity.

The Volkswagen car logo shows this. It features a V and W placed on top of each other. They still look great, however, because of how they follow the form, almost seeming to connect to form two interconnected Vs. It’s both simple and elegant.

This logo wasn’t created by a graphic designer. True to form, it came from a Volkswagen engineer named Franz Reimspiess, who was the one who perfected the Beetle engine in the 1930s. The logo was the winner of an office competition, with a prize of 50 Deutschmarks. Volkswagen has used this in-house developed logo ever since.

Abarth

The Abarth car emblem used vivid primary color to draw your attention. It features a prominent scorpion, which is the astrological sign of its founder, Carlo Abarth. The use of this astrological sign is meant to be a symbol for the birth of his motoring company.

It’s an aggressive and bold image, one that is instantly striking and even a bit shocking. Coupled with a shield, Abarth’s scorpion gives off an air of strength and victory, which is perfect for a company that has a proud racing heritage. The Abarth car logo can’t be mistaken for anything else.

Volvo

Volvo’s logo was designed in the 1950s by the famous Swedish Swedish calligrapher and typographer Karl-Erik Forsberg. It’s meant to showcase the brand’s strength by incorporating the symbol for the element of iron. It also is a play on the traditional symbol for ‘male’. This is all keeping in with Volvo’s rugged image and attitude. Volvo cars are designed in order to take abuse and keep on working very well.

Rover

Rover drew inspiration for their car emblem from the Vikings. This choice was made because the Vikings were known to be fearless travelers, the most famous ‘rovers’ of all time, something that Rover wanted to communicate about their cars. Like the Vikings, Rover wants to be seen as a force to be reckoned with.

It is also a very unique logo. The Viking longship appears in very, very few other brands across the world, making Rover’s car logo almost instantly recognizable and easy to associate with the brand.

Cadillac

Cadillac started out with the plan of making reliable and affordable ‘horseless carriages’ for the masses. The company set out to design a car logo that reflected this noble mission.

The car emblem itself comes from the family coat of arms of Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, a French explorer and the man who founded the city of Detroit back in 1701. This crest is relatively basic and has been in the logo for decades, changing only slightly as the car logo has been updated/

Subaru

This company’s car emblem is a reflection of their complex history. In 1953, five Japanese car companies merged to form one company, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). Subaru was the motor vehicle division of this new massive company. They focused only on the production of motor vehicles and nothing else.

The word ‘subaru’ means ‘unite’ and also refers to the six-star cluster in the Taurus constellation called the Pleiades in the west. The company opted to use this stylized car emblem of the constellation to pay tribute to the union of the five companies.

The Subaru car logo has become associated with high-performance vehicles thanks to how often Subaru cars appear in rally driving competitions. The car logo has become so well-known and so successful that Subaru’s massive parent company, FHI, adopted the Subaru car emblem as its worldwide corporate symbol starting in 2003.

FAQ on car logos

What’s the story behind the Ferrari horse?

You’ve seen that prancing horse, right? High on energy, bursting with speed. Ferrari nailed it with a symbol of pure power. It’s a tribute to a fallen World War I hero’s plane. As for luck—well, the horse hasn’t failed to impress. It’s all about legacy and high performance.

How did the Mercedes-Benz star come to be?

Ah, the three-pointed star. Mercedes rolls with a symbol representing land, sea, and air domination. Pretty ambitious, eh? The logo roots back to Gottlieb Daimler’s postcard to his wife, picturing a star over his house, symbolizing hope for prosperity. Talk about shooting for the stars!

What does the BMW logo symbolize?

Curious about the BMW roundel? Theories buzz about propellers and Bavarian flags. True story? It’s the latter—it represents the state colors of Bavaria. Clear, simple, and direct. Clever, really, when you think of the succinct visual link to heritage and locality.

Does the Audi logo have a hidden meaning?

Four rings locked together but sailing smoothly. Audi‘s logo is slick—reflecting unity and strength. Each ring originally stood for one of the four founding companies of Auto Union in 1932. It’s about solidarity. Together they’re tougher, and each loop tells a chunk of that history.

Can you identify the meaning of the Toyota logo?

Ever noticed how Toyota‘s logo sort of welcomes you with outstretched arms? It’s not just a snazzy design; it represents the heart of the customer and the product overlapping. And those three ovals? They’re about infinite advancement in the car manufacturing industry. Welcoming and futuristic!

Why is the Chevrolet logo a bowtie?

I hear tales about wallpaper and Paris inspiring the famous Chevrolet bowtie. Truth? The co-founder William C. Durant, spotted the design and saw a logo. Since 1913, that simple bowtie has been a symbol of the American automobile dream. It’s familiar, it’s classic.

What’s interesting about the Porsche logo?

Stuttgart’s horse, that’s the vitality within Porsche‘s crest. Straight from the city’s coat of arms, smack in the logo center, it screams energy. The antlers and red and black stripes? Those are from the region’s arms, Württemberg. It’s all high-octane heritage with a dash of locality.

How did Ford decide on its logo?

It’s a testament to staying power, the blue oval of Ford. Conceived in 1907 by Childe Harold Wills, Ford’s first chief engineer and designer, it was simple, eye-catching. Over a century later, that same logo spells out reliability. No frills; just honest, known value.

Is the Lamborghini logo inspired by bulls?

Ever heard of a little thing called rivalry? Ferruccio Lamborghini was a bullfighting fan; he loved the majestic fierceness. This Italian beast’s emblem? It’s his zodiac sign, Taurus, reflecting the power and the defiance of Lamborghini cars. Talk about wearing your personality on your… hood.

What’s the meaning behind the Volvo logo?

Alright, so Volvo takes you back, like, way back to ancient symbolism. That circle with an arrow pointing out? It’s not just about male, it’s the alchemical symbol for iron. It symbolizes endurance, strength, and the Swedish iron industry heritage. Safety and solidity? Volvo’s got them in spades.

Conclusion

So we’re circling back, after rolling through a gallery of car logos. We’ve seen symbols loaded with tales, every curve and color with its own backstory. It’s clear, these aren’t just for show. They carry a legacy, shout out brand stories, and they’re the silent ambassadors of the automotive industry.

Porsche‘s shield,
the BMW blue and white,
or that bold Chevrolet bowtie—

they’re not random. They’re meticulously designed pieces of art. They’ve got a job: to etch their image in your mind. Iconic car symbols, like the roaring Ferrari horse, they stir emotions. They convey luxury, speed, innovation. They’re the heartbeat of branding done right.

Remember, these badges stand for more than metal and rubber. They’re a nod of respect to heritage, a handshake with high-performance, a wink at future tech. They tell you, without even whispering a word, what the ride’s all about. And that’s pretty slick, if you ask me.

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Bogdan Sandu

Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.

Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.

His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.