New research reveals the world’s dream cars

Key takeaways

• Porsche’s 911, the Tesla Model 3 and BMW M3 are among the most desired dream cars worldwide.

• However, the Ford Mustang takes the global top spot, ranking as the most sought-after model in countries such as Chile, Mexico, and Georgia.

• Global survey data shows looks matter most, with aesthetics ranking as the number one reason people aspire to own a car.

The top 20 most desired dream cars in the world

The Ford Mustang is the world’s most desired car, with over 116 million searches in five years.

Known for its powerful performance and pop culture status, it’s no surprise so many people dream of owning one. From Steve McQueen’s 1968 fastback in Bullitt to appearances in Goldfinger, Gone in 60 Seconds and Charlie’s Angels, it’s one of the most iconic cars ever made.

In addition to the global top spot, the Mustang also ranks as the most-desired in Chile, Mexico, Peru and Georgia, as well as many American states.

Second place goes to the Porsche 911, a car loved by the masses and A-listers alike.

While the Mustang scores higher in overall worldwide searches from car fanatics, when drilling down into the country-by-country data, the 911 tops the list of countries more often.

With it identified in the data as the car that people would love to own everywhere from Thailand, Portugal, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

Porsche appears a further two times in the top 20, ranking eighth with its Cayenne SUV model. The smaller ‘Macan’ SUV model comes in 12^th place.

Tesla also makes the top 20 list three times. Its Model 3 is in fourth place, the Model Y takes sixth position, in addition to being the most sought-after dream car in the United States, and the luxury Model S appears further down the rankings, in 18^th.

After the Ford Mustang, two other Ford models feature in the top 20 dream cars list.

The rugged Ford Bronco storms into the global ranking in fifth, thanks to 66.7 million searches worldwide over the past five years. The Ford GT has almost 37 million searches, earning it 10th position.

Elsewhere in the list, Audi, Cadillac, Land Rover, Lamborghini, Mitsubishi, BMW, Nissan and Toyota all make an appearance.

Dream car colours

Data from the survey of 4,000 motorists worldwide reveals that black is the most popular colour, with almost one in three drivers (30%) choosing it for their dream car.

Red comes second overall and is the top choice in countries including Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, the UK, Australia and more.

Top colours for dream cars

1. Black - 30%
2. Red - 13%
3. Blue - 11%
4. White - 10%
5. Grey - 9%

Why people dream of these cars

The motivations behind dream car choices vary around the globe, but it’s clear that aesthetics matter most.

More than half of respondents (51%) say they dream of owning their chosen car because they love the way it looks. Nearly half (47%) appreciate the engineering, while 36% say their dream car reflects their personal style.

Top reasons people want their dream car:

1. I like the way it looks - 51%
2. I appreciate the engineering - 47%
3. It aligns with my aesthetic/vibe - 36%

What’s preventing people from owning their dream car?

Cost is the biggest barrier: two thirds (67%) say their dream car is too expensive, 23% cite high running costs, and 8% say it’s simply impractical for everyday life.

Owning a luxury car could increase your car insurance premium by more than 700%

MoneySuperMarket car insurance data shows that the average cost of car insurance in the UK is £517 for those who pay annually, and £539 for those paying monthly.

To illustrate how this cost surges if you were to own a luxury models, we looked at the average insurance costs for a collection of the top 20 most desired cars worldwide.

A Ford Mustang could mean you’d have to pay 58% more than the average cost for car insurance. A Tesla Model 3 inflates premiums by 80% and a Lamborghini Urus would see you having to pay 724% more for car insurance.

^Methodology

^{MoneySuperMarket collated 206 car models that are regularly mentioned in news articles, social media and Reddit threads as being dream cars, and used Google Trends to analyse how the search volume for each model over a five year period. Search volumes were then also analysed across 57 countries where search volumes are high enough to ensure accuracy in the results, in order to reveal the most-searched for dream car within each country too.}

^{An accompanying survey of 4,000 drivers worldwide was conducted using Prolific. 200 drivers within 20 countries were surveyed. The 20 countries were the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Ireland, Hungary, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Chile, Mexico and Austria.}

^{All data correct as of December 2025.}