Every Live Action Batmobile Ranked Worst To Best

Bat-friends, I am on a mission to rank the coolest Batmobiles from worst to best. Before I do that, I must explain that I am not a car person. I walk everywhere. My very crappy car is held together with actual duct tape. What I do know, however, is what looks cool. I have seen a lot of these cars in person at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and I actually got to stand right next to the Tumbler and the Batpod many years ago at the press day for "The Dark Knight." 

I have seen the cool up close. These rankings have nothing to do with what is under the hood. Here we go with the aesthetic rankings. Start your engines.

Back in the 1940s, Columbia did some serial Batman films with cliffhanger endings. There was "The Batman" serial in 1943 and "The Batman and Robin" serial in 1949. Both of these serials were very low budget, so our Caped Crusader didn't really have the cash on hand that he (and the studio) has these days for such things. That means that Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman had to use the same ride for both sides of his personality. 

For the 1943 serial, Bruce and Bats used a 1939 Cadillac convertible. It's fancy by my standards because it's old and I'm a history buff. Look at it! That thing is a boat. The same goes for the 1949 serial, which used a 1949 Mercury convertible. The fun fact here is that when the top was down, it was Bruce Wayne's car. You know, all fancy-free, wind blowing in his hair. When the top was up, it was all Batmobile. 

They're really cool cars, but they weren't that different than what the average person would have been driving back then. My question would be where the heck do you park something like that, but I guess when you're Batman, you park where the crime is.

In pictures online and the Instagram concept art from John Gallagher, the "Titans" Batmobile looked much cooler than what we saw in the actual show since it wasn't on screen that much. The giant bubble windows (which you can see in Gallagher's Instagram post below) definitely give me a vibe close to the 1960s TV series Batmobile. 

As Gallagher says in the post, "You never get to see it crystal clear in the show so hopefully this gives you a good idea of our final design." You can feel free to debate how important it is to show the Batmobile in a series that involves Batman and/or Robin in any way, but for my money, you probably want to show it, especially when the design is really cool. The fact that it wasn't shown is part of the reason this Batmobile is so far down the list for me. Your mileage may vary. By the way, Gallagher's Instagram has some really cool art, so go check it out. 

The "Gotham" TV series had a young Bruce Wayne, so the Batmobile from this series was an early version. Even Batman needs a driver's license. It's a Ford Mustang, and I really like this one. That's probably because it seems easier to drive. Now, were I a crime fighter, I would probably want more from my Batmobile than just looking cool on the street. From my limited understanding of cars, Mustangs are fast. That's always a good quality. I live in Los Angeles though, and even if you want to — even if you're Batman — you can't get past traffic, Batmobile or no. 

That said, it's a black car that doesn't really stand out in a sea of rich people with cool cars. You might even be able to get past the cops in this thing. (Gotham is not Los Angeles though. Car chases are probably easier outside of my weird, car-obsessed city.)

In season 2 of "Batwoman," we got a Corvette C7 that was modded to fancy it all up. It's got a nice little red bat symbol on the hood, and it's all decked out inside. I actually really like matte paint jobs on cars, so this one looks really cool to me, but it doesn't exactly scream Batmobile. Heck, there are people in my own neighborhood who have bat symbols on their cars. They're very easy to purchase. I like it, but it isn't filling me with awe or nostalgia. I dig the headlights though. Not very functional, covering part of the lights, but it does look really neat. 

I guess as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I prefer the really tech-looking cars, or the ones I remember from when I was younger. "Batwoman" wasn't on my radar, so I'm merely judging this as someone who has spent too much time watching cars whiz by me on the street while I walk.

Ooh, this Batmobile from 1997's "Batman and Robin" is very, very shiny and colorful. The movie is also very, very shiny and colorful. That is not to say good, because we all know it wasn't. The car is still super fun, though. Where you personally rank this might be decided by whether you prefer aesthetics over function. There is no way a car this long is going to do well on a street anywhere. Plus, shiny cars just ask to be keyed. Still, this thing rose up on a turntable. It was pretty. Even Robin says in the film, "Chicks dig the car." Do we though? Alright, fine. Maybe this car, but you know, we can dig the car and not be into you, sir. 

Sorry. Anyway, this does have an ejection seat, which I guess is useful if you're Batman and you won't get hurt from, you know, getting ejected from a car. That's why we have seatbelts, Batman. 

The Batfleck-mobile from "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Justice League" (they're very similar, so they're going in here together) looks more like a tank to me. It's weird and humongous, and I like it very much. It's not that different than the Tumbler from "The Dark Knight" trilogy, but it's very ... well, the only word that's coming to mind is "beefy." I would use this thing as a tornado shelter. (I have no experience with tornados, so maybe ignore that.) It just looks like it could house several people and a few pets with room to move. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's not at all street legal with those giant guns on the front, but it's so weird, you have to love every inch of it. 

I will also admit that, other than Wonder Woman, this may be the only thing I actually loved from "Batman v Superman," though I had fun with "Justice League." Don't yell at me. I appreciate all efforts to put a film up on the screen. It just wasn't my thing. I'm very happy if it's yours.

I know this Batmobile from "Batman Forever" isn't going to win any beauty contests, but it's so unbelievably weird that I love it. Would I drive it? Hell no! I'd probably impale myself on one of the fins or bat wings or whatever those things are supposed to be. I adore it.

Those wings aren't the most functional, though. They flap as they hit bumps, and man, Robin makes it all look so dorky! 

It's open on the sides, so you can see the metal things that do ... car stuff inside. There are blue flames that come out of the back, and it glows. It's so cheery and weird, and that goes very well with the neon and blacklight paint that is all over that movie. It's like a box of candy. A model of it would look really good on a shelf, and for me, that's high praise for a car. 

As I mentioned, I've seen the "Dark Knight" trilogy Batmobile up close and personal, and got yelled at for being too close to the Batpod, which was right in front of it. Look, these things are supposed to be armored vehicles that are driving through explosions. They have guns and all sorts of plating. I'm pretty sure a mere gesture in the direction of these things from me wouldn't have hurt them. 

Look at it, though. It's beautiful! It's extremely weird, but I like the oddly placed front wheels and multiple spoilers. I don't know why they're there, but that doesn't matter. I'm not asking for car accuracy in my superhero movies. Though I do have to say, those bars on the sides blocking the windows would definitely make lane changes more difficult. Not that anyone in another car would get close to you in this. It would definitely require several parking spaces. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Michael Keaton is my Batman. I love them all, animated, LEGO, live-action, even George Clooney (because he has a healthy sense of humor about his version of Bats). Michael Keaton was my first serious Batman (and also crush — I was little). It makes me love his Batmobile even more than I might have if I'd seen all the Batman movies and shows in one sitting. It's also a thing of beauty. There is no way you could drive this thing outside of a movie, but look at it! I could take a nap on the hood. (These are my car-buying qualifications.)

It's got oil slick dispensers, and honestly, that seems like it would be more useful than an onboard computer that could be hacked. (I've driven on L.A. streets after the first rain in months when the oil rises off the road, and it isn't something you can get around. You hit it, you spin.) This car even has a Bat missile. The whole thing looks so cool that it practically glows. Like the "Batman Forever" car, it very much fits its universe. This is a Tim Burton car, and it matches the aesthetic. It's slick and a little silly like the Batsuit, and it's just fun. I can hear Prince singing the "Batdance" in my head as soon as I see it. 

The newest Batmobile has a very muscle car sort of look. It's much sleeker, and I can believe that someone would ride around in one of these things in real life. It's definitely more my speed than a lot of the other ones. I don't think I would feel too odd driving this myself (and I hate driving). It's very cool in the film, but I think what I love so much about this is that it doesn't seem out of place in our current world. Some of the other films had more of a "comic book feel," if you know what I mean. They work for the universes that they're in and that's awesome. They should. This one seems more real to me, and I think it's clear, even from the trailers, that "The Batman" is a more realistic film. The villains are real people. Batman is dealing with real problems like PTSD. The car absolutely reflects that. It's why it's my second best pick, even if some of the more fantasy-feeling cars are prettier or more fun. I could see myself in this one.

Now this ... this is the very first Batmobile I ever saw. It's weird as hell, and I'd never seen anything like it. Even the red trim matches the Bat eyebrows on Adam West's mask. This Batmobile is so very 1960s TV. The strange glass bubbles in the front that don't seem safe at all, the bizarre accessories like Bat-magnets and Bat-lasers, just everything about it has the camp of the show. The list of gadgets alone make this the best car. 

The car is based on the Ford concept car, the Lincoln Futura. There is an Odor Sensitometer Radar Circuit, folks. I don't even know what that does, but I want one. There is an inflatable Batmobile decoy! I could probably afford one of those! It has a Bat phone, and for the 1960s, that was revolutionary! Not that Batman should be on his Bat phone while driving. 

"The Batman" is in theaters now.