Picking the Best Super Bowl Car Commercial of the Century

The stage for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIIII is set. The Kansas City Chiefs are searching for their second straight championship and their third in the last five years, potentially cementing their status as a modern-day dynasty. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers look to avenge their loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV and hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 1995. 

And as usual, to fill the space between gridiron heroics, we have the commercials. 

Super Bowl commercials have always occupied their own sphere in our pop culture landscape. Many say they look forward to the commercials more than the game itself, though that adage has perhaps dissipated in recent years; the games have grown more competitive, and the commercials are, for the most part, readily available well before kickoff. If you want to see this year’s crop of Super Bowl commercials, chances are you can hop online now and binge them a week in advance. 

For the first 30-plus years of the big game, the automotive marketing industry didn’t leave a huge imprint. From “Mean Joe Greene” (Coke) to “1984” (Apple), the most iconic Super Bowl ads were created by other industries. But as the century turned and our cars became capable of doing more, the commercials appropriately became more ambitious. Before we declare a winner, here are some contenders we considered.

Disqualified: Honda – “Yearbook” (2017), Toyota – “Jessica Long” (2021) 

In 2017, Honda called upon a litany of celebrities – from Steve Carrell to Missy Elliot – to offer viewers life advice, straight from the pages of their old yearbooks. It’s a fine spot, even if it adheres to the recent Super Bowl commercial trend of being overly reliant on famous faces. The bigger problem is that it has little, if anything, to do with Honda, or cars in general. Ditto Toyota’s 2021’s effort, which charted swimmer Jessica Long’s journey from adoption to the Olympic games. 

We appreciate when auto brands think outside the box to flex their creative muscles. But to qualify for a spot on a list of best car commercials, you’re kind of required to include at least one car. 

The Nominees: 

Audi – “The Chase” (2009) / Kia – “The Truth” (2014) 

Hollywood and the car industry have a rich history, dating back to the days of Steve McQueen racing his Ford Mustang through the streets of San Francisco in 1969’s Bullit. Audi’s 2009 ad celebrated the time-honored tradition of the car chase by placing rising action star Jason Statham behind the wheel of an Audi and letting him rip through attractive, action-packed scenarios. 

Speaking of the movies, 2014 was a sweet spot for Matrix nostalgia. We were just over a decade removed from the generally disappointing, trilogy-capping Matrix Revolutions. Kia correctly wagered that audiences were ready for more dark shades and trench coats. For their 2014 Super Bowl commercial, they enlisted Laurence Fishburne to reprise his Morpheus character from the films. (Of course, Fishburne would return in an official capacity for 2021’s (underrated) The Matrix Resurrections.)

Ultimately, Kia and Audi both arrived at the same conclusion: it’s hard to go wrong with the combination of cars and cinema. 

Hyundai – “First Date” (2016) 

Is it that much of a stretch to call this Kevin Hart’s most convincing performance? The comedian is endearingly expressive as an overprotective father in this 2016 ad. When his daughter is picked up for date night, Hart utilizes Hyundai’s Car Finder technology to essentially stalk the young couple throughout the evening (though its escalating absurdity puts it firmly in the realm of Dad Fantasy). It’s not our winner, but it does raise intriguing questions about the state of privacy in a tech-first society. It’s too bad they didn’t have time to expand on the idea, as each 30-second block of Super Bowl ad time costs an average of seven-million dollars these days.

Hyundai – “Smaht Pahk” (2020) 

Is making fun of the Boston dialect low-hanging fruit? Sure. Is it also an entirely justifiable American tradition? Absolutely. In this Hyundai spot, native Bostonians Chris Evans and Rachel Dratch don their best over-the-top accents as John Krasinski impresses them with the Sonata’s Remote Smart Parking Assist feature. David Ortiz pops up at the end – because of course he does – and even Big Papi finds himself impressed by the Sonata’s self-pahking ability. 

Kia – “Robo Dog” (2022) 

Kia’s spot for its all-electric EV6, centered around a robot dog, deserves consideration for being a commercial centered around a robot dog. Though surely the audio department could have gotten more creative than turning to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” for the umpteenth time? 

Honorable Mention: Walmart – “Famous Cars” (2019) 

This 2019 ad brings iconic cars from pop culture together in a Walmart parking lot, from the Batmobile to the Mystery Machine. It’s a memorable tribute to the legacy these vehicles have left on our culture – so of course it comes not from a car manufacturer, but Walmart. Given that our IP-driven culture is so oversaturated with these types of multi-versal crossovers at the moment, we’re leaving the winner’s spot open for a more creative (though still IP-based) selection.

The Winner: Volkswagen – “The Force” (2011) 

For better or worse, Volkswagen’s famous 2011 commercial changed the way we interact with Super Bowl commercials. VW made the then-uncommon decision to post their commercial online a week before the big game. It became a viral hit well before kickoff, and nearly every Super Bowl advertiser since has followed the same, online-first model. 

But the marketing strategy shouldn’t distract from the commercial itself, which still charms 13 years later. Dialogue-free, it stars a kid in a Darth Vader costume, determined to make household items move with the power of Star Wars’ Force ability. It ends with Little Vader managing to influence the 2012 Passat in the driveway… with maybe just a little help from Dad’s key fob.  

Propelled by John Williams’ iconic orchestral score, the film reaches classic status when the kid, just as surprised as anyone, processes what he’s just accomplished. In an era when advanced technology was starting to become more intertwined with our automobiles, Volkswagen proposed that the cars we drive are capable of legitimate magic. 

We Are the Champions 

Regardless of whether or not you have skin in Sunday’s game – or are just tuning in to see if Taylor Swift can make it back from Tokyo in time for kickoff – know that Abeloff GMC is constantly drawing up winning plays. This winter, go long with a new GMC vehicle, from the Sierra 1500 to the powerful Yukon. Let Patrick Mahomes or Brock Purdy have Disney World; you’re going to Abeloff GMC.