Top 10 Funniest Car Adverts Ever Made

Why Funny Car Ads Stick in Your Head

You know how some TV ads just vanish from your memory the second they end? Then there are those rare gems that make you laugh so much you can still picture them years later. Car adverts are usually all shiny paint, dramatic driving shots, and a serious voice telling you about horsepower. But every now and then, a brand throws all that out of the window and decides to have a laugh with us. That’s what we’re talking about here: the car commercials that went a bit mad, caught us off guard, and ended up being some of the funniest things on telly.  

The thing is, cars aren’t exactly a funny subject on their own. They’re practical, sometimes emotional purchases, sure, but hilarious? Not usually. And that’s why a clever, funny ad works so well. It surprises you. It makes you laugh when you weren’t expecting to, which means you remember the car longer than if they’d just shown it driving past mountains. 

At Dace Motor Company, we’ve been selling used cars across Stockport and Manchester for more than 25 years, and trust us, we’ve seen all sorts of advertising attempts from big manufacturers. Some are dramatic. Some are boring. And some are so funny you find yourself chatting about them in the pub later. That’s the magic of a great ad-it’s something you want to share.  

So let’s take a look back at 10 of the funniest car ads ever made. Some you’ll know right away, others might be a new discovery, but all of them prove that even cars can crack us up when the marketing team gets a bit cheeky. And yes, this is a long read. So grab a brew, maybe a custard cream, and let’s have a laugh together over some of the daftest car ads ever to hit the screen.  

1. Volkswagen’s Singing Dog Super Bowl Ad

If you’ve never seen this one, go straight to YouTube after reading because it’s gold. Volkswagen aired an ad during the Super Bowl featuring a dog that barks along to the tune of “The Imperial March” from Star Wars. Sounds ridiculous? It is, and that’s why it’s brilliant. The dog basically howls and growls in rhythm, and before you know it, you’re humming the tune along with him.  

The genius here is that it barely shows the car until the very end. Instead, it relies on something silly, cute, and just plain funny to get your attention. And because it’s Star Wars related, it taps into this massive cultural thing that so many people love.  

This kind of ad proves that making people smile can be way more effective than bombarding them with facts about the engine or the fuel efficiency. It’s playful, it’s weird, and it works. We still hear people talk about “that Volkswagen dog ad” years later, which tells you everything you need to know.  

It’s the same kind of effect you get if you’re driving down the A6 past Stockport Pyramid and you spot a giant inflatable Santa in November-you just can’t forget it. The oddness sticks in your head. That’s what Volkswagen nailed with this one. They showed you can sell cars without really selling them.  

2. Honda’s Cog Advert

Now, this one isn’t laugh-out-loud funny in the slapstick sense, but it’s quirky enough that it absolutely earns its spot. Honda’s “Cog” advert from 2003 is a two-minute masterpiece where different car parts trigger each other in a chain reaction, like one of those domino setups people spend all weekend building. A gear rolls into another part, a spring triggers something else, and on it goes until the car is revealed at the end.  

You’re probably wondering, where’s the joke? The humour here is subtle. It’s in the sheer ridiculousness of imagining a boardroom full of adults deciding, “Yes, let’s spend months setting up car parts to fall into each other for fun.” And the fact it actually works. It’s one of those ads that makes you chuckle because it’s so over-the-top and so unnecessary, but in the best way.  

For people in Stockport or Manchester, it’s like watching that one mate who insists on making the most complicated brew ever-warming the mug, measuring milk like it’s a science experiment, timing the teabag dunk with a stopwatch. Completely unnecessary. Completely entertaining.  

Honda wanted to show their attention to detail, but what they really did was make us smile at the sheer audacity of the thing. And even now, people still call it one of the best ads ever. That’s staying power.  

3. Toyota Hilux - “Bugger” Ad

This one’s from New Zealand, and it’s so simple but so effective. Basically, it shows different people in everyday situations with a Toyota Hilux, and every time something goes wrong-like the car getting stuck or crashing through something-the person just mutters, “Bugger.” That’s it. That’s the whole ad.  

It got banned in some places because of the language, but honestly, it’s harmless. And that’s what made it funny. Everyone’s had those moments where you don’t know what else to say except that one word. Whether it’s spilling tea on your sofa, stubbing your toe, or realising you’ve taken the wrong exit off the M60, sometimes “bugger” just sums it all up.  

Toyota didn’t overcomplicate it. They trusted that real humour, the kind we all know from daily life, would connect with people. And it did. People loved it so much that Toyota even leaned into the controversy because the “banning” only made it more popular.  

If we had to sum it up in Stockport terms, it’s like when Edgeley Park sells out and you’re queuing for a pie at half-time, only to find out they’ve run out. “Bugger.” Perfectly said.  

4. Renault Clio - “Papa and Nicole”

If you were watching TV in the 90s, you couldn’t escape this one. Renault made a whole series of ads around a fictional father and daughter, Papa and Nicole. The running joke was that Nicole was always sneaking off in her Clio, leaving Papa behind.  

It wasn’t funny in the slapstick sense, but it had this cheeky, sitcom-like humour that stuck in people’s heads. It became part of pop culture, with people in pubs across Stockport and Manchester quoting “Papa? Nicole?” at each other like it was the line of the decade.  

The humour here was in the lightness of it. It wasn’t trying too hard. It played out like a running gag between friends, and that’s why people remembered it. Renault managed to give a small hatchback this whole personality, simply by giving us a silly little father-daughter sitcom in 30-second chunks.  

Think about how hard that is to do. Car ads are usually forgotten the second they’re over. But if you can still remember Nicole’s mischievous grin now, decades later, that’s a sign Renault struck comedy gold.  

5. Skoda Fabia - The Cake Car

Here’s one for anyone with a sweet tooth. Skoda decided to make an ad showing bakers literally building a full-sized car out of cake. Real sponge, real icing, real jellybeans for the headlights. It looked delicious and completely bonkers at the same time.  

What made it funny was how seriously they filmed it, like it was an engineering project, when really it was just a giant cake. Watching grown adults smoothing icing onto a car bonnet like it’s bodywork is daft in the best way.  

For people in Manchester, it’s the same energy as watching those massive cakes at the Trafford Centre food shows-completely impractical, but you can’t stop staring. And you end up craving cake straight after. Skoda leaned into the fact that they weren’t seen as the most glamorous brand and made fun of themselves, which is what made it work so well.  

Sometimes the best humour is just admitting what people already think and laughing along with them. Skoda did that here and turned a boring car ad into something everyone wanted to talk about.  

6. Audi - “The Duel”

This one’s got more of a cheeky smirk than a belly laugh. Audi ran an ad showing a valet fight over who gets to park an Audi. It turns into a full-blown action scene, with the two valets throwing punches, sliding over bonnets, and causing chaos, all because they both want the thrill of driving it.  

The humour is in the exaggeration. We all know valet drivers probably don’t care that much, but the ad pretends they do, turning something mundane into a comedy sketch. It’s the sort of exaggeration you’d joke about with your mates-“Imagine if two blokes had an actual fight just to park a car?”  

And let’s face it, exaggeration is half the fun in comedy. Like saying “the traffic on the M60 is so bad, I’ve grown a beard waiting.” Obviously not true, but it makes you laugh because you get the frustration. Audi tapped into that kind of silliness with this ad, and it worked.  

7. Mercedes-Benz Chicken Ad

It’s daft. It’s clever. And it’s one of those ads that makes you laugh because it’s so random. You don’t expect to see chickens in a luxury car ad, which is exactly why it sticks with you.  

If you’ve ever been around the markets in Stockport and spotted something completely random, like someone walking a parrot down the high street, you know the feeling. It’s funny because it’s unexpected, and that’s exactly the reaction Mercedes wanted.  

8. Nissan Micra - “Gadgets for Girls”

This one was cheeky in a very British way. Nissan ran a campaign where they showed off the Micra’s features by comparing them to little “gadgets for girls.” It played up stereotypes in a tongue-in-cheek way that made people laugh rather than roll their eyes.  

What made it funny was the way it leaned into the absurdity. It was knowingly silly, like your mate describing their car as if it’s a new handbag. The humour was self-aware, and that made it work.  

In Manchester, it’s like watching someone turn up at the Christmas Markets in Albert Square, describing mulled wine like it’s a fine vintage. You know it’s daft, they know it’s daft, and that’s the whole joke. Nissan pulled that off here, and people still remember it.  

9. Peugeot 206 - The Indian Car Makeover

This one went global because it was so funny and so clever. A young guy in India decides he wants a Peugeot 206, but he can’t afford one. So he buys an old car and literally smashes it, bends it, and reshapes it with the help of a crowd until it looks (sort of) like a Peugeot.  

It’s hilarious because of the commitment. Watching someone cheerfully wreck their car with an elephant to get the right shape is so absurd that you can’t stop grinning. And the punchline, of course, is that he drives off in his “new Peugeot” like it’s the coolest thing ever.  

This ad showed creativity at its best. Instead of a dry lecture about design, Peugeot made us laugh and admire the character’s determination, all in one go. It’s like watching someone in Stockport turn an old shed into a “garden bar.” Slightly mad, but brilliant.  

10. BMW - “The Hire” Short Films

The funniest one is probably the one where Madonna gets thrown around the backseat while Clive Owen drives like a maniac. She spends the whole time shrieking and sliding around, and the car looks rock-solid while she looks ridiculous.  

It’s funny because it takes someone untouchable, like Madonna, and puts her in a daft, slapstick situation. BMW managed to make a luxury car ad that felt more like a comedy sketch, and that’s why people loved it.  

It’s the same reason shows like “Phoenix Nights” stick with us here in the North West. They take something ordinary-like a working men’s club or a taxi ride-and show the humour in it. BMW did that with their cars, and it paid off big time.