6 of the best car movies you need to watch

Six brilliant car movies to add to your watchlist

From heart-racing car chases to iconic motors that made movie history, there's no better way to spend an evening than getting stuck into some proper automotive action.

Whether you're planning your next movie night or need something to get your adrenaline pumping while you wait for your next lease car to arrive, we've picked out six brilliant car movies that are guaranteed to get your engine revving.

From big-budget blockbusters to cult classics, this list has something for everyone.

Gran Turismo (2023)

IMDb rating: 7.1/10

Kicking things off with the newest addition to the car movie hall of fame: Gran Turismo. Bringing a video game to life, this is a spectacle not to be missed.

Based on the iconic racing simulator, this film focuses on the rise of Jann Mardenborough, an avid teen gamer who turned his hobby into a profession.

It sounds like the ultimate teenage dream, doesn't it? But Mardenborough's journey from bedroom to racetrack is anything but smooth.

Between the high-speed thrills, he's dealing with all the usual coming-of-age drama – romance, trouble with the law, and the pressure of proving that a gamer can cut it in the real world.

It's an inspiring watch that'll have you questioning whether your own hobbies could take you further than you think.

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

IMDb rating: 6.1/10

The Fast and Furious series is one that everyone knows and loves. It’s one of the most famous car franchises in the world with multiple high-intensity movies to choose from, but we're shining the spotlight on Tokyo Drift.

This one's all about the world of drift racing, following a rebellious teen who's shipped off to live with his father in Tokyo to avoid jail time. Naturally, his troublemaking ways land him right in the middle of one of the world's most intense drift racing competitions.

Here's a fun bit of movie trivia: Tokyo Drift actually saved the entire franchise.

Vin Diesel was ready to walk away from the series completely and wasn't even meant to be in this film. But after some serious negotiations with director Justin Lin, they secured that legendary cameo – and the rest, as they say, is Fast and Furious history.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)        

IMDb rating: 6.5/10

Gone in 60 Seconds throws you straight into high-stakes drama from the get-go.

When retired car thief Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage) thinks he's left his criminal past firmly in the rearview mirror, his younger brother Kip gets himself into some serious trouble.

Kidnapped by the ruthless crime lord Raymond Calitri (Christopher Eccleston), Kip's only hope of survival lies in Memphis pulling off one final, impossibly daring job.

The task? Steal 50 specific luxury cars – each one carefully chosen and hilariously nicknamed – in just four days. No pressure, right?

What follows is pure automotive mayhem as he calls in favours from his old crew to pull off one of the most ambitious car heist operations ever put to film.

From Angelina Jolie's cool-as-ice mechanic to Robert Duvall's mentor figure, everyone's got skin in the game.

But it's the cars that steal the show. We're talking Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and Jaguars – a wish list that would make any petrolhead weak at the knees

And then there's Eleanor, the legendary 1967 Shelby GT500, the final piece of the puzzle.

It's a love letter to classic American muscle cars, wrapped up in a slick heist movie package.

Bullitt (1968)

IMDb rating: 7.4/10

Bullitt might not be the first car movie that springs to mind – in fact, you might not even think of it as a car movie at all.

Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is a San Francisco cop tasked with keeping a witness safe for 48 hours before a crucial court hearing. When things go sideways, he's left hunting down the criminals who sabotaged his mission – and that's when the real action kicks off.

But here's why it deserves a spot on your watchlist: it features one of the most legendary car chase scenes in cinema history.

We're talking about Detective Frank Bullitt, tearing through the hilly streets of San Francisco in his iconic Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT Fastback, chasing down mob hitmen in their menacing black Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum.

What makes this chase so special? No CGI. No green screens. No stunt doubles for the close-ups.

Just raw, visceral, wheel-spinning automotive theatre shot on real San Franciscan streets, with McQueen doing much of the driving himself.

It's proof that sometimes the best car movies aren't really about cars at all.

They're about the rush, the risk, and what happens when you put a determined man behind the wheel of a very fast machine.

Ronin (1998)

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

Ronin is a Robert De Niro classic that'll have you gripping the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Set against the backdrop of post-Cold War Europe, the film follows a shadowy team of former intelligence operatives – mercenaries without masters – brought together for what should be a straightforward job: steal a mysterious briefcase.

The centrepiece is an extended pursuit through the streets of Paris in a BMW M5 and Citroën XM that'll have your heart in your mouth.

And here's the best bit: this comes from an era when real cars, real people, and real stunts ruled the screen, long before CGI took over.

Director John Frankenheimer orchestrated some of the most intense, white-knuckle car chases ever filmed.

Every crash, every screech of tyres, every heart-stopping near-miss through narrow Parisian streets and against oncoming traffic is absolutely, genuinely real.

Drive (2011)

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Released in 2011, Drive has earned its place as one of the coolest, most stylish driving films of recent years, and possibly one of the most divisive.

This isn't your typical action-packed car movie. It's something altogether more atmospheric, more deliberate, more nonchalant.

Ryan Gosling plays the Driver, a man of few words with no name who lives a double life in Los Angeles.

By day, he's a Hollywood stunt driver and mechanic, working for Shannon (Bryan Cranston), a struggling garage owner with big dreams. By night, he's a getaway driver for hire, operating by a strict set of rules: five minutes, no questions asked, and he's gone.

The opening sequence is a masterclass in tension – the Driver coasts through nighttime LA in a Chevrolet Impala, using nothing but timing and intimate knowledge of the city streets to evade police. No wild stunts, just pure driving skill and nerve.

His personal ride? A 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu, all understated American muscle.

When things get serious, he also gets behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT, but this isn't about flashy supercars. The cars are tools, extensions of the Driver himself: functional, stripped-back, efficient.

Definitely one for the watchlist.

And there you have it, your next six movie nights planned.

Just gather you nearest and dearest petrolheads, along with an ample amount of snacks and you’ll be set.